Emperor Qinzong facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emperor Qinzong of Song 宋欽宗
Palace portrait on a hanging scroll, kept in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Emperor of the Song dynasty
Reign	19 January 1126 – 20 March 1127
Coronation	19 January 1126
Predecessor	Emperor Huizong
Successor	Emperor Gaozong
Born	Zhao Dan (趙亶, 1100–1103) Zhao Huan (趙桓, 1103–1116) 23 May 1100
Died	14 June 1161(1161-06-14) (aged 61)
Burial	Yongxian Mausoleum (永獻陵, in present-day Gongyi, Henan)
Consorts	Empress Renhuai ​ ​ (m. 1116; died 1127)​
Issue	Zhao Jin Zhao Xun Princess Roujia
Era dates Jingkang (靖康; 1126-1127) Regnal name Emperor Xiaoci Yuansheng (孝慈淵聖皇帝) Posthumous name Emperor Gongwen Shunde Renxiao (恭文順德仁孝皇帝) Temple name Qinzong (欽宗)
House	Zhao
Dynasty	Song (Northern Song)
Father	Emperor Huizong
Mother	Empress Xiangong
Signature

Emperor Qinzong of Song (born 23 May 1100, died 14 June 1161) was an important figure in Chinese history. His personal name was Zhao Huan. He was the ninth emperor of the Song dynasty and the last ruler of the Northern Song dynasty.

Qinzong was the oldest son of Emperor Huizong. His mother was Empress Wang. In 1126, a group called the Jurchens, who led the Jin dynasty, attacked the Northern Song capital, Bianjing. This was the first time they laid siege to the city. Emperor Huizong was scared and wanted to run away. His officials convinced him to give up his throne first. So, Huizong made Qinzong the new emperor. Huizong then became a "Retired Emperor" and fled to the countryside.

After the capital city, Bianjing, fell in an event called the Jingkang incident, Qinzong and his father were captured by the Jin forces. This event marked the end of the Northern Song dynasty. Qinzong, his father, and his half-brother (who later became Emperor Gaozong) were blamed for the decline of the Song dynasty.

Emperor Qinzong's Time as Ruler

Emperor Qinzong was left to deal with the Jin invasion by himself. He chose a general named Li Gang to lead the Song army against the invaders. However, Emperor Qinzong was not a strong leader and often made bad decisions.

He later removed Li Gang from his position. Qinzong hoped to make peace with the Jin Empire. He sent his younger brother, Zhao Gou, to negotiate. Zhao Gou was captured but later freed after a ransom was paid. This might have influenced Zhao Gou's later decision not to try and rescue Qinzong. The first attack on Bianjing ended after Qinzong gave a city to the Jurchens and agreed to pay them money every year. Emperor Huizong returned after hearing the attack was over.

Why the Jin Attacked Again

Even though a peace deal was made, Emperor Qinzong broke it almost as soon as the Jin armies left Kaifeng. He sent two armies to fight the Jurchen troops who were attacking other cities. Two large armies, one with 90,000 soldiers and another with 60,000, were defeated by Jin forces. A second attempt to help the city of Taiyuan also failed.

Emperor Qinzong refused to send more soldiers to protect the northern borders. He thought the Jin might not come back. Instead, he sent his generals to other parts of the country. The Jin imperial court sent two messengers to the Song. These messengers were nobles from the old Liao dynasty. Emperor Qinzong made a mistake. He believed he could convince them to turn against the Jin ruler, Emperor Taizong.

Qinzong sent a secret letter, hidden in wax, inviting them to join the Song in an alliance against the Jin. But the messengers gave the letter to Emperor Taizong. In response, Emperor Taizong accused Qinzong of breaking the peace treaty. He then sent an even bigger army to attack the Song.

Capture by Jin Forces

Because Qinzong had moved his army to different parts of the country, the Jin forces were able to break through the walls of the Song capital, Bianjing, in 1127. They took over the city in an event known as the Jingkang Incident. "Jingkang" was the name of Emperor Qinzong's era.

Emperor Qinzong, his father Emperor Huizong, and their entire family were taken prisoner by the Jin forces. This event marked the end of the Northern Song dynasty. Qinzong's brother, Zhao Gou, managed to escape to southern China. He restarted the empire there, which became known as the Southern Song dynasty. He is known as Emperor Gaozong.

Life as a Prisoner

Emperor Qinzong and his father were no longer emperors starting on 20 March 1127. They were sent to Huining Prefecture, the Jin capital, on 13 May 1127. In 1128, the two former Song emperors were forced to wear special clothes and bow to the ancestors of the Jin Emperors.

The Jurchen ruler, Emperor Taizong, gave them insulting titles to humiliate them. Emperor Qinzong was called "Marquis Chonghun," which means "Doubly Muddle-headed Marquis." His father, Emperor Huizong, was called "Duke Hunde," meaning "Muddle-headed Duke."

In 1141, the Jin Empire started to have normal relations with the Southern Song Empire. The Jurchens changed Emperor Qinzong's title to "Duke of Tianshui Commandery," which sounded more neutral. A few months later, the former emperor started getting money because of his noble status. He lived the rest of his life as a prisoner in the Jin Empire. The Jin used him as a way to put pressure on the Song Empire.

In 1142, Emperor Gaozong signed the Treaty of Shaoxing. This treaty made peace with the Jin Dynasty. This agreement ended any chance Qinzong had of returning home.

In 1156, the Jin Emperor, who was then the Prince of Hailing, ordered Qinzong and the former Emperor Tianzuo of Liao to play a game of polo. This was meant to humiliate them. Emperor Qinzong was weak and sick, so he quickly fell off his horse. Emperor Tianzuo, though very old, was better at riding. He tried to escape but was shot and killed by Jurchen archers.

Emperor Qinzong died in 1161. He was sick and broken, having spent two-thirds of his life as a prisoner in the Jin Dynasty. He was 61 years old. His temple name "Qinzong" means "Venerate Ancestor."

Family

Emperor Qinzong had several consorts and children:

• Empress Renhuai (1102–1127)
  • Zhao Chen, Crown Prince (1117–1128), his first son
  • Princess Roujia (born 1121)
• Virtuous Consort Shen, of the Zhu clan (1110–1142)
  • Zhao Jin (born 1127), his second son
  • A daughter (born 1130)
• Cairen, of the Zheng clan, named Qingyun
  • Zhao Xun (born 1129), his third son
• Cairen, of Han clan, named Jingguan
  • A son (born 1128)
• Cairen, of the Di clan (born 1114), named Yuhui
  • A daughter (born 1129)

See also

• Chinese 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 Wars