Emperor Ping of Han facts for kids

Emperor Ping of Han (born 9 BC, died 3 February 6 AD) was an important ruler of the Chinese Han dynasty. His personal names were Liu Jizi and later Liu Kan. He became the eleventh emperor of China, ruling from 1 BC to 6 AD.

Emperor Ping became emperor when he was only eight years old. This happened after his cousin, Emperor Ai, passed away without any children. A powerful official named Wang Mang was chosen to be the regent. A regent is someone who rules for a child king until the king is old enough.

Wang Mang's son, Wang Yu, was not happy with his father's strict rule. In 3 AD, Wang Yu worked with Emperor Ping's mother's family, the Wei clan, against Wang Mang. When Wang Mang found out, he had Wang Yu and most of the Wei family killed. He also used this chance to get rid of other people he saw as enemies. After this, Wang Mang became even more powerful. He even made his own daughter the empress, marrying her to Emperor Ping.

Emperor Ping ruled for less than six years. Many people believe Wang Mang poisoned him. Wang Mang might have worried that Emperor Ping would try to get revenge for his family when he grew up. After Emperor Ping's death, Wang Mang chose the next emperor, a baby named Ruzi Ying.

Early Life of Prince Jizi

Liu Jizi was born in 9 BC. His father, Liu Xing, was the youngest son of Emperor Yuan. This made Liu Xing a younger brother to Emperor Cheng. Liu Jizi's mother was Consort Wei. He had three sisters but no brothers.

Liu Jizi had a heart problem. When it bothered him, his lips and fingers would turn blue. His grandmother, Princess Dowager Feng, took care of him. She often prayed and hired many doctors to help him.

Around the time Liu Jizi was born, his father, Prince Xing, was thought of as a possible future emperor. However, Emperor Cheng chose his nephew, Liu Xin (who became Emperor Ai), instead. Emperor Cheng thought Liu Xin was more capable.

Becoming Prince of Zhongshan

In 7 BC, when Liu Jizi was just two years old, his father, Prince Xing, died. Liu Jizi then became the Prince of Zhongshan. This area is now part of modern Baoding, Hebei.

His heart condition continued to affect him. In 6 BC, Emperor Ai heard about his cousin's illness. He sent royal doctors to Zhongshan to treat Prince Jizi.

A Difficult Time for His Family

An attendant named Zhang You, who went with the doctors, caused trouble. He falsely accused Princess Dowager Feng of using magic against Emperor Ai. Empress Dowager Fu, who had been a rival of Princess Dowager Feng in the past, used this chance to harm her.

Princess Dowager Feng realized what was happening and took her own life. Many members of her family also died because of these false accusations. Prince Jizi, who was still a toddler, was spared. Later, in 1 BC, after Emperor Ai and Empress Dowager Fu died, Princess Dowager Feng's good name was restored.

Emperor Ai's Death and a New Emperor

In August 1 BC, Emperor Ai died without any children. His step-grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Wang, quickly took back power. She called her nephew, Wang Mang, to be the regent.

Wang Mang removed many of Emperor Ai's relatives and supporters from the government. He also got rid of other people he saw as political enemies. Prince Jizi was the only male descendant left from Emperor Yuan's family. This made him the clear choice to become the next emperor. He was brought to the capital, Chang'an, to take the throne.

Wang Mang's Growing Power

As soon as Emperor Ping became emperor, Wang Mang started to change the government. He wanted to bring back old ways from ancient Chinese dynasties. He also worked hard to make himself seem like a very important and holy leader, like the famous Duke of Zhou.

In 1 AD, Wang Mang was given the title Duke of Anhan. This title meant "Duke who made Han secure." This was a very special title, as no duke had been created in Han history before.

Helping the People and Gaining Control

Wang Mang also tried to make people happy. He gave back noble titles to descendants of old princes and marquesses. He started a retirement plan for officials and lowered taxes. He even arranged for other countries to send rare animals to Han, which was seen as a sign of good luck from heaven.

Everyone praised Wang Mang. He convinced Grand Empress Dowager Wang, who was 69 years old, to let him make all the important decisions for the country. This made Wang Mang the most powerful person in the empire.

Keeping Emperor Ping's Family Away

To prevent Emperor Ping's mother's family, the Weis, from becoming powerful, Wang Mang limited their titles. Emperor Ping's uncles were only given minor titles. His mother, Consort Wei, was called "Princess Xiao of Zhongshan." Emperor Ping's three sisters were simply called ladies.

Wang Mang also ordered that the Wei family, including Consort Wei and Emperor Ping's sisters, were not allowed to visit him in Chang'an. They had to stay in Zhongshan.

In 2 AD, Emperor Ping's name was changed to Kan. This was done because the characters "Ji" and "Zi" were very common, and changing the emperor's name helped avoid a naming taboo.

The Empress and Wang Mang's Daughter

Also in 2 AD, Wang Mang decided to have his own daughter marry Emperor Ping. This would make his position even stronger. He first started a process to choose noble young ladies for the emperor. Then, he pretended to be humble and asked Grand Empress Dowager Wang not to consider his daughter.

However, Wang Mang secretly arranged for many people to protest outside the palace. They demanded that his daughter be chosen as empress. Grand Empress Dowager Wang was impressed by this show of support for Wang Mang and ordered that his daughter become the empress.

The Lü Kuan Event and Wang Mang's Absolute Rule

Wang Mang's son, Wang Yu, did not agree with his father's strict rule. He worried that the Wang family would face problems when Emperor Ping grew up. Wang Yu became friends with Emperor Ping's Wei uncles. He tried to assure Wang Mang that Consort Wei would not try to gain power like other empress dowagers. But Wang Mang still refused to let her visit the capital.

In 3 AD, Wang Yu, his teacher Wu Zhang, his brother-in-law Lü Kuan, and the Wei family planned to make Wang Mang worried. They decided to create strange events that would seem supernatural. Then, Wu would try to convince Wang Mang to give power to the Wei family.

Wang Yu told Lü Kuan to throw a bottle of blood onto Wang Mang's mansion door. But Wang Mang's guards caught Lü Kuan. Wang Mang then arrested Wang Yu, who took his own life. Wang Yu's wife, Lü Yan, was executed. Wang Mang then had almost the entire Wei family killed, except for Consort Wei.

Removing More Rivals

Wang Mang used this event to remove even more potential rivals. He even got rid of his own uncle, Wang Li, and his cousin, Wang Ren. He falsely told Grand Empress Dowager Wang that they had died of illnesses. Many other officials who did not fully support Wang Mang were also harmed during this time. After this, Wang Mang had complete control over the empire.

In 4 AD, Emperor Ping officially married Wang Mang's daughter, and she became the empress.

In 5 AD, Wang Mang brought back an ancient ceremony for people who had done great things for the country. He had himself given the "nine bestowments." After Wang Mang, these "nine bestowments" became a common step for people who wanted to take the throne from an emperor.

Emperor Ping's Death

Around 5 AD, Emperor Ping was growing older. He seemed to have recovered from his heart condition. It became clear that he was unhappy with Wang Mang for killing his uncles and not letting his mother visit him. Because of this, Wang Mang decided to kill the emperor.

In the winter of 5 AD, Wang Mang gave the 13-year-old emperor some pepper wine. This wine was believed to chase away evil spirits, but Wang Mang had secretly added poison to it. As Emperor Ping suffered from the poison, Wang Mang wrote a secret message to the gods. In it, he offered to give his own life if Emperor Ping could live. He then had this message hidden away. Historians believe Wang Mang did this for two reasons: if Emperor Ping recovered, Wang Mang could claim he was innocent, and it would also make him look faithful to future generations.

After suffering for a few days, Emperor Ping died. The throne remained empty for several years. Although Emperor Ping's baby cousin, Emperor Ruzi, was chosen as the next emperor, he never truly ruled. Wang Mang served as acting emperor and officially took the Han throne for himself in 8 AD.

Emperor Ping's Tomb

Emperor Ping's burial mound is located in the Zhouling district of Xianyang, China. His tomb is in a field with a simple sign and a low fence. The fence has not stopped people from climbing the hill, as there are worn paths leading up and down.

Images for kids

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  Kangling (康陵), tomb of Emperor Ping, in Xianyang, Shaanxi

See also

• Family tree of the Han dynasty