Emperor Qinzong of Song (23 May 1100 – 14 June 1161), personal name Zhao Huan, was the ninth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the last emperor of the Northern Song dynasty.
Emperor Qinzong was the eldest son and heir apparent of Emperor Huizong. His mother was Emperor Huizong's empress consort, Empress Wang. In 1126, when the forces of the Jurchen-led Jin Empire invaded the Song Empire beginning the first siege of Bianjing. Frightened, Emperor Huizong intended to flee but was convinced by his officials to abdicate first and then flee.[1] Huizong then abdicated and passed on his throne to Emperor Qinzong, and then assumed the title Taishang Huang ("Retired Emperor") himself and fled to the countryside.
Left to deal with the Jin invasion by himself,[2] Emperor Qinzong appointed the general Li Gang (李綱) to lead the Song military to fend off the invaders. However, Emperor Qinzong was not a decisive leader and often made poor judgments. Eventually, he removed Li Gang from his appointment in the hope of starting peace talks with the Jin Empire and sent his younger brother Zhao Gou to negotiate but he was captured and ransomed. This may contribute to Emperor Gaozong's decision to not rescue Qinzong. The first siege of Bianjing ended after Qinzong gave a city to the Jurchens and paid them annual tribute. Emperor Huizong returned after hearing that the siege was over.
Causes of the Second Siege of Bianjing
Despite this, almost as soon as the Jin armies had left Kaifeng, Emperor Qinzong reneged on the deal and dispatched two armies to repel the Jurchen troops attacking Taiyuan and bolster the defenses of Zhongshan and Hejian. An army of 90,000 soldiers and another of 60,000 were defeated by Jin forces by June. A second expedition to rescue Taiyuan was also unsuccessful.[3] Emperor Qinzong rejected an proposal to reinforce the northern borders reasoning that they may never come back and sent his generals to other parts of the country. The Jin imperial court sent two ambassadors to Song. The two ambassadors were nobles from the former Liao dynasty. Emperor Qinzong misjudged the situation and believed that they could be used to turn against the Jin ruler, Emperor Taizong. Emperor Qinzong sent a coded letter which was sealed in candle wax, inviting them to join Song to form an Anti–Jin alliance but the ambassadors handed the letter to Emperor Taizong and in retaliation, accused Emperor Qinzong for violating the peace treaty and sent an even bigger army against the Song.
Since Qinzong mistakenly removed the army to post in different parts of the country, the Jin forces eventually breached the walls of the Song capital, Bianjing, in 1127 and occupied the city in an event historically known as the Jingkang Incident ("Jingkang" was the era name of Emperor Qinzong.) Emperor Qinzong, along with his father Emperor Huizong and the rest of their family, were taken prisoner by Jin forces, marking the end of the Northern Song. Qinzong's brother Zhao Gou managed to escape to southern China, where he reestablished the empire as the Southern Song dynasty and became historically known as Emperor Gaozong.
Life in the Jin Dynasty
Emperor Qinzong and his father were demoted to the status of commoners on 20 March 1127 and deported to Huining Prefecture, the Jin capital, on 13 May 1127. In 1128, the two former Song emperors were forced to wear mourning dresses and pay homage to the ancestors of the Jin Emperors at their ancestral temple in Huining Prefecture.[4][5] Furthermore, the Jurchen ruler, Emperor Taizong, gave the two former Song emperors contemptuous titles to humiliate them: Emperor Qinzong was called "Marquis Chonghun" (重昏侯; literally "Doubly Muddle-headed Marquis") while Emperor Huizong was called "Duke Hunde" (昏德公; literally "Muddle-headed Duke").[5]
In 1141, as the Jin Empire normalised relations with the (Southern) Song Empire, the Jurchens renamed Emperor Qinzong's title to the more neutral-sounding "Duke of Tianshui Commandery" (天水郡公), which is based on a commandery located in the upper reaches of the Wei River. A few months later, the former emperor started receiving a stipend due to his nobility status. He lived the rest of his life as a captive in the Jin Empire, which used him as a hostage to put pressure on the Song Empire.[5]
In 1142, Emperor Gaozong signed the Treaty of Shaoxing which made peace with the Jin Dynasty. This destroyed Qinzong's chance of returning.
In 1156, in an act of humiliation, the Jin Emperor who at the time was the Prince of Hailing ordered him and the former Emperor Tianzuo of Liao to compete in a match of polo. Emperor Qinzong was weak and frail, thus quickly fell off the horse. Emperor Tianzuo himself despite being very old, was more familiar to horse riding, tried to escape but was shot to death by Jurchen archers.
Emperor Qinzong died as a sick and broken man in 1161 having spent two-thirds of his life in the Jin Dynasty.[6] He was 61. His temple name means "Venerate Ancestor".
Levine, Ari Daniel (2009). "The Reigns of Hui-tsung (1100–1126) and Ch'in-tsung (1126–1127) and the Fall of the Northern Sung". In Paul Jakov Smith; Denis C. Twitchett (eds.). The Cambridge History of China: Volume 5, The Sung dynasty and Its Precursors, 907–1279. Cambridge University Press. pp. 556–643. ISBN978-0-521-81248-1.
Lorge, Peter (2005). War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900–1795. Routledge. ISBN978-0-203-96929-8.
emperor, qinzong, song, 1100, june, 1161, personal, name, zhao, huan, ninth, emperor, song, dynasty, china, last, emperor, northern, song, dynasty, song, 宋欽宗palace, portrait, hanging, scroll, kept, national, palace, museum, taipei, taiwanemperor, song, dynasty. Emperor Qinzong of Song 23 May 1100 14 June 1161 personal name Zhao Huan was the ninth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the last emperor of the Northern Song dynasty Emperor Qinzong of Song 宋欽宗Palace portrait on a hanging scroll kept in the National Palace Museum Taipei TaiwanEmperor of the Song dynastyReign19 January 1126 20 March 1127Coronation19 January 1126PredecessorEmperor HuizongSuccessorEmperor GaozongBornZhao Dan 趙亶 1100 1103 Zhao Huan 趙桓 1103 1116 23 May 1100Died14 June 1161 1161 06 14 aged 61 BurialYongxianling Mausoleum 永獻陵 in present day Gongyi Henan ConsortsEmpress Renhuai m 1116 died 1127 wbr IssueZhao JinZhao XunPrincess RoujiaEra datesJingkang 靖康 1126 1127 Regnal nameEmperor Xiaoci Yuansheng 孝慈淵聖皇帝 Posthumous nameEmperor Gongwen Shunde Renxiao 恭文順德仁孝皇帝 Temple nameQinzong 欽宗 HouseHouse of ZhaoFatherEmperor HuizongMotherEmpress XiangongSignatureEmperor Qinzong of SongTraditional Chinese宋欽宗Simplified Chinese宋钦宗Literal meaning Venerate Ancestor of the Song TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinSong QinzōngZhao HuanTraditional Chinese趙桓TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinZhao HuanMarquis ChonghunChinese重昏侯Literal meaningDoubly Muddle headed MarquisTranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinChonghun HouIn this Chinese name the family name is Zhao Emperor Qinzong was the eldest son and heir apparent of Emperor Huizong His mother was Emperor Huizong s empress consort Empress Wang In 1126 when the forces of the Jurchen led Jin Empire invaded the Song Empire beginning the first siege of Bianjing Frightened Emperor Huizong intended to flee but was convinced by his officials to abdicate first and then flee 1 Huizong then abdicated and passed on his throne to Emperor Qinzong and then assumed the title Taishang Huang Retired Emperor himself and fled to the countryside Contents 1 Reign 1 1 Causes of the Second Siege of Bianjing 2 Capture 2 1 Life in the Jin Dynasty 3 Family 4 Ancestry 5 See also 6 ReferencesReign EditLeft to deal with the Jin invasion by himself 2 Emperor Qinzong appointed the general Li Gang 李綱 to lead the Song military to fend off the invaders However Emperor Qinzong was not a decisive leader and often made poor judgments Eventually he removed Li Gang from his appointment in the hope of starting peace talks with the Jin Empire and sent his younger brother Zhao Gou to negotiate but he was captured and ransomed This may contribute to Emperor Gaozong s decision to not rescue Qinzong The first siege of Bianjing ended after Qinzong gave a city to the Jurchens and paid them annual tribute Emperor Huizong returned after hearing that the siege was over Causes of the Second Siege of Bianjing Edit Despite this almost as soon as the Jin armies had left Kaifeng Emperor Qinzong reneged on the deal and dispatched two armies to repel the Jurchen troops attacking Taiyuan and bolster the defenses of Zhongshan and Hejian An army of 90 000 soldiers and another of 60 000 were defeated by Jin forces by June A second expedition to rescue Taiyuan was also unsuccessful 3 Emperor Qinzong rejected an proposal to reinforce the northern borders reasoning that they may never come back and sent his generals to other parts of the country The Jin imperial court sent two ambassadors to Song The two ambassadors were nobles from the former Liao dynasty Emperor Qinzong misjudged the situation and believed that they could be used to turn against the Jin ruler Emperor Taizong Emperor Qinzong sent a coded letter which was sealed in candle wax inviting them to join Song to form an Anti Jin alliance but the ambassadors handed the letter to Emperor Taizong and in retaliation accused Emperor Qinzong for violating the peace treaty and sent an even bigger army against the Song Capture EditFurther information Jingkang Incident Since Qinzong mistakenly removed the army to post in different parts of the country the Jin forces eventually breached the walls of the Song capital Bianjing in 1127 and occupied the city in an event historically known as the Jingkang Incident Jingkang was the era name of Emperor Qinzong Emperor Qinzong along with his father Emperor Huizong and the rest of their family were taken prisoner by Jin forces marking the end of the Northern Song Qinzong s brother Zhao Gou managed to escape to southern China where he reestablished the empire as the Southern Song dynasty and became historically known as Emperor Gaozong Life in the Jin Dynasty Edit Emperor Qinzong and his father were demoted to the status of commoners on 20 March 1127 and deported to Huining Prefecture the Jin capital on 13 May 1127 In 1128 the two former Song emperors were forced to wear mourning dresses and pay homage to the ancestors of the Jin Emperors at their ancestral temple in Huining Prefecture 4 5 Furthermore the Jurchen ruler Emperor Taizong gave the two former Song emperors contemptuous titles to humiliate them Emperor Qinzong was called Marquis Chonghun 重昏侯 literally Doubly Muddle headed Marquis while Emperor Huizong was called Duke Hunde 昏德公 literally Muddle headed Duke 5 In 1141 as the Jin Empire normalised relations with the Southern Song Empire the Jurchens renamed Emperor Qinzong s title to the more neutral sounding Duke of Tianshui Commandery 天水郡公 which is based on a commandery located in the upper reaches of the Wei River A few months later the former emperor started receiving a stipend due to his nobility status He lived the rest of his life as a captive in the Jin Empire which used him as a hostage to put pressure on the Song Empire 5 In 1142 Emperor Gaozong signed the Treaty of Shaoxing which made peace with the Jin Dynasty This destroyed Qinzong s chance of returning In 1156 in an act of humiliation the Jin Emperor who at the time was the Prince of Hailing ordered him and the former Emperor Tianzuo of Liao to compete in a match of polo Emperor Qinzong was weak and frail thus quickly fell off the horse Emperor Tianzuo himself despite being very old was more familiar to horse riding tried to escape but was shot to death by Jurchen archers Emperor Qinzong died as a sick and broken man in 1161 having spent two thirds of his life in the Jin Dynasty 6 He was 61 His temple name means Venerate Ancestor Family EditConsorts and Issue Empress Renhuai of the Zhu clan 仁懷皇后 朱氏 1102 1127 Zhao Chen Crown Prince 皇太子 趙諶 1117 1128 first son Princess Roujia 柔嘉公主 b 1121 Virtuous Consort Shen of the Zhu clan 慎德妃 朱氏 1110 1142 Zhao Jin 趙謹 b 1127 second son A daughter b 1130 Cairen of the Zheng clan 才人 鄭氏 personal name Qingyun 慶雲 Zhao Xun 趙訓 b 1129 third son Cairen of Han clan 才人 韓氏 personal name Jingguan 靜觀 A son b 1128 Cairen of the Di clan 才人 狄氏 b 1114 personal name Yuhui 玉輝 A daughter b 1129 Ancestry EditZhao Yunrang 995 1059 Emperor Yingzong of Song 1032 1067 Lady RenEmperor Shenzong of Song 1048 1085 Gao ZunfuEmpress Xuanren 1032 1093 Lady CaoEmperor Huizong of Song 1082 1135 Chen JirongChen ShouguiEmpress Qinci 1058 1089 Emperor Qinzong of Song 1100 1156 Wang ShiyanWang KexunWang ZaoEmpress Xiangong 1084 1108 See also EditChinese emperors family tree middle List of emperors of the Song dynasty Architecture of the Song dynasty Culture of the Song dynasty Economy of the Song dynasty History of the Song dynasty Society of the Song dynasty Technology of the Song dynasty Jin Song WarsReferences Edit Levine 2009 p 636 Mote 1999 p 196 Lorge 2005 p 53 Tao 1976 p 32 a b c Franke amp Twitchett 1994 pp 233 234 Mote 1999 p 291 Franke Herbert Twitchett Denis 1994 Denis C Twitchett Herbert Franke John K Fairbank eds The Cambridge History of China Volume 6 Alien Regimes and Border States 710 1368 Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 24331 5 Levine Ari Daniel 2009 The Reigns of Hui tsung 1100 1126 and Ch in tsung 1126 1127 and the Fall of the Northern Sung In Paul Jakov Smith Denis C Twitchett eds The Cambridge History of China Volume 5 The Sung dynasty and Its Precursors 907 1279 Cambridge University Press pp 556 643 ISBN 978 0 521 81248 1 Lorge Peter 2005 War Politics and Society in Early Modern China 900 1795 Routledge ISBN 978 0 203 96929 8 Mote Frederick W 1999 Imperial China 900 1800 Harvard University Press ISBN 0 674 44515 5 hardcover ISBN 978 0 674 01212 7 Tao Jing Shen 1976 The Jurchen in Twelfth Century China A Study of Sinicization University of Washington Press ISBN 978 0295955148 Emperor QinzongHouse of ZhaoBorn May 23 1100 Died June 14 1161Regnal titlesPreceded byEmperor Huizong Emperor of the Song Dynasty1126 1127 Succeeded byEmperor Gaozong Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Emperor Qinzong amp oldid 1122048569, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
