Title in East Asia for emperors who voluntarily abdicated to their sons
Retired Emperor
Chinese name
Chinese
太上皇
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Tàishàng huáng
Wade–Giles
T'ai4-shang4 Huang2
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet
Thái thượng hoàng
Chữ Hán
太上皇
Korean name
Hangul
태상황
Hanja
太上皇
Transcriptions
Revised Romanization
taesanghwang
Japanese name
Kanji
太上天皇
Hiragana
だいじょうてんのう だじょうてんのう
Transcriptions
Revised Hepburn
Daijō Tennō Dajō Tennō
Kunrei-shiki
Daizyô Tennô Dazyô Tennô
Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used by the monarchical regimes in the Sinosphere for former emperors who had (at least in name) abdicated voluntarily to another member of the same dynasty, usually their sons. This title appeared in the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Although technically no longer the reigning sovereign, there were instances like the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty of China or several emperors of the Trần dynasty of Vietnam, where the retired emperor continued to exert considerable if not more power than the reigning emperor.
RetiredEmperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used by the monarchical regimes in the Sinosphere for former emperors who...
of what Li Shimin might do next, Emperor Gaozu passed the throne to him and became Taishang Huang (retiredemperor). He died on 25 June 635. According...
advanced age and declining health, and assumed the title Emperor Emeritus (上皇, Jōkō, lit. 'RetiredEmperor'). He was succeeded by his eldest son, Naruhito, whose...
became Emperor Momozono. Sakuramachi took on the title of Daijō Tennō (RetiredEmperor), and the era's name was changed to Kan'en (meaning "Prolonging Lenience")...
Tennō (RetiredEmperor), and the era's name was changed to Genbun (meaning "Original civility") to mark the occasion. Even though he was retired, Nakamikado...
Even though Emperor Gaozong became a Taishang Huang ("RetiredEmperor") after his abdication, he remained the de facto ruler, so Emperor Xiaozong only...
retaining power as retiredemperor from 1162 until his death in 1187. The ninth son of Emperor Huizong and a younger half-brother of Emperor Qinzong, Zhao...
Emperor Uda (宇多天皇, Uda-tennō, June 10, 866 – September 3, 931) was the 59th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Uda's...
The word emperor (from Latin: imperator, via Old French: empereor) can mean the male ruler of an empire. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate...
month): In the 17th year of Emperor Toba's reign (鳥羽天皇17年), Toba was forced to abdicate by his grandfather, retired-Emperor Shirakawa. Toba gave up the...
Kiyomori imprisons RetiredEmperor Go-Shirakawa in the desolate Seinan palace (1179). Emperor Takakura is forced to retire and Emperor Antoku, Kiyomori's...
Huan while Huizong assumed the honorary title of Taishang Huang (or "RetiredEmperor"). The following year, the Song capital, Bianjing, was conquered by...
imperial power on Emperor Suzong and to serve under Emperor Suzong. Emperor Xuanzong, after becoming retiredemperor, largely allowed Emperor Suzong to coordinate...
abdicated and passed on his throne to Emperor Qinzong, and then assumed the title Taishang Huang ("RetiredEmperor") himself and fled to the countryside...
Emperor Hui of Jin (simplified Chinese: 晋惠帝; traditional Chinese: 晉惠帝; pinyin: Jìn Huì Dì; Wade–Giles: Chin Hui-ti; 259 – January 8, 307), personal name...
as his heir, Shirakawa abdicated;, and Taruhito became Emperor Horikawa. The now-retiredEmperor Shirakawa was the first to attempt what became customary...
However, at Princess Taiping's suggestion, Emperor Ruizong, now carrying the title of Taishang Huang (retiredemperor), continued to wield actual and superior...
mark the accession of Emperor Hanazono. Hanazono's father, the retired-Emperor Fushimi, and Hanazono's brother, the retired-Emperor Go-Fushimi, both exerted...
Global Information