Northern Qi, the strongest of the three main Chinese states (along with Northern Zhou and the Chen Dynasty) when it was established in 550, has been since plagued by emperors either violent or incompetent or both (Emperor Wenxuan, Emperor Wucheng, and Gao Wei), corrupt officials, and deteriorating armies.

Having gradually declined, Northern Qi is destroyed by Northern Zhou in 577.

(Emperor Wenxuan's son Gao Shaoyi the Prince of Fanyang, under protection by Tujue, will later declare himself the emperor of Northern Qi in exile, but in 579 will be turned over by Tujue to Northern Zhou and exiled to modern Sichuan.

It is a matter of controversy whether Gao Shaoyi should properly be considered a Northern Qi emperor, but in any case, historians generally use the 577 date as the ending date for Northern Qi.)