Died April 18, 981 AD Parents Emperor Taizu of Song | Mother Lady He (賀氏) Children Daughter Name Zhao Defang | |
Spouse Lady Jiao (焦氏)Lady Fu (符氏)Lady Wang (王氏)Lady Li (李氏) Issue Zhao Weixu (趙惟敘), sonZhao Weixian (趙惟憲), sonZhao Weineng (趙惟能), sondaughter (m. Pan Weixi 潘惟熙) Role Emperor Taizu of Song's son Grandparents Zhao Hongyin, Empress Dowager Du | ||
Zhao Defang (趙德芳) (959–981), was an imperial prince of imperial China's Song Dynasty. He was the fourth son of Emperor Taizu and the younger brother of Zhao Dezhao.
Contents
His great-great-great-great-grandson was Emperor Xiaozong of Song.
Biography
In 976, Zhao Defang had his first official appointment as the Defense Commissioner of Guizhou, which was quickly followed by appointments of Prefect of Xingyuan (興元, today's Hanzhong), Military Commissioner of Shannanxi Circuit (山南西道, around today's Sichuan) and chancellor. In the winter of 978 he was named Grand Commandant of Inspection (檢校太尉). He died in 981 from an unnamed illness at the young age of 23. Emperor Taizong, his uncle, visited his coffin in tears and cancelled imperial court meetings for 5 days to commemorate him.
In fiction
In popular stories, including the Generals of the Yang Family legends and Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, Zhao Defang is known as the "Eighth Prince" (八王爺) or "Eighth Virtuous Prince" (八賢王), but this character seems to be a "merger" between Zhao Defang and Zhao Defang's cousin Zhao Yuanyan.
The breakdown:
The "Eighth Virtuous Prince" in Seven Heroes and Five Gallants was clearly based on the historical Zhao Yuanyan, who