Han-Zhao

Han-Zhao ( Chinese 漢趙 / 汉赵 , Pinyin Hàn-Zhào ), also known as the former Zhao ( 前趙 / 前赵 ), was the first of the numerous Chinese or Sinised small states during the period of the Sixteen Empires . It was founded in 304 by Liu Yuan ( 劉淵 / 刘渊 ) and was lost in 329 in the attack of the Later Zhao . The home area of the Han-Zhao was today's Shanxi Province , at its greatest extent they were able to extend their sphere of influence to today's Henan Province .

Origin of the Han Zhao

In order to revive agriculture in central China, the government of the Western Jin tried , sometimes with violence, to bring minority peoples from the north and west of China into the country. Entire population groups were relocated as a result. In order to keep the resettled population under control, however, the Jin rulers left the clan structure of the peoples intact and allowed the people's leaders extensive powers to control their own populations, including violence via military or paramilitary units. The first emperor of Han-Zhao was a (southern) Xiongnu king, whose clan had already settled in Shanxi at the end of the Han period . His ancestors took the Chinese name Liu when they immigrated to China.

Establishment of the Han Zhao

The turmoil within the imperial family prevented the Jin government from taking effective action against the trouble spots that had arisen from the massive immigration of foreign populations into the country. In the country, the law of the fittest prevailed and Liu Yuan was elevated to the status of count and military governor of the province by the Jin rulers.

As the reins of the central government weakened and unrest spread, the Xiongnu chiefs chose him as their strong man to rule. In 304 Liu Yuan revolted against the Jin government and called himself "King of Han" because of a legendary marriage connection. He was able to occupy all of Shanxi quickly and in 308 he was finally proclaimed emperor.

Destruction of the Western Jin Dynasty

The Western Jin Dynasty was severely weakened by that time by internal unrest. Due to his quick successes, Liu Yuan gained a lot of popularity. Two of his generals stood out in particular: Liu Yao ( 劉曜 / 刘曜 ) and Shi Le ( 石勒 ), both of whom were later to ascend the imperial throne themselves.

Liu Yuan died in 310, his younger son Liu Cong ( 劉聰 / 刘聪 ; † 318) killed his brother and had himself proclaimed his successor. May 311 General Shi Le was able to destroy the main force of Jin so that the Jin capital Luoyang was unprotected from the enemy army. The capital fell in July and the Jin Emperor Huai was captured. The looting Han army massacred the population, killing over 30,000 people. The Jin dynasty tried to keep a few remaining bids around the new capital Chang'an , but this attempt was in vain. 316 surrounded General Liu Yao Chang'an. With no relief in sight, the last western Jin Emperor Min surrendered and (like his predecessor) was eventually executed by the Huns.

Power struggles and division

An inherent inner weakness of the Han Zhao emperors was their lack of understanding of the administration of a huge country like China. They were military leaders. So they left the administration largely to the local leaders of the respective peoples. They also did little to resolve the conflicts between the peoples than to exacerbate them. Riots within the territories they occupied were the order of the day. There was also great chaos at the higher level of power.

With violence alone, Liu Cong was able to slowly put down the uprisings and at least keep the internal conflicts in check. But with his death in 318 the fighting broke out again: In the same year a general of the deceased led a coup . He killed all members of the imperial family who were in the capital. When the two most capable generals heard of the coup, they immediately advanced with their troops against the capital, with Liu Yao being proclaimed the new emperor as a precaution.

Liu Yao was an adopted son of state founder Liu Yuan. Like Shi Le , he had contributed significantly to the military successes of Han-Zhao. At the time of the coup he was stationed in Chang'an, while Shi Le had built his own power base in what is now Hebei . Both wanted to take the opportunity to ascend the imperial throne. The rebels in the capital knew that they could not hold their own against the forces of the two powerful generals. So it came to a coup after the coup, in which the original usurper was killed by his own relatives. The rebels capitulated to Liu Yao. At this point, the relationship between Liu Yao and Shi Le was already more than strained. Knowing that the situation in the capital was not calm and that his own back was not clear, Liu Yao tried to avoid a confrontation with Shi Le. He made Shi Le King of Zhao . De facto, he had recognized Shi Le's independence at that time. At the same time he changed his state name from Han to Zhao and called himself Emperor of Zhao. Hence the historically handed down name Han-Zhao or earlier Zhao.

Liu Yao faced the same problems as his predecessors, showed just as little understanding of the administration, and had to use the same brutal methods to counter all riots. His government was on a very fragile basis like that of his predecessors.

Downfall

The open argument between Shi Le († 333) and Liu Yao broke out in 325. In the summer of 328, Shi L's army invaded Han Zhao again. Liu Yao decided to resolve the matter once and for all. He led his troop personally and was able to record considerable success for himself in the fall. A decisive battle broke out in front of Luoyang City in winter. The two armies clashed. Due to carelessness and tactical mistakes, Liu's army was defeated and Liu was taken prisoner.

Shi Le offered his rival to spare his life if Liu could convince his followers to surrender. However, Liu wrote a letter to his son who was to succeed him, saying that he should persevere and take revenge. As a result, Liu Yao was killed.

However, Liu had completely misjudged his power base. Han-Zhao State has always been held together by its military power alone. Effective administration and other methods of holding the state together were lacking. The state structure disintegrated as soon as news of its defeat and capture reached the capital. Under these circumstances, his son was hardly able to offer any resistance. The following year, Shi Le's army overran the former Han-Zhao area and captured his son as well. That was the end of Han-Zhao's story.

But the state of Shi Le - the later Zhao - was to go under shortly after the death of his second successor Shi Hu (d. 349).

Han Zhao Emperor

Honorary name ¹	Name ²	Temple name ³	Reign	Remarks
Guang Wen ( 光文皇帝 )	Liu Yuan ( 劉淵 / 刘渊 )	Ancestor Gao ( 高祖 )	304 - 310	In 304, Liu Yuan proclaimed himself King of Han. From November 308 he called himself Kaiser.
	Liu He ( 劉和 / 刘和 )		7 days in 310
Zhao Wu ( 昭武皇帝 )	Liu Cong ( 劉聰 / 刘聪 )	Ancestor Lie (烈宗)	310- 318	Son of Liu Yuan. Murdered his brother to get the crown.
Yin ( 隐帝 )	Liu Can ( 劉粲 / 刘粲 )		318	Son of Liu Cong. Liu Mi ascended the throne in September and was killed in a coup in November.
	Liu Yao ( 劉曜 / 刘曜 )		318- 328	An adopted son of Liu Yuan. Liu Yao changed the state name to Zhao. He was killed by Shi Le.
	Liu Xi ( 劉熙 / 刘熙 )		329

The honorary name is the name of the emperor that he received in honor of his death. This is also the common name of the emperor that most Chinese people know.
The real name (the real name, so to speak) of the emperor. This name is known relatively rarely. According to Chinese tradition, the family name comes first, followed by the first name.
The temple name is given to an emperor posthumously if he is placed as an ancestor in the imperial ancestral temple. Not all Han Zhao emperors have a temple name.