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Emperor Xuan of Han 漢宣帝
Depiction of Emperor Xuan from Sancai Tuhui
Emperor of the Han dynasty
Reign
10 September 74 BC – 10 January 48 BC
Predecessor
Liu He
Successor
Emperor Yuan
Born
91 BC Chang'an, Han dynasty
Died
10 January 48 BC (aged 43) Chang'an, Han dynasty
Burial
Du Mausoleum (杜陵), Xi'an
Consorts
Empress Gong'ai Empress Huo Chengjun Empress Xiaoxuan
Issue
Emperor Yuan Liu Qin Liu Xiao Liu Yu Liu Jing Princess Guantao Princess Jingwu
Short: Emperor Xuan (宣帝) "responsible" Full: Emperor Xiaoxuan (孝宣皇帝) "filial and know by many"
Temple name
Zhōngzōng (中宗)
House
Liu
Dynasty
Han (Western Han)
Father
Liu Jin
Mother
Wang Wengxu
Emperor Xuan of Han (Chinese: 漢宣帝; 91 BC[2] – 10 January 48 BC[3]), born Liu Bingyi (劉病已), was the tenth emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 74 to 48 BC, and was one of the only four Western Han emperors to receive a temple name (along with Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu). During his reign, the Han dynasty prospered economically and militarily became a regional superpower, and was considered by many to be the peak period of the entire Han history. His time of rule, along with his predecessor Emperor Zhao's are known by historians as Zhaoxuan Restoration (昭宣中興). He was succeeded by his son Emperor Yuan after his death in 48 BC.
Emperor Xuan's life story was a riches-to-rags-to-riches story. He was born a prince as a great-grandson of Emperor Wu. His grandfather Liu Ju, was a son of Emperor Wu and Empress Wei and the crown prince of the Han Empire, who in 91 BC was framed for witchcraft practice against Emperor Wu and committed suicide after being forced into a failed uprising. His father Liu Jin (劉進) also died in that turmoil, along with the rest of his family.
Emperor Xuan was only a months-old infant at the time and only survived due to the protection of the sympathetic prison warden Bing Ji, and lived his youth as a commoner after being released by a nationwide amnesty from Emperor Wu in 87 BC. After Liu He's short 27-day reign in 74 BC, the 17-year-old Liu Bingyi was selected by Huo Guang (the half-brother of Liu Bingyi's great-cousin Huo Qubing) for the throne, inheriting the crown that ironically would have been his anyway if his grandfather's rebellion in 91 BC hadn't happened.
Emperor Xuan has been considered a hardworking and brilliant ruler by historians. Because he grew up among commoners, he thoroughly understood the suffering of the grassroot population, and lowered taxes, liberalized the government and employed capable ministers to the government. He was said by Liu Xiang to have been fond of reading the works of Shen Buhai, using Xing-Ming to control his subordinates and devoting much time to legal cases.[4][5]
Emperor Xuan was open to suggestions, was a good judge of character, and consolidated his power by eliminating corrupt officials, including the Huo family who had exerted considerable power since the death of Emperor Wu, after Huo Guang's death. However, his execution of the entire Huo clan later drew heavy criticism from historians (e.g. Sima Guang in his Zizhi Tongjian) for being "ungrateful" to the late Huo Guang.
^Changed to make it easier for people to avoid breaching the custom of naming taboo on the Emperor's name, as bing and yi are both very common characters
^Emperor Xuan's biography in Book of Han indicated that he was a few months old when his grandfather Liu Ju became embroiled in the "witchcraft disaster".
^jiaxu day of the 12th month of the 1st year of the Huang'long era, per Emperor Xuan's biography in Book of Han and vol. 26 of Zizhi Tongjian.
^Han-shu 9.1a; Dubs, Han-shu II. 189, 299–300
^Herrlee G. Creel. Shen Pu-Hai: A Chinese Political Philosopher of the Fourth Century B. C. p. 155
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