Sneha Girap (Editor)

Cao Yu (Three Kingdoms)

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Traditional Chinese
  
曹宇

Name
  
Cao Yu

Parents
  
Lady Huan, Cao Cao

Simplified Chinese
  
曹宇

Role
  
Three Kingdoms

Siblings
  
Cao Chong, Cao Ju

Pinyin
  
Cao Yu

Died
  
278 AD

Grandparents
  
Cao Song

Wade–Giles
  
Ts'ao Yu

Children
  
Cao Huan


Cao Yu (Three Kingdoms) httpscdnmirrorwikihttpkongmingnet11ip

Courtesy name
  
Pengzu (Chinese: 彭祖; pinyin: Pengzu; Wade–Giles: P'eng-tsu)

Uncles
  
Cao De, Cao Bin, Marquis Ai of Haiyang

Similar People
  
Cao Cao, Cao Huan, Cao Chong, Cao Ang, Cao Zhang

Cao Yu (birth and death dates unknown), courtesy name Pengzu, was a prince of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Han dynasty and laid the foundation of Wei. Cao Yu's son, Cao Huan, was the fifth and last emperor of Wei.

Life

Cao Yu was a son of Cao Cao and his concubine Lady Huan (環夫人). He had two brothers who were also born to Lady Huan – Cao Chong and Cao Ju (曹據). He was enfeoffed as a "Marquis of a Chief District" (都鄉侯) in 211 during the reign of Emperor Xian in the Eastern Han dynasty, and was promoted to "Marquis of Luyang" (魯陽侯) in 217.

In 221, a year after Cao Yu's elder half-brother, Cao Pi, ended the Han dynasty and established the state of Cao Wei, Cao Yu became a duke, and was conferred the title of "Prince of Xiapi" (下邳王) in the following year. In 224, his princedom was changed from Xiapi (下邳; present-day Pizhou, Xuzhou, Jiangsu) to Shanfu County (單父縣; present-day Shan County, Heze, Shandong).

In 232, during the reign of Cao Rui (Cao Pi's son and successor), Cao Yu received the title of "Prince of Yan" (燕王). Cao Rui had been very close to Cao Yu in his childhood and he favoured the latter, so he treated Cao Yu exceptionally after ascending the throne in 226 upon his father's death. In 235, Cao Yu was summoned to serve in the Wei imperial court. He returned to Ye (鄴; in present-day Handan, Hebei) in 237, but was summoned back to the Wei capital Luoyang in the summer of 238. Cao Rui became seriously ill in the winter of 238 and he appointed Cao Yu as "General-in-Chief" (大將軍) in the hope that Cao Yu would assist his successor in governing the state. After serving as General-in-Chief for four days, Cao Yu had the intention of resigning. At the same time, Cao Rui had also changed his mind so he relieved Cao Yu of his duty. Cao Yu returned to Ye in the summer of 239 after Cao Rui's death.

In 260, after the fourth Wei ruler Cao Mao was killed in a failed coup against the regent Sima Zhao, Cao Yu's son Cao Huan, the Duke of Changdao District (常道鄉公), was chosen to be the new emperor and he ascended the throne shortly after Cao Mao's death. Cao Yu remained as the "Prince of Yan" when his son was a nominal emperor under Sima Zhao's control. The number of taxable households in his princedom increased throughout the reigns of Cao Rui, Cao Fang, Cao Mao and Cao Huan until it reached 5,500. In 265, Sima Zhao's son Sima Yan forced Cao Huan to abdicate the throne in his favour, ending the state of Cao Wei and establishing the Jin dynasty. Sima Yan became the emperor and he granted Cao Huan the title "Prince of Chenliu" (陳留王). Cao Yu's status was reduced from that of a prince to a duke, so he became known as the "Duke of Yan" (燕公).

References

Cao Yu (Three Kingdoms) Wikipedia