Han Jingdi

Han Jingdi

Jingdi ( Chinese  漢 景帝  /  汉 景帝 , Pinyin Hàn Jǐngdì , * 188 BC , † 141 BC ) was a Chinese emperor of the Han dynasty . During his reign, the building of the country, which had also taken place under his father, continued, so that it was a happy time, although it was marred by an uprising.

Time as a prince

Jingdi was the fifth son of Emperor Wendi and Empress Dou . He was born as Liu Qi ( Chinese  劉啟  /  刘启 , Pinyin Liú Qǐ ). In his youth, he and his siblings, the Princess Liu Piao and Prince Liu Wu , were closely associated with Daoism by his mother . As crown prince he soon got his own household, which included the intelligent and eloquent Chao Cuo , who later became one of his closest advisers.

Early reign

When his father in 157 BC Died, he ascended the throne as Han Jingdi and promoted agriculture, road and bridge construction. He himself was a staunch Confucian , cared for the well-being of his subjects, brought the arts to bloom and passed a law according to which every citizen could be asked to do public works two months a year. He also reformed the criminal law (especially with regard to corporal punishment). At that time he was already married to the now Empress Bo . He also signed treaties with the Xiongnu , which, however, meant that the mighty nobles could no longer prove their fate in battle. This is how it originated in 154 BC The conflict with Liu Pu , the ruler of the Jingdi subject to Wu , in which there were large salt and copper deposits. Liu Pu was already angry with Jingdi over an earlier incident, and after territorial changes were made in Wu and other areas by the emperor on the advice of Chao Cuo, who feared an uprising, the rebellion erupted. Liu Pu allied himself with the rulers of Chu , Jiaoxi, Zhao , and three smaller ones, belonging to the Chinese Empire . He also received help from the Donghai and Minyue Kingdoms . An alliance with the Xiongnu was also formed, but they still did not intervene in the conflict.

While Chao Cuo was still negotiating with the insurgents, Zhou Yafu was appointed commander of the imperial troops, who was said to be of great value. Wu and Chu immediately attacked Liang , in which Jingdi's brother Liu Wu ruled. The emperor, however, received help from the Chinese rule of Zhou , which cut the opposing supply lines and, together with the emperor, forced the enemy to surrender. Liu Pu fled to Donghai, where he was murdered. The emperor soon made peace with this kingdom. The Prince of Chu died of suicide.

Late reign

Han Yang Ling - Jingdi Mausoleum

After the rebellion known as the Revolt of the Seven Kingdoms was put down, there was only one shadow left that tarnished the emperor's life: his wife Bo had not yet given birth to a son. So in 153 BC he raised Chr. Liu Rong, the son of the ambitious concubine Li , crown prince. 151 BC Bo was deposed as empress. She died in 147 BC However, Li hated Jingdi's sister Liu Piao, so a big argument was started, at the end of which Liu Piao convinced the emperor that Li was dangerous, referring to an earlier incident. 150 BC BC Rong was deprived of the dignity of crown prince. 148 BC Chr. Was he, probably his grandfather, for violation of the tomb Wendi detained and committed, after receiving a letter, which invited him to suicide .

The new empress was Wang Zhi , whose son Liu Che was later to become crown prince. For now, however, the emperor's brother, Liu Wu, sought this office with the support of Jingdi's mother, Dou. But some officials opposed this plan. So it was dropped. Liu Wu was now planning to have his ruler, Liao, build a road to Chang'an , but the same officials stood across because they feared the road could be used for troop deployment. Liu Wu then had her murdered. He was captured and pardoned by the emperor. 143 BC Then the former general and current chancellor Zhou Yafu came under suspicion because of some weapons purchases, which should serve to prepare a grave. He was also forced to commit suicide. Jingdi made his 14 sons kings to help him stabilize the country. He was also a promoter of Daoism.

141 BC Emperor Jingdi died. His son Che followed him.

In 1990, huge pits with terracotta figures were discovered near Jingdi's tomb while the road from Xi'an to the airport was being built. The tomb , built in the form of a pyramid , is named Han Yang Ling . As a result of the excavations, which have not yet been completed and do not extend to the pyramids of the emperor and empress, the Han Yang Ling Museum was opened in 1999, which is located around the sites and in the immediate vicinity, especially to the pyramid of Empress Wang was built.

rating

In many respects Jingdi continued the successful policy of his father, so that these two reigns can be seen as a golden age that is only tarnished by said uprising. However, the emperor is repeatedly criticized for the affairs surrounding Empress Bo and Zhou Yafu.

children

Sons :

• Liu Rong
• Liu Che, later Emperor Wu
• Liu De 155-130 BC Chr.
• Liu E 155-153 v. Chr.
• Liu Gu 155 / 154-127 BC Chr.
• Liu Fei 154-127 BC Chr.
• Liu Pengzu 155 / 152-92 v. Chr.
• Liu Fa 155-128 BC Chr.
• Liu Duan 154-108 BC Chr.
• Liu Sheng 154-114 BC Chr.
• Liu Yue 148-136 BC Chr.
• Liu Ji 148-120 BC Chr.
• Liu Cheng 148-136 BC Chr.
• Avoid Liu (?) 145–114 BC Chr.

Daughters :

• Pingyang
• Nangong
• Longlü

literature

• Josef Guter : Lexicon on the history of China. Seven millennia at a glance. Marix-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-937715-40-1 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Han Wendi	Emperor of China 157–141 BC Chr.	Wu