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Emperor Ling of Han 漢靈帝
Emperor of the Han dynasty
Reign
17 Feb 168– 13 May 189
Predecessor
Emperor Huan
Successor
Emperor Shao
Marquis of Jiedu Village (解瀆亭侯)
Tenure
? – Feb 168
Predecessor
Liu Chang
Born
156
Died
May 13, 189(189-05-13) (aged 32–33)
Consorts
Empress Song Empress Lingsi Empress Linghuai
Issue
Emperor Shao Emperor Xian Princess Wannian
Full name
Family name:
Liu (劉)
Given name:
Hong (宏)
Era dates
Jianning (建寧) 168–172
Xiping (熹平) 172–178
Guanghe (光和) 178–184
Zhongping (中平) 184–189
Posthumous name
Emperor Xiaoling (孝靈皇帝)
Dynasty
Han dynasty
Father
Liu Chang
Mother
Empress Xiaoren
Emperor Ling of Han
Traditional Chinese
漢靈帝
Simplified Chinese
汉灵帝
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Hàn Língdì
Wade–Giles
Han Ling-ti
Liu Hong
Traditional Chinese
劉宏
Simplified Chinese
刘宏
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Liú Hóng
Wade–Giles
Liu Hung
Emperor Ling of Han (156/157[1] – 13 May 189[2]), personal name Liu Hong,[3] was the 12th and last powerful emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty. Born the son of a lesser marquis who descended directly from Emperor Zhang (the third Eastern Han emperor), Liu Hong was chosen to be emperor in February 168 around age 12 after the death of his predecessor, Emperor Huan, who had no son to succeed him. He reigned for about 21 years until his death in May 189.
Emperor Ling's reign saw another repetition of corrupt eunuchs dominating the eastern Han central government, as was the case during his predecessor's reign. Zhang Rang, the leader of the eunuch faction (十常侍), managed to dominate the political scene after defeating a faction led by Empress Dowager Dou's father, Dou Wu, and the Confucian scholar-official Chen Fan in October 168. After reaching adulthood, Emperor Ling was not interested in state affairs and preferred to indulge in women and a decadent lifestyle. At the same time, corrupt officials in the Han government levied heavy taxes on the peasants. He exacerbated the situation by introducing a practice of selling political offices for money; this practice severely damaged the Han civil service system and led to widespread corruption. Mounting grievances against the Han government led to the outbreak of the peasant-led Yellow Turban Rebellion in early 184.
Emperor Ling's reign left the Eastern Han dynasty weak and on the verge of collapse. After his death, the Han Empire disintegrated in chaos for the subsequent decades as various regional warlords fought for power and dominance. (See End of the Han dynasty.) The Han dynasty ended in late 220 when Emperor Ling's son, Emperor Xian, abdicated his throne – an event leading to the start of the Three Kingdoms period in China.
^Liu Hong's biography in Book of the Later Han also indicated that he was 12 (by East Asian reckoning) when he became emperor. If this record is correct, his birth year should be 157.
^According to Liu Hong's biography in Book of the Later Han, he died aged 34 (by East Asian reckoning) on the bingchen day of the 4th month of the 6th year of the Zhongping era of his reign. This corresponds to 13 May 189 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar. By calculation, his birth year should be 156. [(中平六年四月)丙辰，帝崩于南宫嘉德殿，年三十四] Houhanshu, vol. 08
^de Crespigny, Rafe (2003), Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling: being the Chronicle of the Later Han dynasty for the years for the years 157 to 189 AD as recorded in Chapters 54 to 59 of the Zizhi Tongjian of Sima Guang (internet ed.), Australian National University
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