Emperor Wu of Liang

Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝
Emperor of the Liang dynasty
Reign	30 April 502[1] – 12 June 549
Predecessor	dynasty established, Emperor He as Emperor of Southern Qi
Successor	Emperor Jianwen
Pretender	Xiao Zhengde (from 548 to 549)
Born	Xiao Lian'er (蕭練兒) 464
Died	549 (aged 84–85)
Burial	Xiu Mausoleum (修陵, in present-day Danyang, Jiangsu)
Consorts	Empress Wude Empress Dowager Mu Empress Dowager Wenxuan
Issue	See § Family
Names Family name: Xiāo (蕭) Given name: Yǎn (衍) Era dates Tiān jiān (天監): 502-519 Pǔ tōng (普通): 520-527 Dà tōng (大通): 527-529 Zhōng dà tōng (中大通): 529-534 Dà tóng (大同): 535-546 Zhōng dà tóng (中大同): 546-547 Tài qīng (太清): 547-549 Posthumous name Emperor Wǔ (武皇帝, lit. "martial") Temple name Gāozǔ (高祖)
House	Lanling Xiao
Father	Xiao Shunzhi
Mother	Zhang Shangrou

Emperor Wu of Liang (Chinese: 梁武帝) (464 – 12 June 549^[2]), personal name Xiao Yan (蕭衍), courtesy name Shuda (叔達), childhood name Lian'er (練兒), was the founding emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty, during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. His reign, until its end, was one of the most stable and prosperous among the Southern dynasties. He came from the same Xiao clan of Lanling (蘭陵蕭氏) that ruled the preceding Southern Qi dynasty, but from a different branch.

Emperor Wu established universities and extended the Confucian civil service exams, demanding that sons of nobles (士族) study. He was well read himself and wrote poetry and patronized the arts. Although for governmental affairs he was Confucian in values, he embraced Buddhism as well. He himself was attracted to many Indian traditions. He banned the sacrifice of animals and was against execution. It was said that he received the Buddhist precepts during his reign, earning him the nickname The Bodhisattva Emperor. The Emperor is the namesake of the Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance (梁皇寳懺), a widely read and major Buddhist text in China and Korea.

At the end of his reign, his unduly lenient attitude towards his clan's and officials' corruption and lack of dedication to the state came at a heavy price; when the general Hou Jing rebelled (侯景之亂), few came to his aid, and Hou captured the imperial capital Jiankang, holding Emperor Wu and his successor Emperor Jianwen under close control and plunging the entire Liang state into anarchy. After Emperor Wu was imprisoned, he was thirsty and asked Hou for honey, but Hou refused to give it to him. After shouting several times, the Emperor supposedly died of hunger and thirst.^{[citation needed]}