Emperor Shun of Han, trad. ch. 漢順帝;, sim. ch. 漢顺帝, py. hàn shùn dì, wg. Han Shun-ti, (115-144) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty and the seventh emperor of the Eastern Han period. He reigned from 125 AD to 144 AD. Chinese personal names follow a number of conventions different from those of Western personal names. ... Liu is a Chinese family name. ... Chinese personal names follow a number of conventions different from those of Western personal names. ... Temple names (Traditional Chinese: 廟號 Simplified Chinese: 庙号 Pinyin: miào hào;), are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Vietnamese (such dynasties as Tran,Anterior Lê and Nguyen Dynasty) and most Korean rulers of the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. ... A posthumous name (Traditional Chinese: 諡號/謚號 Simplified Chinese: 谥号; Pinyin: shì hào; Romaji: shigō/tsuigō; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the persons death. ... A posthumous name (Traditional Chinese: 諡號/謚號 Simplified Chinese: 谥号; Pinyin: shì hào; Romaji: shigō/tsuigō; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the persons death. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiÇŽntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiÇŽnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... PY, Py or py may stand for: Pinyin, a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Mandarin Chinese used in the Peoples Republic of China. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... Events Pope Sixtus I succeeds Pope Alexander I Jews in Egypt and Cyrene ignite a revolt against the rule of the Roman Empire, which spreads to Cyprus, Judea, and the Roman province of Mesopotamia. ... Events Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Polycarpus II to Patriarch Athendodorus Change of era name from Hanan (3rd year) to Jiankang era of the Chinese Han Dynasty Change of emperor from Han Shundi to Han Chongdi of the Chinese Han Dynasty Marcion of Sinope is excommunicated; a sect... The emperor or huangdi (皇帝 in pinyin: huang2 di4) of China was the head of government and head of state of China from the Qin dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. ... Han commanderies and kingdoms AD 2. ... Events Construction of the Pantheon (Rome) as it stands today by Hadrian. ...

Emperor Shun was the only son of Emperor An of Han and after Emperor An died in 125, the Empress Dowager Yan was childless but yearning to hold on to power, forced Prince Bao (whose title of crown prince she had wrongly caused Emperor An to strip in 124) to give up the throne in favour of Liu Yi, the Marquess of Beixiang. Liu Yi died after reigning less than 7 months and eunuchs loyal to Prince Bao, led by Sun Cheng, carrying out a successful coup d'etat agianst the Empress Dowager, Prince Bao was finally declared emperor at age 10. Emperor An of Han, ch. ... Events Construction of the Pantheon (Rome) as it stands today by Hadrian. ... A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. ... Events Roman emperor Hadrian begins to rebuild the Olympeion in Athens. ... The Marquess of Beixiang, (trad. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...

The people had great expectations for Emperor Shun, whose reign followed his incompetent and violent father. However, while Emperor Shun's personality was mild, he was just as incompetent as his father in general, and corruption continued without abatement among eunuchs and officials. He also overly entrusted government to his wife Empress Liang Na's father Liang Shang (梁商) -- a mild-mannered man with integrity but little ability -- and then Liang Shang's son Liang Ji -- a corrupt and an autocratic man. In general, Emperor Shun's reign was still somewhat of an improvement over his father's, but this minor improvement was unable to stem Eastern Han Dynasty's continued degradation. Liang Ji (梁冀) (d. ...

Emperor Shun died at the age of 30 after reigning for 19 years. He was succeeded by his son Emperor Chong.

Family background

Then-Prince Bao was born to Emperor An and his concubine Consort Li in 115, apparently shortly after Emperor An had created his favorite Yan Ji empress. Empress Yan herself was sonless, and in jealousy, she poisoned Consort Li to death, an act that went unpunished. Empress Yan would continue to hold a grudge against Prince Bao, despite his youth. Emperor An of Han, ch. ... Concubinage is either the state of a couple living together as lovers with no obligation created by vows, legal marriage, or religious ceremony, or the state of a woman supported by a male lover who is married to, and usually living with, someone else. ... Events Pope Sixtus I succeeds Pope Alexander I Jews in Egypt and Cyrene ignite a revolt against the rule of the Roman Empire, which spreads to Cyprus, Judea, and the Roman province of Mesopotamia. ...

In 120, Emperor An created Prince Bao crown prince, as he continued to be Emperor An's only son. For other uses, see number 120. ... A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. ...

Removal as crown prince and enthronement

In 124, some of the people trusted by Emperor An -- eunuchs Jiang Jing (江京) and Fan Feng (樊豐) and his wet nurse Wang Sheng (王聖), for reasons no longer known, falsely accused Crown Prince Bao's wet nurse Wang Nan (王男) and chef Bing Ji (邴吉, not to be confused with Emperor Xuan's prime minister of the same name) of unspecified crimes. Emperor An executed Wang and Bing and exiled their families. The nine-year-old crown prince was greatly saddened. Jiang and Fan, fearful of reprisals later, entered into a conspiracy with Empress Yan (who had always hated Crown Prince Bao as not born of herself) to falsely accuse Crown Prince Bao and his servants of crimes. Emperor An believed them, and demoted Crown Prince Bao to be the Prince of Jiyin. Events Roman emperor Hadrian begins to rebuild the Olympeion in Athens. ... Chinese Eunuchs A eunuch is an infertile human male whose testicles have either been removed (deliberately or by accident) or are otherwise non-functional. ... A wet nurse is a woman who nurses a baby not her own. ... Emperor Xuan of Han (91 BC–49 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty from 74 BC to 49 BC. Emperor Xuan was the great grandson of Emperor Wu. ...

In 125, Emperor An died suddenly while on a trip to Wancheng (宛城, in modern Nanyang, Henan). Empress Yan, although Prince Bao was Emperor An's only son and therefore logical heir, resolved to make someone younger to be the emperor so that she could better control him. She therefore made Liu Yi (劉懿), the Marquess of Beixiang, emperor. The 10-year-old Prince Bao was excluded not only from succession but even from the official mourning for his father. Empress Dowager Yan and her brothers dominated the political scene. Events Construction of the Pantheon (Rome) as it stands today by Hadrian. ... Nanyang (Simplified Chinese: 南阳; Traditional Chinese: 南陽; pinyin: Nányáng) is a city in the south of Henan, a province in China. ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... The Marquess of Beixiang, (trad. ...

Later that year, the young emperor was gravely ill. The eunuch Sun Cheng, loyal to Prince Bao, entered into a conspiracy with Prince Bao's head of household Changxing Qu (長興渠) and other eunuchs to restore Prince Bao. After the young emperor died, Sun and 18 of his fellow eunuchs made a surprise attack on the palace, killing Jiang and forcing Jiang's colleague Li Run (李閏) to join them. They then welcomed Prince Bao to the palace and declared him emperor. For several days, the eunuchs' forces battled with the empress dowager's forces, finally defeating the empress dowager and her brothers. The Yan clan was slaughtered, while Empress Dowager Yan was confined to her palace until her death in 126. Events First year of the Yongjian era of the Chinese Han Dynasty. ...

Early reign

At the start of Emperor Shun's reign, the people were hopeful that he would reform the political situation from the pervasive corruption under the Yans. The teenage emperor proved to be a kind but weak ruler, however, and while he trusted certain honest officials, he also trusted many corrupt eunuchs, who quickly grabbed power. In 126, Sun tried to encourage the young emperor to carry out extensive reforms, but was instead removed from the capital for his audacity, although Sun was recalled to the capital in 128, but continued to lack actual influence to affectuate reforms. Another major influence on Emperor Shun was his wet nurse Song E (宋娥), who was described as a kind woman who, however, also lacked abilities, and as she was effectively in the stead of an empress dowager, she was influential but not much of an actual help for Emperor Shun. Events First year of the Yongjian era of the Chinese Han Dynasty. ... Events King Gaeru of Baekje succeeded the throne of Baekje in Korean peninsula. ...

Early in Emperor Shun's reign, Ban Chao's son Ban Yong was able to effectively restore Han suzerainty over Xiyu (modern Xinjiang and former Soviet central Asia) kingdoms, but in 127, Ban Yong was falsely accused of being late in a military action and removed from his office. After Ban Yong's removal, the situation in Xiyu gradually deteriorated. Ban Chao (班超, 32-102 CE) was a Chinese general and cavalry commander in charge of the administration of the Western Regions (Central Asia) during the Eastern Han dynasty. ... Xinjiang (Chinese: 新疆; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsin1-chiang1; Postal Pinyin: Sinkiang; literal meaning: New Frontier; Uyghur: (Shinjang)), full name Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Events Births Deaths Categories: 127 ...

Other than these, however, the time of Emperor Shun was generally one during which the empire rested from previous periods of political turmoil. Although the emperor lacked capability, and corruption continued to run unchecked, his personal kindness allowed the people a measurment of peace.

In 131, Emperor Shun was going to create an empress, and not wanting to play favorites, he considered drawing lots before gods to determine who should be the empress. After his officials discouraged him from this action, he finally selected one of his consorts, Liang Na, as the one he considered most virtuous and most rational, and he created her empress in 132. She was 16 and he was 19. Her father Liang Shang (梁商) became an honored official and was gradually promoted to increasingly important posts. Events Emperor Hadrian builds the city Aelia Capitolina on the location of Jerusalem Births Galen, anatomist Deaths Categories: 131 ... Events The messianic, leader Simon bar Kokhba starts a war of liberation against the Romans, which is crushed by emperor Hadrian. ...

Late reign

In 135, two major political changes occurred -- eunuch-marquesses began to be allowed to pass their marches to their adopted sons, and Liang Shang became the commander of the armed forces and effectively the most powerful individual in the imperial government. Neither of these developments appeared at the time to be major, but had great implications; the former demonstrated that the power of the eunuchs was becoming systemic, and the latter led to the start of the Liangs controlling the imperial government for several administrations. For other uses, see number 135. ... Mark or march (or various plural forms of these words) are derived from the Frankish word marka (boundary) and refer to an area along a border, e. ...

Liang Shang was, much like his son-in-law, a kind man who lacked real political abilities, even though he himself appeared to be honest and clean. For example, in 138, when there was a conspiracy by some eunuchs to undermine him that Emperor Shun discovered, he advocated leniency, and while Emperor Shun did not completely agree with him, Liang's intercession clearly saved many lives. However, both he and Emperor Shun trusted his son Liang Ji (梁冀) who, unlike his father, was corrupt and violent. Events February 25 - Roman emperor Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius on condition that Antonius would adopt Marcus Annius Aurelius Verus. ... Liang Ji (梁冀) (d. ...

In 136 to 138, there were a number of native rebellions in various parts of southern China. While these were generally put down with relative ease (in particular, the rebels generally surrendered willingly if the corrupt officials they were protesting against were replaced by Emperor Shun), these would foreshadow the much more serious rebellions that would come in the next few decades. Further, in 139, the Qiang again rebelled, and this time the rebellion would not be put down easily and would plague Emperor Shun for the rest of his reign. Indeed, in 141, the Qiang forces annihilated a Han force led by Ma Xian (馬賢) and set fire to the tomb-gardens of a number of Western han emperors in the Chang'an region. Further, eventually, the agrarian rebellions started again in Jing (荊州, modern Hunan, Hubei, and southern Henan) and Yang (揚州, modern Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and central and southern Jiangsu, Anhui) Provinces and would not be pacified for the rest of Emperor Shun's reign. Events Pope Hyginus succeeds Pope Telesphorus First year of Yonghe era of the Chinese Han Dynasty Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Eleutherius to Patriarch Felix Births Deaths Categories: 136 ... Events February 25 - Roman emperor Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius on condition that Antonius would adopt Marcus Annius Aurelius Verus. ... Events Births Deaths Zhang Heng, Chinese mathematician Categories: 139 ... The Qiang people (羌族; Pinyin: qiāng zú) are an ethnic group. ... Events Construction of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in Rome. ... Changan   listen? (Simplified Chinese: 长安; Traditional Chinese: 長安; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chang-an) is the ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in China. ... Hunan (Chinese: 湖南; pinyin: ) is a province of China, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, meaning south of the lake). Hunan is sometimes called 湘 (pinyin: Xiāng) for short, after the Xiang River which runs through the province. ... Hubei (Chinese: 湖北; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hu-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hupeh) is a central province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... Jiangxi (Chinese: 江西; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kiangsi) is a southern province of the Peoples Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south. ... Zhejiang (Chinese: 浙江; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Che-chiang; Postal System Pinyin: Chehkiang or Chekiang) is a eastern coastal province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Jiangsu (Simplified Chinese: 江苏; Traditional Chinese: 江蘇; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-su; Postal System Pinyin: Kiangsu) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. ... Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Also in 141, Liang Shang died. Inexplicably, Emperor Shun gave his post to his son Liang Ji and gave Liang Ji's post to his younger brother Liang Buyi (梁不疑). Liang Ji proceeded to seize power at every opportunity, and even though Liang Buyi tried to encourage his brother to be moderate in behavior, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

In 144, apparently already ill, Emperor Shun created his only son Liu Bing (劉炳), born of his concubine Consort Yu in 143, crown prince. Later that year, Emperor Shun died, and Crown Prince Bing succeeded him as Emperor Chong. Empress Dowager Liang served as regent, and while she personally appeared capable, her trust in her brother Liang Ji would lead to a major decline of Eastern Han. Events Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Polycarpus II to Patriarch Athendodorus Change of era name from Hanan (3rd year) to Jiankang era of the Chinese Han Dynasty Change of emperor from Han Shundi to Han Chongdi of the Chinese Han Dynasty Marcion of Sinope is excommunicated; a sect... Events A revolt of the Brigantes tribe of Britannia was suppresed by Q. Lollius Urbicus Births Emperor Chong of Han China Category: ...

Era names

• Yongjian (永建 py. yŏng jìan) 126-132
• Yangjia (陽嘉 py. yáng jīa) 132-135
• Yonghe (永和 py. yŏng hé) 136-141
• Hanan (漢安 py. hàn ān) 142-144
• Jiankang (建康 py. jìan kāng) 144

Events First year of the Yongjian era of the Chinese Han Dynasty. ... Events The messianic, leader Simon bar Kokhba starts a war of liberation against the Romans, which is crushed by emperor Hadrian. ... Events The messianic, leader Simon bar Kokhba starts a war of liberation against the Romans, which is crushed by emperor Hadrian. ... For other uses, see number 135. ... Events Pope Hyginus succeeds Pope Telesphorus First year of Yonghe era of the Chinese Han Dynasty Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Eleutherius to Patriarch Felix Births Deaths Categories: 136 ... Events Construction of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in Rome. ... Events Construction of the Antonine Wall began in Scotland. ... Events Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Polycarpus II to Patriarch Athendodorus Change of era name from Hanan (3rd year) to Jiankang era of the Chinese Han Dynasty Change of emperor from Han Shundi to Han Chongdi of the Chinese Han Dynasty Marcion of Sinope is excommunicated; a sect... Events Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Polycarpus II to Patriarch Athendodorus Change of era name from Hanan (3rd year) to Jiankang era of the Chinese Han Dynasty Change of emperor from Han Shundi to Han Chongdi of the Chinese Han Dynasty Marcion of Sinope is excommunicated; a sect...

Personal information

• Father
  • Emperor An
• Mother
  • Consort Li
• Wife
  • Empress Liang Na (created 132, d. 150)
• Major Concubines
  • Consort Yu, mother of Emperor Chong and Princess Sheng
• Children
  • Liu Bing (劉炳), the Crown Prince (b. 143, created 144), later Emperor Chong
  • Liu Sheng (劉生), the Princess Wuyang (created 138)
  • Liu Chengnan (劉成男), the Princess Guanjun (created 138)
  • Liu Guang (劉廣), the Princess Ruyang (created 141)