Misplaced Pages

#411588

64-520: Emperor Zhezong was the sixth son of Emperor Shenzong . He ascended the throne at the age of nine under the supervision of his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Gao . Emperor Zhezong lowered taxes, stopped negotiations with the Tangut -led Western Xia state, and resumed armed conflict which eventually forced Western Xia to enter a more peaceful stance with the Song Empire. However, Emperor Zhezong

128-579: A "perpetual wartime fiscal regime". Shenzong was particularly driven by his irridentist determination to recover the Sixteen Prefectures . Immediately after taking the throne in 1067, Emperor Shenzong established the Office of Expenditure Reduction with Sima Guang at its head to improve Song finances. Sima refused and instead issued a scathing report discussing the immensity of the dynasty's financial problems. Indeed, defense consumed 83% of

192-445: A bad mood due to his son's illness told his councillors that the royal doctors were treating Zhao Mao. On September 26, Zhao Mao was getting better but soon died making Zhezong cancelling his audiences for three days. His birthday was a great celebration but was cut short when after the birthday party, he fell ill and was vomiting all day long. He also contracted laryngitis and could only speak with great effort. By December 21, Zhezong

256-525: 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. Following Wang Anshi's permanent retirement in 1076, Shenzong took personal control of

320-417: A physician, advised Zhezong and even though Zhezong followed his directions, there were no signs of him getting better. In July, his constipation was replaced by severe diarrhea and Zhezong could not get up from his bed to receive medicine. Geng recommended spleen-warming pills, an action Zhezong's mother supported. The coolness of the weather improved Zhezong's health; making him well enough to attend

384-544: A severe drought afflicted Northern China. Many officials such as Han Wei thought 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

448-631: A thorn in the side of the Song Empire over the ensuing decades. Sima Guang , a minister interested in the history of the previous 1000 years, published the Zizhi Tongjian or A Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government in 1084. This book records historical events from the Zhou dynasty to the Song dynasty. Another notable literary achievement that occurred during his reign was the compilation of

512-642: Is Five-Colored Parakeet on Blossoming Apricot Tree . He also recopied Zhang Xuan 's painting Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk , and Emperor Huizong's reproduction is the only copy of that painting that survives today. Emperor Huizong invented the "Slender Gold" ( 瘦金體 ) style of calligraphy. The name "Slender Gold" came from the fact that the emperor's writing resembled the way gold filaments twisted and turned, also inspired by Li Yu who called his calligraphy "Golden Inlaid Dagger" (金錯刀). Some theories posits his technique probably based on calligraphy works by Chu Suiliang , Xue Ji or Huang Tingjian . One of

576-400: Is historically now known as Emperor Qinzong ( 欽宗 ). However, Qinzong sternly refused the throne, even pushing the robes off. Huizong, still feigning a stroke, wrote with his left hand "If you do not accept, you are unfilial." Qinzong said, "If I accept, then I am unfilial." Even when Huizong summoned his empress, Qinzong still declined until Huizong ordered his eunuchs to forcibly put him on

640-707: The Han dynasty and Tang dynasty models of governance. During the renewed war against the Western Xia, the Song military consolidated borders, constructed fortifications, and slowly took territory from the Xia. This successful strategy expanded the Song dynasty to its greatest territorial extent. On May 18, 1099, Zhezong became ill in which the symptoms were constant coughing and constipation . Zhezong did not get any better, even though he had taken many medications and so Zhezong asked his councilors to recommend physicians. Geng Yu,

704-891: The Liao dynasty palace by the Jin Jurchens, who had also defeated and conquered the Khitan. The original Chinese wives of the Song princes were abducted and the Song princes then married Khitan royal women. One of the Song Emperor Huizong's sons was given a Khitan consort from the Liao palace and another one of his sons was given a Khitan princess by the Jin at the Jin Supreme capital. The Jin Jurchens continued to give new wives to

SECTION 10

#1732786554412

768-460: The New Policies set forth by Wang Anshi before dying in 1086. The conservatives achieved some success in reversing the reforms. Emperor Zhezong was powerless and it was not until Grand Empress Dowager Gao's death in 1093 that the emperor was able to reinstate Wang Anshi's reforms and reduce the late Sima Guang's influence. By then, factionalism was a greater concern than the practicality of

832-536: The Seven Military Classics , including the alleged forgery of the Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong . The 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.” He was crushed by

896-487: The Southern Song Dynasty , of which he was the first ruler, Emperor Gaozong . Emperors Huizong and the former Emperor Qinzong were demoted to the rank of commoners by the Jurchens on 20 March 1127. Then on 10 May 1127, Emperor Huizong was deported to Heilongjiang , where he spent the last eight years of his life as a captive. In 1128, in a humiliating episode, the two former Song Emperors had to venerate

960-598: The Treaty of Shaoxing between the Jin and the Song empires were proceeding, the Jin Empire posthumously honored the former Emperor Huizong with the neutral-sounding title of "Prince of Tianshui Commandery" ( 天水郡王 ), after a commandery Tianshui in the upper reaches of the Wei River , which is the traditional Junwang (郡望, zh ) of the surname Zhao . Emperor Huizong was a great painter , poet , and calligrapher . He

1024-707: The Finance Planning Commission (which Wang had set up earlier that year) and instead rely on their power as Secretariats to manage the economy. Wang refused, reasoning that the Commission was needed to coordinate fiscal matters between the Secretariat and the Military Affairs Commission . He rejected Shenzong's proposal to have Wang head the Commission himself on the same grounds. In another instance, Shenzong proposed

1088-524: The Goryeo court, this time yayue instruments, beginning that nation's tradition of aak . Emperor Huizong was also a great tea enthusiast. He wrote the Treatise on Tea , the most detailed and masterful description of the Song sophisticated style of tea ceremony . Emperor Huizong's famous descendant was Zhao Mengfu through his daughter Zhao Jinluo. The painter Zeng Fanzhi regards Listening to

1152-509: The Jin ancestors at their shrine in Shangjing , wearing mourning dress. The Jurchen ruler, Emperor Taizong , granted the two former Song emperors degrading titles to humiliate them: Emperor Huizong was called "Duke Hunde" ( 昏德公 ; literally "Besotted Duke") while Emperor Qinzong was called "Marquis Chonghun" ( 重昏侯 ; literally "Doubly Besotted Marquis"). The Song male Chinese princes who were captured were given Khitan women to marry from

1216-491: The Jurchens side. After a bitter siege, the Jurchens eventually entered Bianjing on 9 January 1127, and many days of looting, rapes, and massacre followed. Most of the entire imperial court and harem were captured by the Jurchens in an event known historically as the Jingkang Incident , and transported north, mostly to the Jin capital of Shangjing (in present-day Harbin ). After Qinzong was captured, Emperor Huizong

1280-501: The Khitan Liao 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. The emperor hired these men as mercenaries in his campaign against the Liao dynasty. Later on, these men were settled between the Song capital of Bianliang (today Kaifeng) and Yenching (modern Beijing). The circuits (道) of

1344-550: The New Polices and purge the court of remaining reformers. Consorts and Issue: Emperor Huizong of Song Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji , was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty . He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calligrapher . Born as the 11th son of Emperor Shenzong , he ascended

SECTION 20

#1732786554412

1408-464: The Song capital Kaifeng. However, an even more formidable Jin dynasty enemy was now on the northern border. Not content with the annexation of the Liao domain, and perceiving the weakness of the Song army, the Jurchens soon declared war on their former ally, and by the beginning of 1126, the troops of the Jin "Western Vice-Marshal" Wolibu crossed the Yellow River and came in sight of Bianjing ,

1472-456: The Song dynasty's decline. Despite his incompetence in administration, Emperor Huizong was known for his promotion of Taoism and talents in poetry , painting , calligraphy and music . He sponsored numerous artists at his imperial court, and the catalogue of his collection listed over 6,000 known paintings. Emperor Huizong, besides his partaking in state affairs that favoured the reformist party that supported Wang Anshi 's New Policies ,

1536-649: 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. The Yuanfeng Reforms were likely inspired by institutional reform proposals made during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song and a concern towards the growing power of the Chief counsilorship , but

1600-524: The ancient Roman embassies to Han and Three-Kingdoms era China, contact with Europe remained sparse if not nonexistent before the 13th century . However, from Chinese records it is known that Michael VII Doukas (Mie li yi ling kai sa 滅力伊靈改撒) of Fo lin (i.e. the Byzantine Empire ) dispatched a diplomatic mission to China's Song dynasty that arrived in 1081, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong. Emperor Shenzong's other notable act as emperor

1664-467: The capital of the Song Empire. Realizing his mistakes, Huizong took the blame for everything that went wrong and was stricken with panic, Emperor Huizong intended to flee but was convinced by his officials to abdicate first and then flee. Huizong then feigned a stroke because Huizong in his words said that "I must use the excuse of illness. I am afraid of disorder breaking out." He then abdicated on 18 January 1126 in favour of his eldest son, Zhao Huan who

1728-790: The captured Song royals, the grandsons and sons of Song Emperor Huizong after they took away their original Chinese wives. The Jin Jurchens told the Chinese Song royals that they were fortunate because the Liao Khitan royals were being treated much worse by the Jurchen than the Song Chinese royals. Jurchen soldiers were given the children of the Liao Khitan Tianzuo Emperor as gifts while the Song Emperor

1792-495: The celebration of his son Zhao Mao on August 8. But his illness returned so Zhezong cancelled his audiences for two days. When he saw his councillors on August 14, he told them that Geng gave him medicine to induce vomiting . He was slightly better but his appetite was gone and his belly constantly ached. Zhezong attended the banquet in honor of his son, in which he was in a very good mood and that his younger brother Zhao Ji also attended. However, Zhao Mao became sick. Zhezong, now in

1856-591: The child-emperor Zhezong and the incompetent emperor Huizong exposed the redundancy of such a system. The Finance Commission and Exchequer of Imperial Lands (institutions that predated the New Policies) were dissolved and replaced by the Ministry of Revenue . Shenzong made the Yuanfeng Treasury to raise funds for a renewed offensive against the Western Xia; although the offensive was defeated,

1920-585: The conservatives, particularly Fu Bi and Sima Guang , who were concerned with his expansion of monarchical power and who wanted to maintain the peaceful equilibrium with the Western Xia and the Liao 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. Emperor Shenzong hired Muslim warriors from Bukhara to fight against

1984-584: The decisions made (by counsel he received) on handling foreign policies, as the end of his reign marked a period of disaster for the Song Empire. When the Jurchens founded the Jin Dynasty and attacked the Liao dynasty to the north of the Song, the Song dynasty allied with the Jin Dynasty and attacked the Liao from the south in 1122. Led by Tong Guan, the Song army marched to the Song-Liao border and

Emperor Zhezong - Misplaced Pages Continue

2048-400: The departments against each other. However, due to design flaws, the Secretariat quickly came to dominate the other two departments. 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

2112-480: The dynasty's cash income, while the expanding and already-large bureaucracy was very costly to maintain. In 1069, after failing again to gain support for reform from the official Fu Bi , Shenzong made Wang Anshi the head of government and supported his consolidation of power and his New Policies. Shenzong 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

2176-545: The emperor's era names , Xuanhe, is also used to describe a style of mounting paintings in scroll format . In this style, black borders are added between some of the silk planes. In 1114, following a request from the Goryeo ruler Yejong , Emperor Huizong sent to the palace in the Goryeo capital at Gaeseong a set of musical instruments to be used for royal banquet music. Two years later, in 1116, he sent another, even larger gift of musical instruments (numbering 428 in total) to

2240-557: The former Emperor Huizong a title, Duke Hunde (literally "Besotted Duke"), to humiliate him. After Zhao Gou, the only surviving son of Huizong to avoid capture by the Jin, declared himself as the dynasty's tenth emperor as Emperor Gaozong , the Jurchens used Huizong, Qinzong, and other imperial family members to put pressure on Gaozong and his court to surrender. Emperor Huizong died in Wuguocheng after spending about nine years in captivity. He, along with his successors, were blamed for

2304-403: The honorary title of Taishang Huang (or "Retired Emperor"). The following year, the Song capital, Bianjing , was conquered by Jin forces in an event historically known as the Jingkang Incident . Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong and the rest of their family were taken captive by the Jurchens and brought back to the Jin capital, Huining Prefecture in 1128. The Emperor Taizong of Jin , gave

2368-490: The imperial army. The military failures of the Reforms, to which Shenzong had devoted immense amounts of energy, contributed to his eventual illness and death. The New Policies' circumvention of checks on central power was controversial from the onset; both Fu Bi and Sima Guang wrote memorials to Shenzong advising him to balance governmental function, respect the bureaucratic process, and not to support Wang Anshi. In 1074,

2432-434: The imperial court, and made reforms to court music. Like many learned men of his age, he was quite a polymath personality, and is even considered to be one of the greatest Chinese artists of all time. He constantly proclaimed legitimacy through cultural, religious, and artistic means. In 1106, he had artisans recast of the symbolic Nine Tripod Cauldrons to assert his authority. However, his reign would be forever scarred by

2496-542: The north and northeast were settled in 1080 when 10,000 more Muslims were invited into China. During his reign in 1068, Emperor Shenzong became interested in Wang Anshi 's policies and appointed Wang as the Chancellor . Wang implemented his famous New Policies aimed at improving the situation for the peasantry and unemployed. These acts became the hallmark reform of Emperor Shenzong's reign. Before Shenzong took

2560-532: 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 minister Wen Yanbo that "if we are to raise troops for our frontier campaigns, then our treasuries must be full." Furthermore, Shenzong was dissatisfied with the growing powers of ministers such as chief councilor Han Chi. Shenzong's goals were opposed by

2624-409: The realization that his reforms, into which he had poured immense amounts of time and energy, had failed. 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

Emperor Zhezong - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-650: The reform agenda and launched the Yuanfeng Reforms . He first significantly expanded his personal power and used the domineering official Cai Jue to keep the conservatives, many of whom had been invited back to court, in line with the emperor. In 1082, Shenzong restructured the bureaucracy and restored the Tang model of a central government organized around the Six Ministries by creating the Secretariat, Chancellery, and Department of State Affairs to balance

2752-505: The reformist Zhang Dun as grand chancellor . The ensuing policy and personnel debates sharply polarized the bureaucracy. Zhang Dun systematically purged the conservatives and silenced dissent while maintaining a relatively pragmatic revival of the New Policies. The reformists took revenge for the earlier exile of their fellow partisan Cai Que to Lingnan by using the Korean Affairs Institute to exile many conservatives to

2816-465: The reforms themselves; both the conservatives and the reformists engaged in infighting. Cheng Yi , a founder of Neo-confucianism and one of Zhezong's tutors, proposed that Li (principle) was an innate property that could provide moral guidance. In 1094, Zhezong changed the era name to Shaosheng (紹聖), meaning "continuing sagacity", to signify the continuation of Shenzong's reforms (partly due to Zhezong's sense of filial piety ). He promptly named

2880-607: The reforms' rigidity likely contributed to the autocratic nature of the later dynasty. Unlike the New Policies, the Yuanfeng Reforms likely escaped the conservative anti-reform movement headed by Sima Guang and Grand Dowager Empress Xuanren due to their Tang inspiration and Shenzong's hand in heading them. Emperor Shenzong sent campaigns against the Vietnamese ruler Lý Nhân Tông of the Lý dynasty in 1076. Aside from

2944-449: The regular army. 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 the Liao dynasty remained unthinkable. 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

3008-613: The restoration of the equal-field system (a system of land redistribution instated by the Northern Wei and used through the Tang dynasty ), but Wang Anshi dismissed the idea as impractical. 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. Shenzong and Wang Anshi also pursued direct military reforms. In theory, each commandery

3072-450: The same area. Meanwhile, a blacklist of 37 conservatives barred them and their descendants from serving in the government. Zhezong's modifications to the imperial examinations required candidates to support a reformist stance. He argued that Empress Gao's conservative restoration (which had repealed many of the New Policies) harmed the people and the government. Zhezong preferred the sages of antiquity (such as Yao and Shun ) and rejected

3136-463: The siege of Bianjing and returning north. The Song Empire, however, had to sign a humiliating treaty with the Jin Empire, agreeing to pay a colossal war indemnity and to give a tribute to the Jurchens every year. From 1126 until 1138, refugees from the Song Empire migrated south towards the Yangtze River . Huizong returned from the countryside and resumed his normal activities after hearing that

3200-424: The siege was lifted although he was effectively under house arrest by Qinzong. But even such humiliating terms could not save the Song dynasty. Within a matter of months, the troops of both Jurchen vice-marshals, Wolibu and Nianhan , were back south again, and this time they were determined to overcome the walls of Bianjing after Qinzong wanted to form an Anti-Jin alliance with two Liao nobles who were actually on

3264-470: The sixth emperor of the Song dynasty of China. His original personal name was Zhao Zhongzhen but 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 supporting Wang 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 disagreed with

SECTION 50

#1732786554412

3328-460: The throne in 1067, there was pressure on the Song dynasty to make economic reforms. The Song dynasty's rigorous civil service examinations rejuvenated humanist-oriented Confucian elite culture; in particular, the literati wanted to improve the material conditions of the people. Additionally, the humiliating loss against the Western Xia in the 1040s (as well as the unfavorable terms of the Treaty of Chanyuan ) created, according to Sogabe Shizuo,

3392-529: The throne in 1100 upon the death of his elder brother and predecessor, Emperor Zhezong , because Emperor Zhezong's only son died prematurely. He lived in luxury, sophistication and art in the first half of his life. In 1126, when the Jurchen -led Jin dynasty invaded the Song dynasty during the Jin–Song Wars , Emperor Huizong abdicated and passed on his throne to his eldest son, Zhao Huan while Huizong assumed

3456-410: The throne. Qinzong finally gave in eventually accepting the throne. Huizong then departed the capital to flee in the countryside. Overcoming the walls of Bianjing was a difficult undertaking for the Jurchen cavalry, and this, together with fierce resistance from some Song officials who had not totally lost their nerve, as Emperor Huizong had, and Qinzong giving a town, resulted in the Jurchens lifting

3520-606: Was 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 the Area Generalship System to improve communications, discipline, and troop levy efficiency. Meanwhile, the Baojia system was introduced as a village defense system intended to bolster domestic security and provide further support to

3584-510: Was a cultured leader who spent much of his time admiring the arts. He was a collector of paintings, calligraphy, and antiques of previous dynasties, building huge collections of each for his amusement. He wrote poems of his own, was known as an avid painter, created his own calligraphy style, had interests in architecture and garden design, and even wrote treatises on medicine and Taoism. He assembled an entourage of painters that were first pre-screened in an examination to enter as official artists of

3648-534: Was allowed to keep his children while he was in captivity. In 1137, the Jin Empire formally notified the Southern Song Empire about the death of the former Emperor Huizong. Emperor Huizong, who had lived in opulence and art for the first half of his life, died a broken man in faraway northern Heilongjiang in June 1135, at the age of 52. A few years later (1141), as the peace negotiations leading up to

3712-597: Was also a player of the guqin (as exemplified by his famous painting 聽琴圖 Listening to the Qin ); he also had a Wanqin Tang (萬琴堂; "10,000 Qin Hall") in his palace. The emperor took huge efforts to search for art masters. He established the "Hanlin Huayuan" (翰林畫院; "Hanlin imperial painting house") where top painters around China shared their best works. The primary subjects of his paintings are birds and flowers. Among his works

3776-455: Was close to death; he had a weak pulse. Emperor Zhezong died on February 23, 1100, in Kaifeng at the age of 23 and was succeeded by his younger brother, Emperor Huizong . Huizong's mother, Empress Xiang , led a conservative restoration in court. Consorts and issue: Emperor Shenzong of Song The Emperor Shenzong of Song (25 May 1048 – 1 April 1085), personal name Zhao Xu , was

3840-404: Was his attempt to weaken the Tangut -led Western Xia state by invading and expelling the Western Xia forces from Qing prefecture (庆州, today Qingyang , Gansu Province ). The Song army was initially quite successful in these campaigns, but during the battle for the city of Yongle (永乐城), in 1082, Song forces were defeated. As a result, Western Xia grew more powerful and subsequently continued to be

3904-455: Was persuaded to turn himself in, however they captured Huizong. When Huizong got to see Qinzong, they cried and hugged each other with Huizong stating "If you had listened to the old man, we would have avoided this disaster." One of the many sons of Emperor Huizong, Zhao Gou was not present in Bianjing where he went to Southern China where, after many years of struggle, he would establish

SECTION 60

#1732786554412

3968-439: Was stopped by the defensive forest that the Song had maintained since the reign of Emperor Taizu. In order to pass through, Tong Guan ordered the soldiers to clear the forest and continued the expedition into the Liao. This expedition succeeded in destroying the Liao, a longtime enemy of the Song. However, when the Jin attacked the Song a few years later, the Jin troops marched through a defenseless border and quickly gathered around

4032-465: Was succeeded by his son, Zhao Xu who took the throne as Emperor Zhezong . Emperor Zhezong was underage and so Shenzong’s mother Empress Gao ruled 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 poet Su Shi , and the co-founder of Neo-confucianism , Cheng Hao ) defeated Cai Jue’s faction. The conservatives went on to repeal

4096-565: Was unable to stop fighting between conservative members of his government and the more liberal members who supported Wang Anshi's reforms and in fact, the fighting intensified during Emperor Zhezong's reign. This split would eventually contribute to the Northern Song dynasty's demise in the 12th century. Empress Gao may have engineered 8-year-old Zhezong's enthronement to make herself regent. As regent, Empress Dowager Gao appointed conservatives such as Sima Guang as Chancellor , who halted

#411588