Emperor Wu of Song facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emperor Wu of Song 宋武帝
Emperor of Liu Song
Reign	10 July 420 – 26 June 422
Successor	Liu Yifu
Born	Liu Qinu (劉奇奴) 16 April 363 Jingkou, Eastern Jin
Died	26 June 422(422-06-26) (aged 59) Jiankang, Liu Song
Burial	Chuning Mausoleum (初寧陵)
Consorts	Empress Wujing Zhang Que Empress Dowager Zhang
Issue	See § Family
Full name Family name: Liú (劉) Given name: Yù (裕) courtesy name: Dexing (德興) childhood name: Qinu (奇奴), later Jinu (寄奴) Era name and dates Yǒngchū (永初): 420–422 Posthumous name Emperor Wu (武皇帝) Temple name Gaozu (高祖)
Father	Liu Qiao
Mother	Zhao Anzong

Emperor Wu of Liu Song (劉宋武帝), whose personal name was Liu Yu (劉裕), was a very important leader in ancient China. He was born in 363 and died in 422. He started from a very humble background, meaning he wasn't rich or famous. But he became a powerful general and later founded the Liu Song dynasty.

Liu Yu became famous after leading a rebellion in 408. This rebellion helped overthrow Huan Xuan, who had taken over the throne of the Eastern Jin empire. After this, Liu Yu used his great military and political skills to gain more power. He also expanded the Jin empire's land.

In 420, he convinced Emperor Gong of Jin to give up the throne to him. This ended the Eastern Jin dynasty and started the Liu Song dynasty. Liu Yu ruled for only two years. He passed the throne to his son, Emperor Shao of Liu Song, when he died. He was an amazing military leader, perhaps the best of his time. He won many battles and conquered two of the Sixteen Kingdoms. He was never defeated in his military career.

Early Life and Military Beginnings

Liu Yu was born in 363 in Jingkou, which is now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. His family was not wealthy. His mother, Zhao Anzong, died right after he was born. His father, Liu Qiao, found it hard to care for him. Luckily, Liu Yu's aunt stepped in. She had just had her own baby, but she chose to feed Liu Yu instead. Liu Yu was very respectful to his stepmother, who later had two more sons.

Liu Yu grew up with big dreams. He was known for being strong and brave. He was poor and didn't have much education. He earned money by selling straw sandals. People in his village often looked down on him. Later, he joined the army as an officer under General Sun Wuzhong.

Fighting Rebellions

In 399, a magician named Sun En started a rebellion against the Jin government. Liu Yu joined the army of General Liu Laozhi. He quickly became friends with Liu Laozhi's son, Liu Jingxuan.

Once, Liu Yu was on a scouting mission with a few soldiers. They suddenly met thousands of Sun En's soldiers. All of Liu Yu's soldiers were killed. Liu Yu was left alone on a riverbank. But he stood his ground and fought bravely. He killed every enemy soldier who came near him. Liu Jingxuan, worried about Liu Yu, came to find him. He was amazed to see Liu Yu fighting off so many enemies by himself.

Because of his bravery and friendship with Liu Jingxuan, Liu Yu quickly moved up in the army. Liu Laozhi was a powerful leader at that time. In 401, Liu Yu fought Sun En again. He won several battles even though he was outnumbered. Liu Yu continued to defeat Sun En's forces, making them weaker.

In 402, a powerful general named Huan Xuan fought against the government. Liu Laozhi was supposed to support the government. But he changed his mind and joined Huan Xuan. Liu Yu disagreed with this decision. He left Liu Laozhi's army and went back home. Huan Xuan eventually took control of the government.

By 403, Liu Yu was back in the army. He fought against Lu Xun, Sun En's nephew, who had continued the rebellion. Liu Yu won many battles against Lu Xun. He forced Lu Xun to flee south by sea. Huan Xuan then took the throne from Emperor An of Jin in 403. He started his own state called Chu. Liu Yu pretended to be loyal to Huan Xuan. Huan Xuan even considered giving Liu Yu more power, despite warnings from his wife.

Overthrowing Huan Xuan

Liu Yu and his friends, including He Wuji, Liu Yi, and Meng Chang, secretly planned to rebel against Huan Xuan. Liu Yu was chosen as their leader. They planned to start several uprisings at the same time in different cities.

Liu Yu and He Wuji successfully took control of Jingkou. Liu Yu then convinced a smart administrator named Liu Muzhi to join him. Liu Muzhi became his important helper. Other parts of the plan didn't go as smoothly. Some of the conspirators were caught and executed.

Liu Yu quickly marched towards Jiankang, the capital city. Huan Xuan was afraid to fight him directly. Liu Yu defeated Huan Xuan's generals and reached Jiankang. He then defeated Huan Xuan's main forces. Huan Xuan panicked and fled west. Liu Yu entered Jiankang and announced that the Jin dynasty was back. Even though Emperor An was still held by Huan Xuan, Liu Yu started to clean up the government. He punished corrupt officials and rewarded those who had helped him.

Liu Yu sent his generals, Liu Yi, He Wuji, and Liu Daogui, to chase Huan Xuan. They won many battles and continued towards Jiangling, where Huan Xuan had fled with Emperor An. They defeated Huan Xuan's larger army. Huan Xuan fled again, but he was eventually caught and killed.

However, Huan Xuan's relatives, Huan Qian and Huan Zhen, made a surprise attack on Jiangling. They captured Emperor An again. But Liu Yu's forces eventually defeated them. He Wuji brought Emperor An back to Jiankang. Liu Yu became the main leader of the government.

Leading the Jin Dynasty

Liu Yu wanted to become emperor, but he knew he had to be careful. He learned from Huan Xuan's mistakes. He needed to gain more victories and establish his authority first. He shared power with other generals at first. He also offered to resign several times, knowing that no one would let him, which made him seem even more important.

Early Challenges

In 405, some soldiers rebelled in the west, supporting a leader named Qiao Zong. Qiao Zong established his own state called Western Shu.

Also in 405, Lu Xun, who had rebelled earlier, offered peace to the government. Liu Yu accepted, making Lu Xun a governor. Liu Yu didn't have the resources to fight Lu Xun at that moment.

In 407, Liu Yu sent his friend Liu Jingxuan to attack Qiao Zong's Western Shu. But the attack failed in 408 because they ran out of food.

Major Campaigns

In 409, the Southern Yan emperor started attacking Jin's northern borders. Liu Yu decided to launch a big campaign to destroy Southern Yan. Most officials disagreed, but Meng Chang supported him. Liu Yu quickly defeated Southern Yan's main army and surrounded their capital, Guanggu.

While Liu Yu was fighting in the north, Lu Xun and his brother-in-law Xu Daofu attacked the Jin empire from the south. They believed they could capture the capital while Liu Yu was away. In 410, Liu Yu captured Guanggu, ending Southern Yan. He quickly returned south to defend Jiankang.

Many officials suggested taking Emperor An across the Yangtze River to escape Lu Xun. But Liu Yu refused. He chose to defend Jiankang. Lu Xun tried to intimidate Liu Yu's forces, but it didn't work. Lu Xun eventually ran out of food and retreated. Liu Yu chased him and also sent a fleet by sea to attack Lu Xun's home base. Lu Xun and Xu Daofu were defeated in a major battle. Lu Xun fled south and was eventually defeated and killed.

Expanding Power and Conquering More Lands

After defeating Lu Xun, Liu Yu focused on expanding the empire. He also began to remove people who might stand in his way. In 412, he defeated and killed Liu Yi, a powerful general he suspected of planning against him. In 413, he also killed Zhuge Zhangmin, another person he suspected.

In late 412, Liu Yu sent a general named Zhu Lingshi to attack Qiao Zong's Western Shu. Zhu Lingshi's forces surprised Qiao Zong and captured his capital in 413. This brought Western Shu back into the Jin empire.

In 414, Liu Yu started to suspect Sima Xiuzhi, another powerful official. In 415, Liu Yu launched an attack on Sima Xiuzhi. After some fighting, Liu Yu defeated Sima Xiuzhi's forces. Sima Xiuzhi fled, and Liu Yu no longer had any major opponents within the Jin government.

In 416, Liu Yu launched a huge attack against Later Qin, another northern state. He left his young son, Liu Yifu, in charge of the capital. In late 416, Liu Yu's general captured the important city of Luoyang. After this victory, Emperor An offered Liu Yu the title Duke of Song, showing Liu Yu's intention to become emperor. Liu Yu politely declined the title for a short time.

In 417, Liu Yu's generals won a major battle against Later Qin's main army. With their best general defeated, Later Qin's forces couldn't resist. Liu Yu's fleet advanced quickly and captured Chang'an, the Later Qin capital. The Later Qin emperor surrendered. Liu Yu had him executed, ending the Later Qin dynasty.

Becoming Emperor

After destroying Later Qin, many expected Liu Yu to continue conquering more northern states. However, his important assistant, Liu Muzhi, died. Liu Yu decided to return to Jiankang to prepare to take the throne. He left his 11-year-old son, Liu Yizhen, and some generals in charge of Chang'an.

With Liu Yu gone, the Xia emperor, Helian Bobo, attacked Chang'an. There were also disagreements among Liu Yu's generals in Chang'an. One general killed another, and then Liu Yizhen executed the remaining general. Liu Yizhen's forces were then crushed by the Xia army. Liu Yizhen barely escaped, and the Chang'an region was lost to Xia.

In 418, Liu Yu accepted the title Duke of Song. He then had Emperor An make him the Prince of Song, but he publicly declined it again. Liu Yu believed a prophecy that said there would be only two more emperors after Emperor An's father. So, he decided to remove Emperor An. He tried to have Emperor An poisoned, but Emperor An's brother, Sima Dewen, was always with him. In 419, Sima Dewen was ill. Liu Yu's assassin took the chance to kill Emperor An. Liu Yu then made Sima Dewen the new emperor, known as Emperor Gong.

Emperor Gong's rule was very short and he had no real power. In 419, Liu Yu accepted the title Prince of Song. In 420, Liu Yu sent his assistant to pressure Emperor Gong to give up the throne. Emperor Gong wrote an official statement giving up his power. Three days later, Liu Yu took the throne and established the Liu Song dynasty. He became Emperor Wu.

Reign as Emperor Wu

Liu Yu, Emperor Wu.

As Emperor Wu, Liu Yu gave the former Jin emperor the title Prince of Lingling. He honored his stepmother as empress dowager. He also gave noble titles to his brother, sons, and nephews. In 420, he honored his wife, Zang Aiqin, who had died earlier, as empress. He made his oldest son, Liu Yifu, the crown prince. Emperor Wu also ordered that people who had a bad reputation be given new chances to prove themselves.

Emperor Wu still saw the former emperor, Sima Dewen, as a threat. He sent someone to poison Sima Dewen. The person refused and drank the poison himself. To prevent Sima Dewen from having any male children, Emperor Wu ordered that any sons born to Sima Dewen's wife or concubines be poisoned. Sima Dewen and his wife lived in fear. In 421, Emperor Wu's soldiers killed Sima Dewen.

In 422, Emperor Wu was warned that his crown prince, Liu Yifu, was spending time with unwise people. Emperor Wu thought about making another son, Liu Yizhen, the crown prince instead. But after meeting Liu Yizhen, he decided against it.

In the summer of 422, Emperor Wu became very ill. He entrusted his crown prince, Liu Yifu, to several trusted officials. He then died, and Liu Yifu became the new emperor, Emperor Shao.

Mausoleum

The western qilin statue at Chuning Mausoleum.

Liu Yu was buried in the Chuning Mausoleum. This burial site is located in the eastern suburbs of modern-day Nanjing. The only remaining statues from his burial path are two qilin (mythical creatures). They face each other across a street in a village named Qilinpu Cun.

Legacy

Liu Yu is remembered as one of the greatest generals of his time in Chinese history. Under his leadership, the southern Chinese empire came very close to taking back the northern lands. Even though some of the land he won in the northwest was later lost, his military campaigns were very important. They helped the Southern dynasties defend their territory along the Yellow River. This also helped an independent southern Chinese state survive for a long time.

Family

Liu Yu had many consorts and children. Here are some of them:

• Empress Wujing (Zang Aiqin, 360–408)
  • Princess Kuaijixuan (383–444)
• Empress Dowager Zhang (Zhang Que, died 426)
  • Liu Yifu (406–424), his first son
  • Princess Yixinggong
• Empress Dowager Zhang (Hu Dao'an, 368–409)
  • Liu Yilong (407–453), his third son
• Xiuyi, of the Fu clan
  • Princess Guangde
• Xiuhua, of the Sun clan
  • Liu Yizhen (407–424), his second son
• Xiurong, of the Wang clan (died 432)
  • Liu Yikang (409–451), his fourth son
• Meiren, of the Yuan clan
  • Liu Yigong (413–465), his fifth son
• Meiren, of the Sun clan
  • Liu Yixuan (415–454), his sixth son
• Meiren, of the Lü clan
  • Liu Yiji (415–447), his seventh son
• Other daughters:
  • Princess Wuxingzhao
  • Princess Xuancheng
  • Princess Xin'an
  • Princess Wuxuan
  • Princess Fuyang
  • Princess Shi'an'ai
  • Princess Yuzhangkang (410–464)