TheEmperor Shenzong of Song(25 May 1048 – 1 April 1085), personal nameZhao Xu,was the sixthemperorof theSong dynastyof China. His original personal name wasZhao Zhongzhenbut he changed it to "Zhao Xu" after he acceded to the throne. He reigned from 1067 until his death in 1085 and is best known for supportingWang Anshi's New Policies.He was a particularly active monarch concerned with solving the fiscal, bureaucratic, and military problems of the Song dynasty, but his reign remains controversial.
| Emperor Shenzong of Song Tống thần tông | |||||||||||||
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| Emperor of the Song dynasty | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 25 January 1067 – 1 April 1085 | ||||||||||||
| Coronation | 25 January 1067 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Yingzong | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Zhezong | ||||||||||||
| Born | Zhao Zhongzhen (1048–1067) Zhao Xu (1067–1085) 25 May 1048 | ||||||||||||
| Died | 1 April 1085(aged 36) | ||||||||||||
| Burial | Yongyu Mausoleum ( vĩnh dụ lăng, in present-dayGongyi,Henan) | ||||||||||||
| Consorts | Empress Qincheng
(m.1068–1085)Empress Qinci (before 1085) | ||||||||||||
| Issue | Emperor Zhezong Zhao Bi Emperor Huizong Zhao Yu Zhao Shi Zhao Cai Princess Xianmu Princess Xianxiao Princess Xianjing | ||||||||||||
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| House | Zhao | ||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Song(Northern Song) | ||||||||||||
| Father | Emperor Yingzong | ||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Xuanren | ||||||||||||
| Emperor Shenzong of Song | |||||||
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| Chinese | Tống thần tông | ||||||
| Literal meaning | "Spiritual Ancestor of the Song" | ||||||
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| Zhao Xu | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | Triệu húc | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Triệu húc | ||||||
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| Zhao Zhongzhen | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | Triệu trọng châm | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Triệu trọng châm | ||||||
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Reign
editPersonality
editEmperor Shenzong disagreed with the passive stance of his predecessors and wanted to improve the Song Dynasty's prestige via conquest. This irridentist attitude also contributed towards his desire to centralize fiscal matters: he told his war ministerWen Yanbothat "if we are to raise troops for our frontier campaigns, then our treasuries must be full."[1]Furthermore, Shenzong was dissatisfied with the growing powers of ministers such aschief councilorHan Chi. Shenzong's goals were opposed by the conservatives, particularly Fu Bi andSima Guang,who were concerned with his expansion of monarchical power and who wanted to maintain the peaceful equilibrium with theWestern Xiaand theLiao Dynasty.Shenzong respected the conservative faction: he kept Fu Bi in the capital until 1072 and had close relations with Sima Guang, whom he admired for his morality and intelligence.[2]
Muslim mercenaries
editEmperor Shenzong hired Muslim warriors fromBukharato fight against the KhitanLiao dynasty.5,300 Muslim men from Bukhara were encouraged and invited to move to China in 1070 by Shenzong to help battle the Liao empire in the northeast and repopulate areas ravaged by fighting.[3]The emperor hired these men as mercenaries in his campaign against the Liao dynasty. Later on, these men were settled between the Song capital ofBianliang(today Kaifeng) andYenching(modern Beijing). Thecircuits( đạo ) of the north and northeast were settled in 1080 when 10,000 more Muslims were invited into China.[3][4]
Wang Anshi's New Policies
editDuring his reign in 1068, Emperor Shenzong became interested inWang Anshi's policies and appointed Wang as theChancellor.Wang implemented his famousNew Policiesaimed at improving the situation for the peasantry and unemployed. These acts became the hallmark reform of Emperor Shenzong's reign.
Before Shenzong took the throne in 1067, there was pressure on the Song dynasty to make economic reforms. The Song dynasty's rigorouscivil service examinationsrejuvenated humanist-orientedConfucianelite culture; in particular, theliteratiwanted to improve the material conditions of the people. Additionally, the humiliating loss against theWestern Xiain the 1040s[5](as well as the unfavorable terms of theTreaty of Chanyuan) created, according to Sogabe Shizuo, a "perpetual wartime fiscal regime".[6]Shenzong was particularly driven by his irridentist determination to recover theSixteen Prefectures.[7]
Immediately after taking the throne in 1067, Emperor Shenzong established the Office of Expenditure Reduction withSima Guangat its head to improve Song finances. Sima refused and instead issued a scathing report discussing the immensity of the dynasty's financial problems.[8]Indeed, defense consumed 83% of the dynasty's cash income, while the expanding and already-large bureaucracy was very costly to maintain.[9]In 1069, after failing again to gain support for reform from the officialFu Bi,[10]Shenzong made Wang Anshi the head of government and supported his consolidation of power and his New Policies.[11]
Personal involvement in the New Policies
editShenzong largely delegated authority to Wang until his retirement in 1076. An exception was when Shenzong advised Wang Anshi and Chen Shengzhi in early winter 1069 to abandon the Finance Planning Commission (which Wang had set up earlier that year) and instead rely on their power asSecretariatsto manage the economy. Wang refused, reasoning that the Commission was needed to coordinate fiscal matters between the Secretariat and theMilitary Affairs Commission.He rejected Shenzong's proposal to have Wang head the Commission himself on the same grounds.[12]In another instance, Shenzong proposed the restoration of theequal-field system(a system of land redistribution instated by theNorthern Weiand used through theTang dynasty), but Wang Anshi dismissed the idea as impractical.[5]Shenzong's fascination with the revenue-generating potential of interest prompted him to invest heavily in a new price control policy, despite complaints from merchants and consumers about governmental harassment.[13]
Shenzong and Wang Anshi also pursued direct military reforms. In theory, eachcommanderywas 500 troops strong, but in actuality, the number was much lower and contained many old or weak soldiers due to corruption. Shenzong cut down the number of excess troops so that the entire army was less than 900,000 strong and established theArea Generalship Systemto improve communications, discipline, and troop levy efficiency. Meanwhile, theBaojia systemwas introduced as a village defense system intended to bolster domestic security and provide further support to the regular army.[14]
Though the New Policies gave Shenzong a large budget surplus, they failed to achieve their goal of improving the Song dynasty's military. The Western Xia continued to inflict defeats on the Song and an attack on theLiao dynastyremained unthinkable.[11]This was caused by continually low army quality, poor logistics, and overall poor leadership. The Baojia system, for example, did not produce troops capable enough to replace the imperial army.[15]The military failures of the Reforms, to which Shenzong had devoted immense amounts of energy, contributed to his eventual illness and death.[14]The New Policies' circumvention of checks on central power was controversial from the onset; both Fu Bi andSima Guangwrote memorials to Shenzong advising him to balance governmental function, respect the bureaucratic process, and not to support Wang Anshi.[16]
Yuanfeng Reforms
editIn 1074, a severe drought afflicted Northern China. Many officials such asHan Weithought that this was heaven’s punishment for instating the New Policies. This, along with the general controversy surrounding the New Polices and Wang’s own misbehavior regarding court factions prompted Shenzong to remove him from his post as chief minister in 1074. Shenzong nonetheless remained on the side of the reformers and retained Wang as a mentor.Lü Huiqing,a reformer, gained Shenzong’s favor and harshly opposed Wang while building up his own power base. His own misbehavior broke up the reformist coalition and Wang was recalled to the capital to replace Lü. Wang did not stay for long and an astronomical omen (along with further misbehavior such as pretending to be sick and overworking his son to death) prompted the distraught man’s permanent retirement in 1076.[17]
Following Wang Anshi's permanent retirement in 1076, Shenzong took personal control of the reform agenda and launched theYuanfeng Reforms.He first significantly expanded his personal power and used the domineering officialCai Jueto keep the conservatives, many of whom had been invited back to court, in line with the emperor.[18]In 1082, Shenzong restructured the bureaucracy and restored the Tang model of a central government organized around theSix Ministriesby creating the Secretariat, Chancellery, and Department of State Affairs to balance the departments against each other. However, due to design flaws, the Secretariat quickly came to dominate the other two departments.[19]Moreover, the strict division of the bureaucracy, in which every policy initiative had to take a complicated route to be approved, was inefficient. With Shenzong himself as the most active policy maker, this inefficiency was largely unproblematic, but the reigns of the child-emperor Zhezong and the incompetent emperor Huizong exposed the redundancy of such a system.[20]
TheFinance CommissionandExchequer of Imperial Lands(institutions that predated the New Policies) were dissolved and replaced by theMinistry of Revenue.Shenzong made theYuanfeng Treasuryto raise funds for a renewed offensive against the Western Xia; although the offensive was defeated, the Treasury remained as a depository for revenues from both the New Policies and state-run monopolies. Both the Ministry of Revenue and the Yuanfeng Treasury exercised substantial control over Song fiscal resources.[21]The Yuanfeng Reforms were likely inspired by institutional reform proposals made during the reign ofEmperor Renzong of Songand a concern towards the growing power of theChief counsilorship,but the reforms' rigidity likely contributed to the autocratic nature of the later dynasty.[22]Unlike the New Policies, the Yuanfeng Reforms likely escaped the conservative anti-reform movement headed by Sima Guang andGrand Dowager Empress Xuanrendue to their Tang inspiration and Shenzong's hand in heading them.[23]
Campaign against Vietnam
editEmperor Shenzong sentcampaignsagainst the Vietnamese rulerLý Nhân Tôngof theLý dynastyin 1076.[24]
Embassy from the Byzantine Empire
editAside from the ancientRoman embassiestoHanandThree-Kingdomsera China, contact with Europe remained sparse if not nonexistentbefore the 13th century.However, from Chinese records it is known thatMichael VII Doukas(Mie li yi ling kai sa diệt lực y linh cải tát ) of Fo lin (i.e. theByzantine Empire) dispatched a diplomatic mission to China's Song dynasty that arrived in 1081, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong.[25]
Campaign against the Western Xia dynasty
editEmperor Shenzong's other notable act as emperor was his attempt to weaken theTangut-ledWestern Xiastate by invading and expelling the Western Xia forces from Qing prefecture ( khánh châu, todayQingyang,Gansu Province). The Song army was initially quite successful in these campaigns, but during the battle for the city of Yongle ( vĩnh nhạc thành ), in 1082, Song forces were defeated. As a result, Western Xia grew more powerful and subsequently continued to be a thorn in the side of the Song Empire over the ensuing decades.
Zizhi Tongjian and other literary works
editSima Guang,a minister interested in the history of the previous 1000 years, published theZizhi TongjianorA Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Governmentin 1084. This book records historical events from theZhou dynastyto the Song dynasty. Another notable literary achievement that occurred during his reign was the compilation of theSeven Military Classics,including the alleged forgery of theQuestions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong.[26]
Death and legacy
editThe disastrous defeat at the battle of Yongle City in 1082 during the Song invasion of Western Xia completely broke Shenzong’s spirit. In tears, he berated his councilors and said “Not a single one of you said that the [Yongle City] campaign was wrong.”[27]He was crushed by the realization that his reforms, into which he had poured immense amounts of time and energy, had failed.[14]Accordingly, his reformist zeal slowed down and he increasingly favored the conservatives, particularly Sima Guang. In Autumn 1084, Shenzong sensed he was dying and entrusted the heir to Sima Guang and Lü Gongzhu.
Emperor Shenzong died in early 1085 at the age of 36 from an unspecified illness and was succeeded by his son,Zhao Xuwho took the throne asEmperor Zhezong.Emperor Zhezongwas underage and so Shenzong’s motherEmpress Gaoruled as regent until her death. A political struggled ensued following Shenzong’s death. The Emperss Dowager’s conservative faction (which included Sima Guang, Lü Gongzhu, the famous poetSu Shi,and the co-founder ofNeo-confucianism,Cheng Hao) defeated Cai Jue’s faction. The conservatives went on to repeal the New Polices and purge the court of remaining reformers.[28]
Family
editConsorts and Issue:
- Empress Qinsheng,of the Xiang clan (Khâm thánh hoàng hậu hướng thị;1046–1101)
- Princess Shuhuai (Thục hoài đế cơ;1067–1078), 1st daughter
- Empress Qincheng,of the Zhu clan (Khâm thành hoàng hậu chu thị;1052–1102)
- Zhao Xu,Zhezong (Triết tông triệu húc;1077–1100), 6th son
- Zhao Shi, Prince Churongxian (Sở vinh hiến vương triệu tự;1083–1106), 13th son
- Princess Xianjing (Hiền tĩnh đế cơ;1085–1115), 10th daughter
- Married Pan Yi (Phan ý) in 1104, and had issue (two sons)
- Empress Qinci, of the Chen clan (Khâm từ hoàng hậu trần thị;1058–1089)
- Zhao Ji,Huizong (Huy tông triệu cát;1082–1135), 11th son
- Noble Consort Yimu,of the Xing clan (Ý mục quý phi hình thị;d. 1103)
- Zhao Jin, Prince Hui(Huệ vương triệu cận;1071), 2nd son
- Zhao Xian, Prince Ji(Ký vương triệu giản;1074–1076), 5th son
- Zhao Jia, Prince Yudaohui(Dự điệu huệ vương triệu giới;1077–1078), 7th son
- Zhao Ti, Prince Xuchonghui(Từ trùng huệ vương triệu thích;1078–1081), 8th son
- Noble Consort, of the Yang clan (Ý tĩnh quý phi dương thị)
- Noble Consort, of the Song clan (Quý phi tống thị;d. 1117)
- Zhao Yi, Prince Cheng(Thành vương triệu dật;1069), 1st son
- Zhao Jun, Prince Tang'aixian(Đường ai hiến vương triệu tuấn;1073–1077), 3rd son
- Princess Xianxiao (Hiền hiếu đế cơ;d. 1108), 4th daughter
- Married Wang Yu (Vương ngộ) in 1097
- Pure Consort, of the Zhang clan (Ý tĩnh thục phi trương thị;d. 1105)
- Princess Xianke(Hiền khác đế cơ;d. 1072), 2nd daughter
- Virtuous Consort, of the Zhu clan (Đức phi chu thị)
- Princess Xianmu(Hiền mục đế cơ;d. 1084)
- Able Consort, of the Wu clan (Huệ mục hiền phi võ thị;d. 1107)
- Zhao Bi, Prince Wurongmu (Ngô vinh mục vương triệu 佖;1082–1106), 9th son
- Princess Xianhe(Hiền hòa đế cơ;d. 1090)
- Able Consort, of the Lin clan (Hiền phi lâm thị;1052–1090), personal name Zhen (Trinh)
- Zhao Yu, Prince Yan (Yến vương triệu 俁;1083–1127), 12th son
- Princess Xianling(Hiền lệnh đế cơ;d. 1084), 7th daughter
- Zhao Cai, Prince Yue (Việt vương triệu ti;1085–1129), 14th son
- Cairen,of the Guo clan (Tài nhân quách thị)
- Zhao Wei, Prince Yi(Nghi vương triệu vĩ;1082), 10th son
- Furen,of the Xiang clan (Phu nhân hướng thị)
- Zhao Shen, Prince Bao(Bao vương triệu thân;1074), 4th son
- Unknown
- Princess Xianmu (Hiền mục đế cơ;d. 1111), 3rd daughter
- Married Han Jiayan (Hàn gia ngạn;d. 1129)
- Princess Xiankang(Hiền khang đế cơ;d. 1085)
- Princess Xianyi(Hiền nghi đế cơ;d. 1085)
- Princess Xianmu (Hiền mục đế cơ;d. 1111), 3rd daughter
Ancestry
edit| Zhao Yuanfen (969–1005) | |||||||||||||||
| Zhao Yunrang (995–1059) | |||||||||||||||
| Lady Li | |||||||||||||||
| Emperor Yingzong of Song(1032–1067) | |||||||||||||||
| Ren Gu | |||||||||||||||
| Lady Ren | |||||||||||||||
| Lady Zhang | |||||||||||||||
| Emperor Shenzong of Song (1048–1085) | |||||||||||||||
| Gao Jixun (959–1036) | |||||||||||||||
| Gao Zunfu | |||||||||||||||
| Empress Xuanren(1032–1093) | |||||||||||||||
| Cao Qi | |||||||||||||||
| Lady Cao | |||||||||||||||
| Lady Feng | |||||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^Ma, Tuan-lin (1308).Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao(Shang-wu yin-shu-kuan 1935–7 ed.). p. 232.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,pp. 353–357.
- ^abH., Hagras (2019-06-01)."Xi'an Daxuexi Alley Mosque: Historical and Architectural Study".Egyptian Journal of Archaeological and Restoration Studies.9(1): 97–113.doi:10.21608/ejars.2019.38462.ISSN2090-4940.
- ^Israeli, Raphael (2002).Islam in China: religion, ethnicity, culture, and politics.Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books. p. 283.ISBN0-7391-0375-X.OCLC49576635.
- ^abvon Glahn 2016,pp. 236–237.
- ^Sogabe 1941,pp. 3–85.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,p. 24.
- ^Chaffee & Twitchett 2015,p. 150.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,p. 349.
- ^Ulrich, Theobald."Song-Period Political History".ChinaKnowledge.de.
- ^abTanner 2010,pp. 212–213.
- ^Chaffee & Twitchett 2015,p. 41.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,p. 407.
- ^abcChaffee & Twitchett 2015,pp. 226–231.
- ^Lorge 2005,p. 48.
- ^Chaffee & Twitchett 2015,pp. 35–36.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,pp. 447–454.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,pp. 454–457.
- ^Chaffee & Twitchett 2015,p. 125-129.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,p. 464.
- ^von Glahn 2016,p. 240.
- ^Chaffee & Twitchett 2015,pp. 125–129.
- ^Chaffee & Twitchett 2015,p. 155.
- ^Maspéro, Georges (2002).The Champa Kingdom: The History of an Extinct Vietnamese Culture.White Lotus Press. p. 71.ISBN978-974-7534-99-3.
- ^Sezgin, Fuat; Ehrig-Eggert, Carl; Mazen, Amawi; Neubauer, E. (1996).نصوص ودراسات من مصادر صينية حول البلدان الاسلامية.Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. p. 25.ISBN9783829820479.
- ^Sawyer, Ralph D. (1993).The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China.Westview Press. p. 489.ISBN978-0-8133-1228-6.[permanent dead link]
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,p. 477.
- ^Twitchett & Smith 2009,pp. 481–483.
Bibliography
edit- Sogabe, Shizuo (1941).Sōdai zaisei shi tống đại tài chính sử.Tokyo: Seikatsusha. pp. 3–85.
- Tanner, Harold (2010).China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire, (10,000 BCE - 1799 CE).Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.ISBN978-1603842020.
- von Glahn, Richard (2016).The Economic History of China: From Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-1-107-03056-5.
- Twitchett, Denis; Smith, Paul Jakov (2009).The Cambridge History of China Volume 5 Part One: The Sung Dynasty and its Precursors, 907-1279.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-24330-8.
- Chaffee, John; Twitchett, Denis (2015).The Cambridge History of China Volume 5 Part Two: Sung China, 960–1279.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-81248-1.
- Lorge, Peter (2005).War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900–1795.Routledge.ISBN9780415316903.