Emperor Gong of Western Wei

Who was Emperor Gong of Western Wei?

Emperor Gong of Western Wei, personal name né Yuan Kuo, later changed to Tuoba Kuo, was the last emperor of the Western Wei -- a branch successor state to Northern Wei. He was made emperor in 554 after his older brother Emperor Fei was deposed by the paramount general Yuwen Tai. He carried little actual power, and in 556, after Yuwen Tai's death, Yuwen Tai's nephew Yuwen Hu, serving as guardian to Yuwen Tai's son Yuwen Jue, forced Emperor Gong to yield the throne to Yuwen Jue, ending Western Wei and starting Northern Zhou. The former emperor was killed in 557. Because Northern Wei's other branch successor state, Eastern Wei, had fallen in 551, Emperor Gong can be regarded as Northern Wei's final emperor as well.