Wang Mang facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Chinese name, the family name is Wang.

Quick facts for kids

Wang Mang

Emperor of the Xin dynasty

Reign

9–23 CE

Born

45 BCE
Yuancheng, Wei Commandery

Died

6 October 23 CE (aged 67)
Chang'an

Spouse

Empress Wang
Empress Shi

Issue

Wang Yu (王宇)
Wang Huo (王獲)
Wang An, Prince of Xinqian (王安)
Wang Lin, Prince of Tongyiyang (王臨)
Wang Xing, Duke of Gongxiu (王興)
Wang Kuang, Duke of Gongjian (王匡)
Lady Wang, Empress Xiaoping of Han (孝平皇后)
Wang Jie, Lady of Mudai (王捷)
Lady Wang, Lady of Muxiu

Era dates
Shijianguo 始建國 (9–13) Tianfeng 天鳳 (14–19) Dihuang 地皇 (20–23)

House

Wang

Dynasty

Xin

Father

Wang Man (王曼)

Mother

Qu (渠)

Chinese name

Chinese

王莽

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Wáng Mǎng
Wade–Giles	Wang² Mang³
IPA	[u̯ǎŋ màŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Wòhng Móhng
IPA	[wɔ̏ːŋ mɔ̬ːŋ]
Jyutping	Wong4 Mong5
Southern Min
Tâi-lô	Ông Báng
Old Chinese
Zhengzhang	ɢʷaŋ maːŋʔ

Courtesy name

Chinese

巨君

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Jùjūn

Wang Mang (born 45 BCE, died 6 October 23 CE) was a very interesting figure in Chinese history. He founded and was the only emperor of the short-lived Xin dynasty. Before becoming emperor, Wang Mang was an important official and related to the royal family of the Han dynasty.

In 9 CE, he took the throne for himself. After his rule ended, the Han dynasty was brought back. His time as emperor marks the break between the Western Han dynasty (before him) and the Eastern Han dynasty (after him). Some historians in the past saw Wang Mang as a bad ruler who took power unfairly. However, more recently, some people see him as a leader with big ideas who wanted to make society better. He even tried to end slavery and share land more fairly. Wang Mang was a smart scholar who followed the teachings of Confucianism. He wanted to create a peaceful society like those described in old Chinese books. But his plans did not work out as he hoped.

Towards the end of Wang Mang's rule, there were many large peasant rebellions. The most famous one was led by the Red Eyebrows. In October 23 CE, the capital city, Chang'an, was attacked. The imperial palace was taken over, and Wang Mang died in the fighting. The Han dynasty was then brought back.

Early Life and Rise to Power

Wang Mang was born in 45 BCE. His father, Wang Man, was the younger brother of Empress Wang Zhengjun. Sadly, Wang Man died when Wang Mang was young. This happened before Emperor Cheng became emperor and his aunt, Empress Wang, became the empress dowager.

Unlike his cousins, Wang Mang did not have a fancy life. While his relatives lived in luxury, Wang Mang was known for being humble and careful with money. He loved to study. He dressed like a young scholar, not a rich noble. People also praised him for being very kind to his mother and for taking care of his deceased brother's family. Wang Mang made friends with many smart people and worked hard for his uncles.

When his powerful uncle, Wang Feng, became ill, Wang Mang took care of him day and night. Wang Feng was so touched that he asked Empress Dowager Wang and Emperor Cheng to help Wang Mang. Because of this, Wang Mang got a job as an imperial attendant. He was later promoted to a sub-commander of the imperial guards.

In 16 BCE, another uncle, Wang Shang, asked the emperor to make Wang Mang a marquess. Other respected officials agreed. Emperor Cheng was impressed by Wang Mang's good reputation. So, Wang Mang became the Marquess of Xindu. He was also promoted to Chamberlain for Attendants. Historians say that the higher Wang Mang's position became, the more humble he acted. He did not try to get rich. Instead, he used his money to support scholars and give gifts to his colleagues. This made him very popular.

Wang Mang had one wife, Lady Wang. He did not have other wives at this time.

Emperor Cheng kept appointing his uncles to be the commander of the armed forces, which was the most powerful job in the court. People wondered who would take over from Wang Mang's youngest uncle, Wang Gen. Wang Mang was one choice. His cousin, Chunyu Zhang, was another. Chunyu Zhang was closer to Emperor Cheng.

Wang Mang wanted to be the next commander. He found out that Chunyu Zhang had taken gifts from the former Empress Xu and promised to help her. In 8 BCE, Wang Mang told Wang Gen and Empress Dowager Wang about this. They were very upset with Chunyu Zhang. He was sent away from the capital. Chunyu Zhang was later arrested and admitted to taking gifts. He was executed.

On 28 November 8 BCE, Emperor Cheng made Wang Mang the commander of the armed forces. Wang Mang was 37 years old.

First Time as Commander

After Wang Mang became commander, he was the most powerful official in the government. All important messages and decisions went through him first. He then sent them to the emperor for approval. The emperor's orders were also given out with Wang Mang's agreement. He became even more known for his strict self-control and for promoting good people. Because of him, people started to think better of the Wang family, who were often seen as proud and wasteful.

In 7 BCE, Emperor Cheng died suddenly. Emperor Cheng's nephew, Crown Prince Liu Xin, became the new emperor. For a while, Wang Mang stayed in his powerful job. His aunt was now the Grand Empress Dowager, and she had a lot of influence. But things soon changed.

Emperor Ai's grandmother, Princess Dowager Fu, was a very strong woman. She wanted the title of empress dowager for herself. Grand Empress Dowager Wang first allowed Princess Dowager Fu and Emperor Ai's mother to visit him often. But Princess Dowager Fu soon visited every day. She pushed for two things: to be called empress dowager and for her relatives to get important titles, just like the Wang family. Grand Empress Dowager Wang understood Emperor Ai's difficult situation. She gave Princess Dowager Fu the title "Empress Dowager Gong of Dingtao." She also gave Emperor Ai's mother a similar title. Many members of the Fu and Ding families received titles. Grand Empress Dowager Wang then told Wang Mang to resign and let the Fu and Ding relatives take power. Emperor Ai did not want Wang Mang to leave and asked him to stay.

However, a few months later, Wang Mang had a direct conflict with Empress Dowager Fu. At a big royal dinner, the official in charge put Empress Dowager Fu's seat next to Grand Empress Dowager Wang's. Wang Mang saw this and told the official to move Empress Dowager Fu's seat to the side. This made Empress Dowager Fu very angry, and she refused to attend the dinner. To calm her down, Wang Mang resigned, and Emperor Ai approved it. After this, the Wang family slowly lost their power. Empress Dowager Fu showed even more control over her grandson.

Life During Emperor Ai's Reign

After Wang Mang resigned, Emperor Ai first asked him to stay in the capital, Chang'an, and give advice. But in 5 BCE, Empress Dowager Fu got the titles she wanted. Emperor Ai changed his father's title and gave his grandmother and mother higher empress dowager titles. Some officials, at Empress Dowager Fu's request, asked for Wang Mang to be removed from his noble status. Emperor Ai did not do this, but he sent Wang Mang back to his home in Xindu.

While in Xindu, Wang Mang was careful not to spend time with many people. He wanted to avoid any false accusations that he was planning a rebellion. By 2 BCE, many ordinary people and officials had asked for Wang Mang to return to the capital. Emperor Ai, who also respected Wang Mang, called him back to help Grand Empress Dowager Wang. However, Wang Mang had no official job and little power in politics.

Becoming Regent and Gaining Power

Emperor Ai died suddenly in 1 BCE without any children. Grand Empress Dowager Wang quickly took power back from Dong Xian, who was the commander of the armed forces. She called Wang Mang back to the government. She put him in charge of the armed forces and the government. They brought Prince Jizi of Zhongshan to the capital to become the new emperor. He became Emperor Ping. Wang Mang became his regent, meaning he ruled for the young emperor.

In 1 BCE, Wang Mang, now back in power, took strong actions against his political rivals. The relatives of Emperor Ai, the Fus and the Dings, were sent away. Empress Dowager Zhao Feiyan and Empress Fu were also removed from their positions. Dong Xian, who had died, was reburied in a prison, and his family was sent away. Wang Mang removed other officials who had opposed him.

Wang Mang then started to build up his own image. He encouraged people to spread false stories that he was a great leader, like Ji Dan, the Duke of Zhou. He also began to change the government structure to be like the old Zhou dynasty and Shang dynasty governments. This included changing officials' titles and even place names. To stop Emperor Ping's mother's family, the Weis, from becoming powerful, he ordered that they could not visit Emperor Ping in the capital.

In 1 CE, Wang Mang's followers convinced Grand Empress Dowager Wang to make him the Duke of Anhan. This happened after he arranged for distant tribes to send a rare white pheasant, which was seen as a sign of good luck from the gods. This title was very special because there had never been a duke in Han history. It made Wang Mang seem as important as the Duke of Zhou. Grand Empress Dowager Wang believed her nephew was truly loyal and gave him more of her power.

In 2 CE, Wang Mang told the Xiongnu (a powerful group to the north) what to do. The Xiongnu leader obeyed, but Wang Mang's tone made it clear he saw the Xiongnu as less important. This caused problems later. In the same year, Wang Mang decided to marry his daughter to Emperor Ping to make his position even stronger. He pretended not to want his daughter to be chosen, but then arranged for people to demand that she become empress. Grand Empress Dowager Wang was so impressed by this show of support that she ordered Wang Mang's daughter to be made empress. In 4 CE, Emperor Ping married her.

Wang Mang's son, Wang Yu, did not like 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 uncles and tried to get his mother to promise Wang Mang that she would not try to gain power like Emperor Ai's grandmother. But Wang Mang still would not let her visit the capital.

In 3 CE, Wang Yu planned with others to try to make Wang Mang less powerful. They tried to create strange events to worry Wang Mang. But Wang Yu's plan was discovered. Wang Mang arrested Wang Yu and his wife, and she was executed. Wang Mang then executed others involved in the plot, including most of Emperor Ping's mother's family. Wang Mang used this chance to get rid of other possible enemies. After this, Wang Mang had complete control. In 5 CE, Wang Mang gave himself special honors called the nine bestowments. These honors later became a common step for people who wanted to take the throne.

Around 5 CE, Emperor Ping seemed to be getting better from a heart problem he had since childhood. It became clear that he was angry at Wang Mang for killing his uncles and not letting his mother visit him. So, Wang Mang decided to kill the emperor. In the winter of 5 CE, Emperor Ping died from poison.

As Acting Emperor

Since Emperor Ping was young and had no children, there was no one to take his place. Wang Mang looked for a new emperor among the great-great-grandsons of an earlier emperor, Emperor Xuan. All of them were infants or young children. Wang Mang preferred a child he could control.

While he was looking, a rock with mysterious red writing was found. It said, "Wang Mang, the Duke of Anhan, should be emperor." In May, Wang Mang's supporters forced Grand Empress Dowager Wang to declare him "Acting Emperor." This meant he would rule until a new emperor was chosen. To make his claim stronger, Wang Mang also created a false family tree, saying he was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, a legendary Chinese ruler.

In the spring of 6 CE, Acting Emperor Wang chose a one-year-old child named Ying as the next emperor. He said that fortune tellers told him Ying was favored by the gods. He gave Ying the special name Ruzi, which was used for a young king who had a regent. This was to show that Wang Mang was as loyal as the Duke of Zhou. However, Emperor Ruzi did not actually become emperor but was given the title of crown prince. Empress Wang was given the title empress dowager.

As acting emperor, Wang Mang brought back an old system of five noble ranks.

Some members of the royal Liu family were suspicious of Wang Mang. They started several rebellions against him, but they all failed.

In 6 CE, Liu Chong attacked a city, but his attack failed.
In 7 CE, Zhai Yi and Liu Xin started a larger rebellion. They declared Liu Xin emperor. Wang Mang sent messages promising to give the throne to Emperor Ruzi when he grew up. Wang Mang's armies defeated the rebels, and Zhai was captured and executed. Liu Xin escaped.
In 9 CE, after Wang Mang had taken the throne, Liu Kuai attacked his brother's land. He was defeated and died.

After these rebellions were defeated, Wang Mang felt that he had full control of the empire. So, he decided to finally take the throne and start a new dynasty. In the winter of 8 CE, after receiving a fake message that claimed to be from a god, Wang Mang declared himself emperor. He established the Xin dynasty.

Early Rule and New Policies

Territory of Xin dynasty

When Emperor Wang Mang first became emperor, he wanted to bring back the "golden age" of the early Zhou dynasty. He changed the government to match old Zhou ways. He also kept changing place names to old or more poetic names. This made it hard for people to know which places he was talking about. For example, the capital city, Chang'an (meaning "eternal peace"), was renamed Chang'an (meaning "constant peace"). The words sound the same now, but they were different back then.

In 9 CE, Wang Mang made his wife, Lady Wang, the empress. By this time, only two of their four sons were still alive. The older son, Wang An, was not considered very talented. So, Wang Mang made his younger son, Wang Lin, the crown prince. He made Wang An a lord. Wang Mang chose many scholars to advise Crown Prince Lin.

Wang Mang was thankful to his aunt, Grand Empress Dowager Wang, even though she was upset that he had taken the throne. He continued to honor her as empress dowager. He also gave her an extra title, Wangmu, which meant "royal mother." This suggested that she was also his mother and had helped start the new dynasty. She died in 13 CE.

Economic Changes

A knife coin issued by Wang Mang

In 9 CE, Wang Mang started a big change in how land was owned. He declared that all land in the empire belonged to the emperor. This system was called wangtian (meaning "Wang's land" or "the king's land"). It was similar to an old system from the Zhou dynasty. Buying and selling land was banned. If a family had less than eight members but owned a lot of land, they had to share the extra land with relatives or neighbors. If people complained about this system, they could be sent away from their homes.

The rich landowners did not like losing their land. They bribed local officials to keep their properties. Some local officials, who were also landowners, resisted the new system. Other corrupt officials took land from people in the name of the law. Farmers who were excited about getting free land found that they were not getting any. Instead, they faced corrupt officials taking their small plots. Both groups ended up opposing the new system. Because of this resistance, Wang Mang had to cancel these land policies just three years later, in 12 CE.

In 10 CE, Wang Mang created a government agency to control prices. It would buy extra goods like food and cloth when prices were low. Then, it would sell them when prices went up. This agency also loaned money to business owners at a rate of three percent per month. Six offices were set up in major cities.

In the same year, Wang Mang introduced a "sloth tax." If landowners did not farm their land, or if city people left their houses without trees, or if citizens refused to work, they had to pay taxes in cloth. If they could not pay, they had to work for the government. Wang Mang did not think about people who could not find work or those living in mountains who were already struggling. Many older people who wanted to live a quiet life in the mountains were forced to move in with their children to avoid this tax.

Wang Mang also created a new tax: an income tax of 10 percent on profits for skilled workers. Before this, Chinese taxes were usually based on the number of people or the value of property, plus forced labor. Wang Mang also made the government control the sale of alcohol and weapons.

Another big economic change was the new money system. Wang Mang issued 28 different types of coins made of gold, silver, shells, or copper. The Han dynasty only used one type of coin. Because there were so many new coins, people could not tell which ones were real or fake. The money system almost stopped working. Eventually, Wang Mang had to get rid of most of the coins, keeping only two types. But people had lost trust in the new money. They kept using old Han coins in secret trade.

In 13 CE, during Wang Mang's rule, a new way of numbering years was started, using the Sexagenary cycle.

In 17 CE, to get more money for the government, Wang Mang created six government monopolies: on alcohol, salt, iron, coins, forestry, and fishing. But there was a lot of corruption, so the government did not get much money. The people, however, were greatly burdened. In the same year, Wang Mang ended slavery to reduce the power of rich families. Anyone who broke the law could be punished by becoming a slave. Wang Mang also did not realize that because of the "sloth tax," many people sold themselves into slavery to get money for their families. After Wang Mang was killed in 23 CE, slavery was brought back.

Problems with Neighbors

Issues with Xiongnu

Problems with the Xiongnu began before 10 CE. Wang Mang's officials told the Wuhuan tribes not to pay tribute to the Xiongnu. In response, the Xiongnu attacked the Wuhuan, taking about 1,000 women and children. Wang Mang later forced the Xiongnu to return them.

Wang Mang sent his representatives to the Xiongnu leader, Shanyu Zhi. They told him that Wang Mang was now emperor and that the Xin dynasty had replaced the Han. They asked to exchange the Xiongnu leader's old seal, given by the Han, for a new one from Xin. The new seal had words that made the Xiongnu seem like "respectful slaves" of the Xin. The old seal had called them "ferocious slaves" and used a more important word for "seal." Without looking closely, Shanyu Zhi agreed to the exchange. The representatives then destroyed the old seal. The next day, Shanyu Zhi realized the change and asked for the old seal back. When he was told it was destroyed, he accepted it. But the Xiongnu leader began to prepare for conflict with Wang Mang's Xin. He built defenses and started accepting loyalty from kingdoms in the Western Regions, which Wang Mang had forbidden.

Wang Mang was annoyed and declared war on the Xiongnu. He planned to attack them with 12 armies and divide them into 15 small kingdoms. He planned to gather 300,000 men. However, Wang Mang did not start the attack when enough men were ready. He wanted to wait for all 300,000. This put a lot of pressure on the border areas, as they had to support many soldiers for a long time, waiting for the full army.

In the first part of the plan, a local commander tricked and kidnapped one of Shanyu Zhi's brothers and his sons. They were made new Xiongnu leaders. Shanyu Zhi became furious and launched big attacks on Xin border regions, causing much damage and loss of life. Eventually, his brother escaped back to the Xiongnu.

In 13 CE, Shanyu Zhi died. His brother, Xian, became the new Shanyu. Relations between the Xiongnu and Xin remained tense. There was a brief peace in 14 CE when Xian returned some Xin people who had run away. In return, Wang Mang pulled back some of his forces from the north. However, when Shanyu Xian found out later in 14 CE that his son had been executed by Wang Mang, he started raiding the border regions again, while still pretending to be peaceful.

Problems with Southwestern Tribes

When Wang Mang first became emperor, his representatives visited the southwestern tribes. The Han dynasty had given their chiefs titles of princes. Wang Mang's new seals changed their titles to marquesses, which was a lower rank. One powerful chief, Han, was angry and cut off ties with Xin. Wang Mang ordered a local governor to kill Han. In response, Han's brother, Cheng, started a rebellion. He killed the governor and began attacking Xin borders. By 16 CE, the local government in Yizhou was corrupt, and the Juting tribe remained strong. Wang Mang sent two generals to attack Juting. They had some success at first, but then faced problems with food and disease. Wang Mang still refused to go back to the Han system of giving rewards to get the tribes to submit.

Problems with Goguryeo

When Wang Mang started his war against the Xiongnu, he asked for soldiers from Goguryeo, a kingdom in the north. Goguryeo refused and left Xin territory. The Xin army sent against them was defeated. A Xin general tricked the Goguryeo leader, Zou, into a meeting and then killed him. Wang Mang then changed the name Gaogouli (meaning "high") to Xiagouli (meaning "low") and lowered their king's rank. This made Goguryeo even angrier, and they attacked Xin's northeastern regions fiercely.

Problems with Western Regions Kingdoms

Problems with the kingdoms in the Western Regions (modern Xinjiang and Central Asia) started in 10 CE. The King of Rear Cheshi was worried about the high cost of hosting Xin representatives and thought about leaving his kingdom. A Xin official killed him. The king's brother fled to the Xiongnu and then attacked the Xin official, causing many deaths, before leaving.

In 13 CE, the kingdom of Wusun sent representatives to Chang'an. Wang Mang knew that the people of Wusun liked their lesser king more than their greater king. So, he gave the lesser king's representative a higher position than the greater king's. This greatly insulted the greater king.

In response, the Western Regions kingdoms joined together and attacked the Xin official, killing him. The kingdoms then decided not to be loyal to Xin anymore. In 16 CE, Wang Mang tried again to force the Western Regions kingdoms to submit. But the Xin armies were divided and cut off. One army was completely destroyed. The other was forced to retreat and could not return to Xin for the rest of the dynasty.

Government Problems and Corruption

Besides these wars, a big problem for Wang Mang's government was his focus on old government structures. He believed that if things were like the Zhou dynasty, the government would work well. He and his officials spent too much time studying old legends, leaving important state matters undecided. Many areas did not have local leaders for years. Without supervision, local officials became very corrupt and treated people badly.

Because of how Wang Mang came to power, he was also afraid of his officials having too much power. So, he made all important decisions himself and did not let others make them. This meant that many important decisions were delayed or never made. Also, he trusted eunuchs to check reports from local governments. But these eunuchs would decide which reports to pass on based on their own feelings, so many important requests were never answered.

An even bigger problem was that officials were not paid. The Han dynasty had a clear system for paying officials. But when Wang Mang became emperor, he ordered the salary system to be completely changed. Because a new system took years to set up, officials did not get paid for a long time. So, they became corrupt and demanded money from people, causing much hardship. In 16 CE, Wang Mang finally announced the new salary system. It depended on how rich the state was. But since the state's wealth was hard to measure, officials continued to go without salaries for the rest of the Xin dynasty.

Middle Reign and Rebellions

Farmer Rebellions

For a while, even though Wang Mang's policies failed, people generally obeyed him. His rule seemed strong. However, in 11 CE, the Yellow River flooded, covering much land. The resulting famine led to stories that Wang Mang had lost the "Mandate of Heaven" (the right to rule) and that the Han dynasty would return.

Around 17 CE, as the problems from wars and corruption grew, and famines happened (especially in Jing Prefecture), several farmer rebellions started and became strong. Some important rebellions and their leaders included:

Guatian Yi, who controlled land in modern Suzhou.
Mother Lü, whose son was wrongly killed by a local official. She gathered desperate young men, killed the official, and became a pirate. Later, her forces grew, and she returned to land.
Zhang Ba, who controlled land in modern Jingzhou.
Yang Mu, who controlled land in modern Xiaogan.
Diao Zidu, who moved through modern western Shandong and northern Jiangsu.
The Lülin Mountain rebels, led by Wang Kuang and Wang Feng. They were also called Xinshi rebels.
The Chimei (meaning "red eyebrows") rebels, led by Fan Chong, who moved through large areas of modern southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu.

Wang Mang sent messengers offering forgiveness to encourage these rebels to stop. Some messengers honestly reported that the rebels had gathered because harsh laws made it impossible for them to live. But some, to flatter Wang Mang, told him these were just bad troublemakers who needed to be killed. Wang Mang listened to those who flattered him and often removed officials who told the truth. He made no more attempts to make peace with the rebels. Instead, he decided to crush them with force.

Changing the Heir

In 20 CE, Wang Mang suddenly changed his chosen heir. He removed Crown Prince Lin from his position. He said it was because Crown Prince Lin was younger than his brother, Wang An, and so Lin should not have been crown prince. He then made Wang An a prince and Wang Lin another prince.

After Empress Wang, Wang Lin, and Wang An died in 21 CE, Wang Mang announced that he had two sons by female servants. He then made them dukes.

Late Reign and Downfall

Farmer Revolts Grow

In 22 CE, Wang Mang finally realized that the farmer rebellions were a much bigger threat than the Xiongnu. He sent two key officials, Wang Kuang and Lian Dan, to attack the rebellions, starting with the Chimei. They had some early successes, but Wang Mang insisted they keep fighting without rest. The tired forces eventually fell apart.

In the same year, the Lülin forces suffered a major sickness that killed about half of the rebels. This caused them to split. One group went west, and the other went north to the Nanyang region.

Liu's Revolt and Lülin Rebels Join Forces

Around this time, the most ambitious rebel leader appeared. Liu Yan was a descendant of a distant branch of the Han imperial family. He had long been angry about Wang Mang taking the Han throne and wanted to start a rebellion. His brother, Liu Xiu, was a careful farmer. At this time, stories were spreading that the Liu family would return to power. Many men gathered around Liu Yan, asking him to lead them. He agreed and joined forces with the Lülin rebels in his area. Together, they began to capture territory instead of just raiding. In 23 CE, under Liu Yan's leadership, their combined forces won a major victory, killing the governor of Nanyang. They then surrounded the important city of Wan.

A New Emperor Appears

By this point, many other rebel leaders were jealous of Liu Yan's abilities. While many of their men wanted Liu Yan to become the emperor of a new Han dynasty, some rebel leaders had other ideas. They found another local rebel leader, also from the Han imperial family, named Liu Xuan. He was seen as a weak person. They asked him to be made emperor. Liu Yan at first disagreed. He suggested that Liu Xuan should first be called "Prince of Han," like the first Han emperor. But the other rebel leaders refused. In early 23 CE, Liu Xuan was declared Gengshi Emperor. Liu Yan became his prime minister.

The Battle of Kunyang

In the spring of 23 CE, a major battle decided Wang Mang's fate. He sent his cousin Wang Yi and his prime minister, Wang Xun, with a huge army of about 430,000 men. They planned to crush the new Han government. The Han forces were in two groups. One group, led by Liu Xiu, retreated to the small town of Kunyang. The other group, led by Liu Yan, was still surrounding the city of Wancheng. The rebels in Kunyang first wanted to run away, but Liu Xiu disagreed. He said they should defend Kunyang strongly, while he would gather other troops and attack the Xin forces from outside. After some hesitation, the Kunyang rebels agreed.

Liu Xiu carried out his plan. When he returned to Kunyang, he began to bother the Xin forces who were surrounding the town. Wang Yi and Wang Xun led 10,000 men to attack Liu Xiu, telling the rest of their troops not to move. But once they started fighting, after some small losses, the other Xin units were slow to help them. Liu Xiu killed Wang Xun in battle. After that, the Han forces inside Kunyang rushed out of the city and attacked the other Xin units. The much larger Xin forces completely fell apart. Many Xin soldiers ran away and went home. Wang Yi had to retreat with only a few thousand men back to Luoyang. This was a huge defeat for Xin and marked the beginning of the end for Wang Mang's dynasty.

Fall of the Capitals

The Gengshi Emperor then sent two armies. One, led by Wang Kuang, went towards Luoyang. The other, led by Shentu Jian and Li Song, went towards Chang'an. Many people along the way welcomed and joined the Han forces. Shentu and Li quickly reached the edge of Chang'an. The rebels took over the capital on 4 October 23. In response, young men within Chang'an also rose up and stormed the main imperial palace. Wang Mang died in the battle at the palace. His daughter, Princess Huanghuang (the former empress), also died. After Wang Mang died, the crowd fought over who would get credit for killing him.

Personal Information

Family

Father: Wang Man, brother of Empress Wang Zhengjun
Mother: Lady Qu

Wives and Children:

Empress Xiaomu (died 21 CE)
- Wang Yu (died 3 CE), 1st son
- Wang Huo (died 2 BCE), 2nd son
- Wang An, Prince of Xinqian (died 21 CE), 3rd son
- Wang Lin, Prince of Tongyiyang (died 21 CE), 4th son
- Princess Huanghuang (born 8 BCE – died 23 CE), 1st daughter
  - Married Emperor Ping of Han
Empress Shi (became empress in 23 CE)
Other children by female servants:
- Wang Kuang, Duke of Gongjian, 6th son
- Lady of Muxiu, 2nd daughter
- Wang Xing, Duke of Gongxiu, 5th son
- Lady of Mudai, 3rd daughter

**Xin Dynasty Rulers**
Personal name	Time of rule	Era names and their years
Wang Mang	9–23	Shijianguo (meaning "The beginning of a nation's establishment") 9–13 Tianfeng (meaning "Heavenly Feng") 14–19 Dihuang (meaning "Earthly Emperor") 20–23