↑ Gao Wei's cousin Gao Yanzong the Prince of Ande (Gao Cheng's son) briefly declared himself emperor around the new year 577 after the soldiers guarding the city of Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) demanded that he claim the title when Gao Wei abandoned Jinyang. Gao Yanzong, however, was almost immediately defeated and captured by Northern Zhou troops, and therefore is generally not considered a true Northern Qi emperor.
↑ In 577, Gao Wei, then with the title Taishang Huang (retired emperor), tried to issue an edict on his son's behalf yielding the throne to his uncle (Gao Huan's son) Gao Jie (高湝) the Prince of Rencheng, but the officials he sent to deliver the edict to Gao Jie surrendered to Northern Zhou rather than delivering the edict to Gao Jie, who was subsequently also captured by Northern Zhou troops. It is questionable whether Gao Jie was even aware of the edict, and in any case, Gao Jie never used imperial title.
↑ As noted above, Emperor Wenxuan's son Gao Shaoyi tried to establish a Northern Qi court in exile on Tujue's territory, but was not successful in his efforts in recapturing formerly Northern Qi territory, and was eventually turned over by Tujue to Northern Zhou. Most historians do not consider him a true Northern Qi emperor, although the matter remains in controversy.
↑ In 580, after Emperor Xuan's death, the general Yuchi Jiong, believing that the regent Yang Jian was about to seize the throne, rose against Yang and declared a son of Emperor Wu's brother Yuwen Zhao (宇文招) the Prince of Zhao, whose name is lost to history, emperor, but as Yuchi was soon defeated, and nothing further was known about the emperor that he declared, that son of Yuwen Zhao is usually not considered an emperor of Northern Zhou.
↑ However, historical records also indicate that this birthdate, while official, was a falsified date -- that Liu Shao had been conceived while Emperor Wen was still in the three-year mourning period for his father Emperor Wu, who died in 422, and not supposed to have sexual relations. Liu Shao therefore must have been born sometime between 423 and 425, if these accounts are accurate.
↑ Emperor Wu's nephew Xiao Zhengde the Prince of Linhe, who joined Hou Jing's rebellion, was declared emperor by Hou in 548, but after Hou's victory over Emperor Wu in 549 was deposed and killed by Hou, and is not usually considered a true emperor.
↑ Emperor Yuan's brother Xiao Ji the Prince of Wuling also declared himself emperor in 552, but was defeated and killed by Emperor Yuan in 553, and is usually not considered a true emperor.
↑ The 554 date is per the Book of Chen, but has major problems, in that the Book of Chen also indicates that his age at death in 570 was 18. This would he was born in 551 or 552, which would also fit better with his brothers' birthdates, several of which are also problematic as rendered in the Book of Chen. One might be able to speculate that his given birth date of 554 (Third year of the Liang Dynasty's Chengsheng (承聖) era), was erroneously rendered and should have been given as the third year of the Dabao (大寶) era (552) — an era name, incidentally, was not recognized by Emperor Yuan of Liang under the rationale that his brother Emperor Jianwen of Liang, who used the era name, was being controlled by the rebel general Hou Jing. But such speculation, while it would make dates fit better, is not directly supported by text evidence. See Emperor Wen of Chen for more details.
