Marquis of Haihun facts for kids

Liu He (Chinese: 劉賀; pinyin: Liú Hè; c. 92 – 8 September 59 BC) was a short-time emperor of the Han dynasty in ancient China. He was first a king (or prince) of Changyi. A powerful minister named Huo Guang made him emperor in 74 BC. But he was emperor for only 27 days! He was then removed and not even listed as a real emperor.

Liu He lost his kingdom of Changyi and became a marquis instead. He was given a new area called Haihun in what is now Jiangxi Province. That's why he's known as the Marquis of Haihun (海昏侯).

Personal stamp of Liu He

Early Life as King of Changyi

Liu He's grandfather was Emperor Wu of Han, a very famous emperor. Liu He's father, Liu Bo, was the King of Changyi. When his father died in 88 BC, Liu He became king in 86 BC. Historical records suggest he was just a toddler then.

It's hard to know exactly what Liu He was like as a young king. Most of what we know was written after he was removed from power. So, some of it might not be completely fair or true.

When Liu He was a teenager, the mayor of his capital, Wang Ji, tried to give him good advice. Wang Ji told him to study more and be more humble. Liu He seemed to appreciate the advice and even rewarded Wang Ji. But he didn't really change his behavior.

Later, Liu He started spending time with people who had a bad reputation. They wasted a lot of money. The commander of his guards, Gong Sui, begged him to change. Liu He agreed, but soon after, he fired the guards Gong Sui suggested. He brought his old friends back. Gong Sui couldn't do anything about it.

Becoming Emperor

In 74 BC, Liu He's uncle, Emperor Zhao of Han, died without any sons. The powerful minister Huo Guang needed to choose a new emperor. He decided not to pick Liu Xu, Emperor Wu's only living son, because Emperor Wu hadn't liked him.

So, Huo Guang chose Liu He, who was Emperor Wu's grandson. Liu He was very excited about this. He rushed from his capital, Shanyang, to the imperial capital, Chang'an. He went so fast that his guards' horses died from exhaustion!

Wang Ji, his mayor, told him not to rush so much. He said it wasn't proper during a time of mourning. But Liu He ignored him. When Gong Sui confronted him, Liu He blamed it on his slave director, who was then executed.

When Liu He arrived at the capital, he first stayed at the Changyi building. After attending a formal mourning ceremony for Emperor Zhao, he accepted the throne.

His Short Time as Emperor

As soon as Liu He became emperor, he quickly promoted his friends and helpers from Changyi. He also didn't follow the rules for mourning the dead emperor. Instead, he partied day and night and went on trips.

Gong Sui was worried, but he couldn't get Liu He to change. Liu He's behavior surprised and disappointed Huo Guang. Huo Guang started thinking about removing the new emperor. He talked to other important officials, and they all agreed with the plan.

Removed from the Throne

After only 27 days as emperor, Huo Guang and the other officials decided to remove Liu He. They called a meeting of high-ranking officials and announced their plan. They made sure everyone agreed, or else they would be killed.

Then, they all went to Empress Dowager Shangguan's palace. They told her about Liu He's bad actions and their plan. She agreed and ordered that Liu He's Changyi helpers be kept out of the palace. About 200 of these helpers were arrested.

She then called for Liu He. He didn't know what was happening. He only realized something was wrong when he saw Empress Dowager Shangguan on her throne, wearing a fancy jeweled dress. All the officials were lined up next to her.

Huo Guang and the top officials then presented their list of reasons to remove Liu He. These reasons were read aloud to the Empress Dowager. She then told Liu He off. The list of reasons included 1,127 examples of bad behavior during his 27 days as emperor.

Some of the main reasons were:

• He ate meat during the mourning period, which was not allowed.
• He didn't keep the imperial treasury safe.
• He improperly promoted his Changyi helpers during mourning.
• He had parties and played games during mourning.
• He offered sacrifices to his father during the mourning period for his uncle.

Empress Dowager Shangguan approved the reasons and ordered Liu He to be removed. He was then taken under heavy guard back to the Changyi building. Both Liu He and Huo Guang apologized to each other.

Life After Being Emperor

The officials wanted Empress Dowager Shangguan to send Liu He far away. But she didn't. Instead, she sent him back to Changyi without any royal titles. He was given a small area with 2,000 families who would pay him money. His four sisters also received smaller areas.

Almost all of Liu He's Changyi helpers were executed. They were blamed for not stopping his bad behavior. Wang Ji and Gong Sui were spared because they had tried to advise him earlier. But they were ordered to do hard labor. Liu He's teacher, Wang Shi, was also spared. He argued that he tried to teach Liu He proper behavior through poems.

Some historians think that Huo Guang was very harsh on the Changyi officials because he believed they were plotting to kill him. But there's no clear proof of such a plot.

Huo Guang later chose Liu Bingyi, a commoner and grandson of a former Crown Prince, to be the new emperor. Liu Bingyi became emperor 27 days later. For years, Emperor Xuan was suspicious of Liu He, even though Liu He had no power. But in 64 BC, a report from the governor of Shanyang said that Liu He wasn't very smart. This helped calm Emperor Xuan's worries.

In 63 BC, Emperor Xuan made Liu He the Marquis of Haihun. This was a county in modern Jiangxi Province. It's thought that Emperor Xuan still worried about Liu He. So, he sent him far away from his old kingdom. Liu He died in 59 BC as a marquis. He had 16 wives and 22 children. His son Liu Daizong was not allowed to inherit his title at first. But he eventually did during the reign of Emperor Yuan.

Discovery of the Tomb

The tomb of the Marquis of Haihun was found in 2011. Digging and studying the tomb is still happening. The tomb is in the northern part of Xinjian District in Jiangxi. It's part of a cemetery with nine tombs in total.

About 20,000 artifacts have been found in the tomb. These include over 300 gold objects and 2 million copper coins. A mirror with the earliest known image of Confucius was also found. In 2019, a scholar named Jue Guo suggested the mirror might be a good luck charm, not a dressing mirror. Also, a long-lost version of the Analects (a book of Confucius's teachings) was found in the tomb. People have asked for the Marquis of Haihun's tomb to be listed as a World Heritage Site.

Over 5,200 bamboo slips were found in the tomb. These slips are like ancient books. Archaeologists found parts of an order from Emperor Xuan of Han. It was about closing down the Haihun area after the Marquis and his sons died. Some information from these slips is not in old history books, like the exact date of the Marquis's death: September 8, 59 BC.

The slips also say that the Haihun area suffered from many natural disasters, like floods and droughts. They also mention a report from the governor of Yuzhang about closing the area. This matches what is in the Book of Han. It seems that the Haihun area was closed less than 40 days after the Marquis and his sons died.

Closing the Haihun area was different from how other areas were closed. For example, in 112 BC, Emperor Wu of Han simply ordered over 100 marquis areas to be closed without much discussion. But the Haihun area went through long talks with court officials. Over 100 officials signed the final order to close it. This included important people like Chancellor Bing Ji and Attorney General Xiao Wangzhi.

Texts Found in the Tomb

Early studies show that the tomb contains parts of several important ancient texts. These include:

• The Book of Odes
• The Analects (teachings of Confucius)
• The Classic of Filial Piety (about respecting parents)
• The Spring and Autumn Annals (a historical record)

Other texts found in the tomb are:

• The Bao fu, which was already known from other ancient books.
• About ten slips on good behavior, called Li yi jian (Writings on rituals and morality).
• A text called Dao wang fu, which seems to be about expressing sadness.
• A text about the game Liubo, an ancient board game.
• Many slips about telling the future, including one group called Yi zhan (divination).

Tomb's Amazing Artifacts

The journal Cultural Relics has started publishing articles about the tomb's contents. Two articles from 2022 describe some amazing finds:

• Shields: A dozen shields (about 90 cm by 50 cm) were found. They were broken but put back together by experts. Two shields show a dragon. One shows two people fighting two animals. It also has a short message about what the shield was made of, its cost, and when it was made. This was a common practice in Han culture.

• Screens: One screen has a mirror on one side, about 96 cm tall and 68 cm wide. The bronze mirror is framed with pictures of the King Father of the East, the Queen Mother of the West, and the "Four spirits." Two wooden pieces decorated with cranes were also found. These might have been folding panels to cover the mirror. The other side of the screen shows Confucius and his students, with their life stories written around them.

• Drum Support: A support for a drum was found, shaped like an animal.

Family

Liu He had several sons:

• Liu Chongguo (劉充國)
• Liu Fengqin (劉奉親)
• Liu Daizong, Marquis of Haihun (海昏侯 劉代宗)

See also

• Family tree of the Han Dynasty