Emperor Gaozu of Han

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Liu (劉).
HanGaozu.jpg
Han Gaozu (漢高祖)
Birth and death: 256 BC/247 BC– June 1, 195 BC
Family name: Liu (劉)
Given name: Ji (季), later Bang (邦)
Courtesy name: Ji (季)
Brothers: Xi (劉后), Prince of Dai
Jiao (劉交), Prince Yuan of Chu
Wives: Empress Lü Zhi, mother of Prince Ying
and Princess Luyuan
Crown Prince: Ying (劉盈), Crown Prince
Concubines: Consort Cao, mother of Prince Fei
Consort Qi, mother of Prince Ruyi
Consort Zhang
Consort Wei
Consort Bo, mother of Prince Heng
Consort Zhao
Children: Fei (劉肥), Prince Daohui of Qi
Ying (劉盈), Crown Prince
Jian (劉健), Prince Ling of Yan
Ruyi (劉如意), Prince Yin of Zhao
Heng (劉恆), Prince of Dai
Hui (劉惠), Prince Gong of Zhao
You, Prince of Huaiyang
Chang (劉長), Prince Li of Huainan
Princess Luyuan (魯元公主)
Grandchildren: Xiang (劉襄), Prince Ai of Qi
Zhang (劉章), Prince Jing of Chengyang
Xingju (劉興居), Marquess of Dongmou
Qi (劉啟), Crown Prince
Dates of reign: Feb. 28, 202 BC–Jun. 1, 195 BC
Dynasty: Former/ Western Han
Temple name: Taizu (太祖), later Gaozu (高祖)
Posthumous name:
(short)
 Emperor Gao (高帝)
Posthumous name:
(full)
 Emperor Gao (高皇帝)
General note: Dates given are in the proleptic Julian calendar.
They are not in the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
———
1. This is the birth year reported by Huangfu Mi (皇甫謐) (215-282),
the famous author of acupuncture books.
2. This is the birth year reported by Chen Zan (臣瓚) around AD 270
in his comments of the Book of Han (漢書) .
3. Name meaning "the youngest one". Liu Bang was the third son of his
father, his oldest brother was called Bo (伯) , i.e. the "First one", and his
second older brother was called Zhong (仲) , i.e. the "Middle one".
4. Had his name changed into Bang, meaning "country", either when he
was made Prince of Han, or when he ascended the imperial throne.
5. Ji was the courtesy name according to Sima Qian in his
Records of the Grand Historian. It may be that Liu Bang, after he
changed his name into Bang, kept his original name Ji as his courtesy
name. However, some authors do not think that "Ji" was ever used as
the courtesy name of Liu Bang.
6. Was already Prince of Han (漢王) since March 206 BC, having been
enfeoffed by the rebelled leader Xiang Yu. Liu Bang was proclaimed
emperor on February 28, 202 BC after defeating Xiang Yu.
7. Meaning "supreme ancestor". Was apparently the original temple name
of Emperor Gao. Taizu, in the most ancient Chinese tradition, going back
to the Shang Dynasty, was the temple name of the founder of a dynasty.
8. Sima Qian in his Records of the Grand Historian referred to Emperor
Gao as "Gaozu", meaning "high ancestor", perhaps a combination of the
temple name and posthumous name of the emperor (doubts still remain
about why Sima Qian used "Gaozu" instead of "Taizu", and what the exact
nature of this name is). Following Sima Qian, later historians most often
used "Han Gaozu" (漢高祖), and this is the name under which he is still
known inside China. Furthermore, it seems that in the Later Hàn Dynasty
"Gaozu" had replaced "Taizu" as the temple name of Emperor Gāo.

Emperor Gao (256 BC or 247 BC–June 1, 195 BC), commonly known inside China by his Temple Name, Gaozu (Chinese: 高祖; pinyin: Gāozǔ, Wade-Giles: Kao Tsu), personal name Liu Bang (Wade-Giles: Liu Pang), was the first emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty, ruling over China from 202 BC until 195 BC, and one of only a few dynasty founders who emerged from the peasant class (the other major example being Zhu Yuanzhang founder of the Míng Dynasty). Before becoming an emperor, he was also called Duke of Pei (沛公) after his birthplace. He was also created the Prince of Hàn by Xiàng Yŭ, the Grand Prince of Western Chu, following the collapse of the Qín Dynasty, and was known by this title before becoming emperor.

Contents

Early life

Liú Bāng was born into a lower class farming family in Pei (present Pei County in Jiangsu Province). He relied on his brother's family for food. Though there was more than enough food to feed everyone, his sister-in-law went to the kitchen to scrape the pots, thus causing all his friends to leave, as they thought that the family was too poor to feed them. His sister-in-law's contempt for his roguish ways was what made Liú Bāng think about actually studying and serving his country.

After he grew up, Liú Bāng served as a patrol officer in his county. Once he was responsible for transporting a group of prisoners to Mount Li in present Shaanxi province. During the trip many prisoners fled. Fearful that he would be punished for the prisoners' flight, Liú Bāng released the remaining prisoners. The prisoners, running for their lives, met up with a cobra snake and went back the way they came, running into Liú Bāng. Hearing their story, he went and killed the cobra himself. Legend says that the cobra was a representation from the gods indicating that he was the natural born leader. The cobra was supposedly larger than a full grown tree, and its breath was poisonous, killing many prisoners. Liu Bang was brave enough to kill the snake at dawn. From then on, the prisoners respected him and made him their leader, hence Liú Bāng became the leader of a band of brigands. On one of his raids, he met a county magistrate who became impressed with his leadership skills and gave his daughter Lü Zhi to him in marriage.

Chu-Han Contention

Now considering the whole former Qín Empire under his domination, Xiang Yu realigned the territories of not only the remaining parts of Qín but also the rebel states, dividing the territories into 19 principalities. Xiang Yu did not honor the promise by Xin, Prince Huai of Chu, who would soon himself be assassinated by Xiang's orders. Instead, he gave Guanzhong to the princes of three Qins. Liú Bāng was only awarded the Principality of Hàn (modern Sichuan, Chongqing, and southern Shaanxi).

In Hanzhong, Liú Bāng focused his efforts on developing agriculture methods and training an army, through which he reinforced his resource accumulation and military power. Before long, Liú broke out of his principality, deposed the kings of three Qins and occupied Guanzhong, where he launched a war now known as the Chu-Han War, against Xiang Yu. He is quoted in his biography, Establishment of the Great, that "Those who earn their status by war are the most honorable of all."

Although Xiang Yu was far superior in military ability to Liú Bāng, his ruthlessness put him at a political disadvantage. Xiang Yu kept defeating Liú in the battlefield, but each of his victories drove more people to support Liú. When Xiang Yu was finally defeated in the Battle of Gaixia, he could not recover and committed suicide.

The war lasted five years (206–202 BC) and ended with Liú Bāng's victory. Having defeated Xiang Yu, Liú proclaimed himself emperor and established the Hàn Dynasty in 202 BC, making Cháng'ān (present-day city of Xi'an) his capital. Liú became known historically as Emperor Gāo of Hàn.

Reign as the Emperor

After Liu Bāng came into power, he re-centralised China based on Qín's model. He gradually replaced the original vassals, granting their lands to his relatives. Since the economy had been devastated by the war following the demise of the Qín Dynasty, he reduced taxes and corvée, developed agriculture and restricted spending. However, in response to what he saw as the decadence of Qín merchants, he restricted commerce by levying heavy taxes and legal restrictions on merchants. He also made peace with the Xiongnu. Under Gāozǔ's reign, Confucian thought gradually replaced Legalist thought; Confucian scholars were welcomed into his government, while the harsh Legalist laws were lessened. Emperor Gāozǔ's efforts laid a solid foundation for the over four-hundred-year reign of the Hàn Dynasty.

Liú Bāng also devoted to subduing the unruly kings. He soon annexed most of the kingdoms and established principalities, with his sons and relatives as princes. By doing so he consolidated his new-born empire.

Personal information

See also

Notes

Despite the name "Han," the Dragon Emperor in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has nothing to do with Emperor Gaozu of Han, but rather is meant to be Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty.

References

External links

Regnal titles
Preceded by
(dynasty established)		 Western Han Dynasty
202 BC–195 BC		 Succeeded by
Emperor Hui of Han
Preceded by
Xiang Yu of Western Chu		 Emperor of China
202 BC–195 BC