Emperor Houshao of Han facts for kids

Emperor Houshao of Han (Chinese: 漢後少帝; born around March 196 BC – died 14 November 180 BC), whose personal name was Liu Hong, was the fourth emperor of the Han dynasty. He was a son of Emperor Hui and was later adopted by Emperor Hui's wife, Empress Zhang Yan. His grandmother, Empress Lü, was a very powerful figure at the time.

Early Life and Rise to Power

Very little is known about Emperor Houshao's early life. We don't even know his exact birth year. His father, Emperor Hui, passed away in September 188 BC. After his father's death, his older brother, Liu Gong, became Emperor Qianshao. At this time, his grandmother, Empress Dowager Lü, held all the real power in the government.

In 187 BC, Liu Hong was given the title of Marquess of Xiangcheng. A year later, in 186 BC, his brother Liu Buyi, who was the Prince of Hengshan, died. Liu Hong then became the new Prince of Hengshan, and his name was changed to Liu Yi. This change was likely because it was not considered proper for a person's name to share characters with their official titles.

Becoming Emperor

Around 184 BC, Emperor Qianshao found out that he was not actually the son of Empress Dowager Zhang. He also learned that his birth mother had been removed from the palace by Empress Lü. Emperor Qianshao became very upset and publicly said that when he grew up, Empress Dowager Zhang would face consequences for this.

When Grand Empress Dowager Lü heard this, she quickly took action. She had Emperor Qianshao secretly held within the palace. She then announced to everyone that he was very ill and could not see anyone.

After some time, Grand Empress Dowager Lü told the officials that Emperor Qianshao was still sick and unable to rule. She also claimed he was mentally unwell. She suggested that he should be removed from the throne and replaced. The officials agreed with her wishes. Emperor Qianshao was then removed from power and later died.

Prince Hong, or Liu Hong, then became the new emperor, known as Emperor Houshao. He was essentially a puppet ruler, meaning his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Lü, still held all the power. Because she was the true ruler, the usual tradition of resetting the calendar year when a new emperor takes the throne was not followed. The calendar continued as if Emperor Qianshao was still ruling.

End of His Reign

In the autumn of 180 BC, Grand Empress Dowager Lü passed away due to an illness. Even after her death, Emperor Houshao still did not have real power. Most of the power was still controlled by the Lü family, who were relatives of the late empress dowager.

Grand Empress Dowager Lü's will stated that Emperor Houshao should marry her nephew Lü Lu's daughter and make her empress. However, many government officials, led by Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, formed a plan against the Lü family. They successfully surprised the Lü family and removed them from power.

After this, the officials met to decide who should be the next emperor. They claimed that none of Emperor Hui's sons were truly his own. They were worried that if these imperial children grew up, they might seek revenge on the officials. So, they decided to find a new emperor.

After some discussion, they chose Emperor Houshao's uncle, Prince Liu Heng of Dai. Prince Heng soon arrived in the capital city of Xi'an and was declared emperor. Emperor Houshao was then removed from the throne.

Initially, Emperor Houshao was simply moved out of the palace. However, later that year, Emperor Houshao and his three younger brothers were executed. Historians believe his wife, Empress Lü, was also executed, but there is no clear proof of this.

Emperor Houshao is often seen as just a puppet ruler of Grand Empress Dowager Lü. Because of this, he is not included in the official list of emperors of the Han dynasty.

Family

• Empress, from the Lü family (died 180 BC)

See also

• Family tree of the Han dynasty