Emperor Wen of Chen

Who was Emperor Wen of Chen?

Emperor Wen of Chen, personal name Chen Qian, courtesy name Zihua, was an emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He was the nephew of the founding emperor, Emperor Wu, and after Emperor Wu's death in 559, the officials supported him to be emperor since Emperor Wu's only surviving son, Chen Chang, was detained by rival Northern Zhou. At the time he took the throne, Chen had been devastated by war during the preceding Liang Dynasty, and many provinces nominally loyal to him were under control of relatively independent warlords. During his reign, he consolidated the state against warlords, and he also seized territory belonging to claimants to the Liang throne, Xiao Zhuang and Emperor Xuan of Western Liang, greatly expanding Chen's territory and strength.