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50-512: Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe , was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. Liu Xie was a son of Liu Hong (Emperor Ling) and was a younger half-brother of his predecessor, Liu Bian (Emperor Shao). In 189, at the age of eight, he became emperor after

100-659: A "trump card" to bolster his legitimacy when he attacked and eliminated rival warlords in his quest to reunify the Han Empire under the central government's rule. Cao Cao's success seemed inevitable until the winter of 208–209, when he lost the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs against the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei . The battle paved the way for the subsequent emergence of the Three Kingdoms of Wei , Shu , and Wu . In late 220, some months after Cao Cao's death, Cao Cao's successor, Cao Pi , forced Emperor Xian to abdicate

150-409: A conspiracy to exterminate the eunuchs. They were, however, rebuffed by Empress Dowager He, and they hatched the plan to secretly order a number of warlords to advance on the capital Luoyang to force Empress Dowager He to agree to their demands. One of these warlords was Dong Zhuo , who saw this as an opportunity to control the central government. He Jin's plan was discovered by the eunuchs, who laid

200-628: A counterweight to the power of the He family, Emperor Ling created the Army of the Western Garden . The emperor ostentatiously paraded in front of the army and had himself named "Supreme General" ( 無上將軍 ). The emperor also had the army placed under the command of Jian Shuo , a trusted eunuch. By commanding the Army of the Western Garden, the emperor could put He Jin under his own command. The military prowess of this new army

250-469: A formal and respectful purpose. In traditional Chinese society, using someone’s given name in adulthood was considered disrespectful among peers, making courtesy names essential for formal communication and writing. Courtesy names often reflect the meaning of the given name or use homophonic characters, and were typically disyllabic after the Qin dynasty . The practice also extended to other East Asian cultures, and

300-454: A harshly-worded edict condemning Yuan Shao for taking over nearby provinces – even though it still bestowed Yuan with the highly honorific post of Grand Commandant. Cao Cao and Emperor Xian maintained a superficially cordial relationship, but this did not prevent two major confrontations involving Cao and other court officials. In early 199, as Cao Cao was facing a major military confrontation against Yuan Shao, Dong Cheng claimed to have received

350-460: A noble title – Duke of Shanyang ( 山陽公 ), and gave him a fiefdom of 10000 households, with Zhuolucheng (浊鹿城) as the capital. Liu Xie was also ranked above vassal princes, didn't have to refer to himself as a subject while speaking to the emperor and didn't have to kneel when receiving edicts. The former Emperor Xian died in April 234 and was buried with honours befitting an emperor, using Han ceremonies, and

400-613: A number of local officials, loosely forming a coalition led by Yuan Shao, quickly rose up against Dong Zhuo. Even though they still feared Dong Zhuo's military power and did not directly advance on Luoyang, Dong Zhuo was also fearful of their collective strength, and therefore determined to move the capital west to the old Han capital Chang'an , closer to his power base in Liang Province (涼州; covering present-day Gansu ). On 9 April 190, he forced Emperor Xian to relocate to Chang'an and set fire to Luoyang, leaving it largely in ruins. After

450-484: A secret edict issued by Emperor Xian (hidden in a belt), and he entered into a conspiracy with Liu Bei , Zhong Ji ( 种輯 ) and Wang Fu ( 王服 ) to assassinate Cao Cao. Late in 199, Liu Bei started a rebellion and waited for Dong Cheng to act in the capital, but in 200, Dong's conspiracy was discovered, and he, along with Zhong Ji and Wang Fu, were killed. Liu Bei was later defeated by Cao Cao and forced to flee to Yuan Shao's territory. Dong Cheng's daughter, an imperial consort,

500-485: A summons from the Empress Dowager. He Jin arrived without his escort, and was murdered by the eunuchs. After hearing of He Jin's death, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, both with significant control of military forces within the capital, stormed the palace and massacred the eunuchs. The resulting power vacuum allowed Dong Zhuo to seize control of the imperial court. As soon as he held supremacy over the capital, Dong Zhuo deposed

550-407: A trap for him and killed him. Yuan Shao then led his forces into the palace and killed the majority of the eunuchs. The remaining eunuchs initially took the young emperor and Liu Xie hostage, but were eventually forced to commit suicide when the battle turned against them. When Dong Zhuo then arrived on scene, he, impressed with his own power and unimpressed with the nervous Emperor Shao, by threatening

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600-414: Is widely believed that He Jin had at least one son, He Xian ( 何咸 ), who survived the downfall of the He family in 189, and who had a son, He Yan ( c. 196–249). As He Xian died early, his wife Lady Yin ( 尹夫人 ) remarried and became a concubine of the warlord Cao Cao , who adopted He Yan. However, He Yan was buried at Lujiang when one's place of burial was customarily the ancestral home, which contradicts

650-583: The Book of Rites , after a man reached adulthood, it was disrespectful for others of the same generation to address him by his given name . Thus, the given name was reserved for oneself and one's elders, whereas the courtesy name would be used by adults of the same generation to refer to one another on formal occasions or in writing. Another translation of zi is "style name", but this translation has been criticised as misleading, because it could imply an official or legal title. Generally speaking, courtesy names before

700-660: The Northern Qi dynasty asserted that whereas the purpose of a given name was to distinguish one person from another, a courtesy name should express the bearer's moral integrity. Prior to the twentieth century, sinicized Koreans , Vietnamese , and Japanese were also referred to by their courtesy name. The practice was also adopted by some Mongols and Manchus after the Qing conquest of China. He Jin He Jin ( pronunciation ) (died 22 September 189), courtesy name Suigao ,

750-499: The Qin dynasty were one syllable, and from the Qin to the 20th century they were mostly disyllabic , consisting of two Chinese characters . Courtesy names were often relative to the meaning of the person's given name, the relationship could be synonyms, relative affairs, or rarely but sometimes antonym. For example, Chiang Kai-shek 's given name ( 中正 , romanized as Chung-cheng) and courtesy name ( 介石 , romanized as Kai-shek) are both from

800-416: The yù (豫) hexagram 16 of I Ching . Another way to form a courtesy name is to use the homophonic character zi ( 子 ) – a respectful title for a man – as the first character of the disyllabic courtesy name. Thus, for example, Gongsun Qiao 's courtesy name was Zichan ( 子產 ), and Du Fu 's was Zimei ( 子美 ). It was also common to construct a courtesy name by using as the first character one which expresses

850-468: The Empress Dowager He, he forced the young emperor to yield the throne to Liu Xie (partly because he was raised by Empress Dowager Dong who, while not related to Dong Zhuo, was therefore respected by Dong Zhuo), who then ascended the throne as Emperor Xian. Dong Zhuo then murdered Empress Dowager He and the former Emperor Shao, and became firmly in control of the political scene. In the spring of 190,

900-478: The Empress Dowager to back down. In the ninth month of that year, He Jin entered the palace to request the Empress Dowager agree to the execution of the eunuchs. However, Zhang Rang , the leader of the eunuch faction, discovered He Jin's plan through a spy who overheard the conversation between He Jin and the Empress Dowager. After hearing of this, the eunuchs lured He Jin into the Imperial Palace under pretense of

950-405: The Empress Dowager, jointly took on the role of regent. During the summer months, He Jin and his subordinates engaged the eunuch faction in court politics. The eunuchs, now without a military power base of their own, relied on the support of Empress Dowager He and He Miao. At the urging of Yuan Shao, He Jin summoned the general Dong Zhuo ( 董卓 )to the outskirts of Luoyang, in an attempt to force

1000-409: The assassination attempt. Afterwards, He Jin had Jian Shuo arrested, executed, and then seized command of the troops previously under Jian Shuo's command. With the support of the elite Yuan family, particularly Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu , the succession dispute was resolved in favour of Liu Bian , the son of Empress He, who ascended the throne in the fifth month of that year. He Jin and his sister, now

1050-414: The bearer's birth order among male siblings in his family. Thus Confucius , whose name was Kong Qiu ( 孔丘 ), was given the courtesy name Zhongni ( 仲尼 ), where the first character zhong indicates that he was the second son born into his family. The characters commonly used are bo ( 伯 ) for the first, zhong ( 仲 ) for the second, shu ( 叔 ) for the third, and ji ( 季 ) typically for the youngest, if

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1100-574: The capital and moved quickly to crush the uprising at Luoyang led by Ma Yuanyi ( 馬元義 ), a follower of the rebel leader, Zhang Jue . The campaign was deemed a success and He Jin was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Shen ( 慎侯 ). After the rebellion was quelled, He Jin continued in the role of General-in-Chief, technically in control of all the imperial armies. During this time, other members of his family, such as his younger step-brother He Miao ( 何苗 ), were also elevated to positions of importance. In 188, perhaps as

1150-483: The destruction of the imperial capital, Luoyang , and forcefully relocated the imperial capital along with its residents to Chang'an . After Dong Zhuo's assassination in 192, Emperor Xian fell under the control of Li Jue and Guo Si , two former subordinates of Dong Zhuo. The various regional warlords formally acknowledged Emperor Xian's legitimacy but never took action to save him from being held hostage. In 195, Emperor Xian managed to escape from Chang'an and return to

1200-510: The dynastic founder Emperor Guangwu . During the reign of Emperor Ling, his younger half-sister entered the palace and soon became one of the emperor's favourites. In January 181, she was made empress and He Jin henceforth began a speedy escalation up the bureaucratic ladder. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted in 184, He Jin was appointed General-in-Chief ( 大將軍 ). He commanded the imperial armory, secured strategic forts around

1250-484: The emperor in favour of the Prince of Chenliu, who came to be known as Emperor Xian . The deposition as well as Dong Zhuo's subsequent atrocities incurred the wrath of many. In 190, warlords from the eastern provinces formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, which kicked off a series of civil wars that were to last for nearly a century. He Jin had at least two half-siblings and a step-brother: According to historical sources, it

1300-409: The eunuchs pleaded on her behalf, and she was not deposed. Liu Xie was raised personally by Emperor Ling's mother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquis Dong". (This is due to superstition; Emperor Ling had lost a number of sons previously, and therefore both Liu Xie and his elder brother Liu Bian were known by such titles; Liu Bian, having been raised by Shi Zimiao ( 史子眇 ),

1350-473: The fall of the Han dynasty. Liu Xie was born in 181 to Emperor Ling and his Consort Wang. During her pregnancy, Consort Wang, fearful of Emperor Ling's Empress He , had taken drugs that were intended to induce an abortion, but was not successful in her attempt. Soon after she gave birth to Liu Xie, the jealous Empress He poisoned her by putting poison in her food. Emperor Ling was enraged and wanted to depose her, but

1400-404: The family consists of more than three sons. General Sun Jian 's four sons, for instance, were Sun Ce ( 伯符 , Bófú), Sun Quan ( 仲謀 , Zhòngmóu), Sun Yi ( 叔弼 , Shūbì) and Sun Kuang ( 季佐 , Jìzuǒ). Reflecting a general cultural tendency to regard names as significant , the choice of what name to bestow upon one's children was considered very important in traditional China. Yan Zhitui of

1450-451: The faulty logic that if he did, he would have to yield to Emperor Xian on key decisions. Yuan Shao listened to Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong and never again considered welcoming Emperor Xian. What Yuan Shao would not do, Cao Cao did. Cao Cao was at this time a relatively minor warlord, as the governor of Yan Province (covering present-day western Shandong and eastern Henan ), with his headquarters at Xu (present-day Xuchang , Henan ). He saw

1500-535: The imperial capital Luoyang and seize control of the Han central government. Dong Zhuo's seizure of control and the subsequent breakdown of central command that followed brought forth the beginning of massive civil wars that lasted for nearly a century, during which time the Han dynasty came to an end and the Three Kingdoms period began in its place. He Jin was born into a family of butchers in Nanyang , hometown of

1550-632: The imperial court under their control. However, Li Jue and Guo Si did not have serious ambitions, and their incompetence in governance furthered the breakdown of the Han Empire into warlord regimes. In 195, Li Jue and Guo Si had a major fallout, and Li took Emperor Xian hostage while Guo took the officials hostage as they battled. Later in the year, after peace talks between Li Jue and Guo Si, they agreed to allow Emperor Xian to return to Luoyang , but as soon as Emperor Xian departed Chang'an , they regretted their decision and chased him with their troops. While they were never able to capture him, Emperor Xian's court

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1600-658: The new emperor. Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Achilles Fang. On 11 December Cao Cao's son and successor Cao Pi received the abdication of the Han Emperor and took the imperial title for himself, with a new reign period Huangchu "Yellow Beginning," named in honour of the new Power of Yellow and Earth which had been foretold should succeed to the Red and Fire of Han. (Cf. note 84 to Jian'an 24.) To Establish Peace, Rafe de Crespigny Courtesy name Unlike art names , which are more akin to pseudonyms or pen names , courtesy names served

1650-501: The other generals and nobles, and while he gave them little power, he made sure that they remained honoured, so minimal opposition against him developed at the imperial court. He then moved the capital to Xu to affirm his control over the central government, and when Yang Feng opposed him, he defeated Yang in c. November 196, and was able to move the capital. Cao Cao then began to issue imperial edicts in Emperor Xian's name – including

1700-542: The revolting coalition collapsed, a number of officials, led by Wang Yun and Lü Bu , assassinated Dong on 22 May 192. For a while, it appeared that the Han regime might return to normal, as Wang Yun quickly established relatively friendly relations with the local officials resisting Dong but by this time acting more as local warlords. However, due to Wang Yun's failure to pacify Dong Zhuo's former subordinates, they rose in revolt and killed Wang. Dong Zhuo's former subordinates, led by Li Jue and Guo Si , took Emperor Xian and

1750-445: The ruins of Luoyang during a feud between Li Jue and Guo Si , where he soon became stranded. A year later, the warlord Cao Cao led his forces into Luoyang, received Emperor Xian, took him under his protection, and escorted him to Xu , where the new imperial capital was established. Although Cao Cao paid nominal allegiance to Emperor Xian, he was actually the de facto head of the central government. He skillfully used Emperor Xian as

1800-412: The strategic advantage in having the emperor under his control and protection, and in 196 he marched west to Luoyang and, after securing an agreement with Emperor Xian's generals Dong Cheng and Yang Feng , convincing them of his loyalty, he entered Luoyang and technically shared power with Dong and Yang, but was in fact in command. Unlike the situation with Dong Zhuo, though, Cao Cao knew how to assuage

1850-587: The then emperor of Wei, Cao Rui , was one of the mourners. As Emperor Xian's crown prince was already dead, his grandson Liu Kang ( 劉康 ) inherited his dukedom, which lasted for 73 more years and two more dukes, Liu Jin ( 劉瑾 ) and Liu Qiu ( 劉秋 ). The line was exterminated during the Jin dynasty in June or July 307, when rebel forces led by Ji Sang and Shi Le sacked the city of Ye . This practice of an emperor conferring hereditary nobility on his predecessor, from whom he usurped

1900-435: The throne to him. He then established the state of Cao Wei with himself as the new emperor – an event marking the formal end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. The dethroned Emperor Xian received the noble title Duke of Shanyang ( Chinese : 山陽公 ) from Cao Pi and spent the rest of his life in comfort and enjoyed preferential treatment. He died on 21 April 234, about 14 years after

1950-447: The throne, and therefore set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with He Jin. He Jin found out, and preemptively declared Liu Bian the new emperor. Later that year, Emperor Shao granted Liu Xie the title "Prince of Bohai" ( 渤海王 ) and later changed his title to "Prince of Chenliu" ( 陳留王 ). After Liu Bian became emperor, He Jin became the most powerful official in the imperial court, and he and his advisor Yuan Shao quickly entered into

2000-402: The throne, was known as " two crownings and three respects ". Consorts and Issue: In the tenth month of 220 (November), various ministers proposed that Cao Pi replace Liu Xie as the emperor, citing various astrological signs. On 25 November, Liu Xie performed various ceremonies in preparation for abdicating the throne. On 11 December, Liu Xie formally abdicated the throne and Cao Pi ascended as

2050-421: The time, the conflict between He Jin and the influential eunuch faction intensified. After they overheard a conversation between He Jin and the empress dowager, the eunuch faction lured him into a trap in the imperial palace and assassinated him. While He Jin's subordinates, led by the warlord Yuan Shao , slaughtered the eunuch faction in revenge, the warlord Dong Zhuo took advantage of the power vacuum to enter

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2100-399: The warlord Dong Zhuo , who had seized control of the Han central government, deposed Emperor Shao and replaced him with Liu Xie. The newly enthroned Liu Xie, historically known as Emperor Xian, was in fact a puppet ruler under Dong Zhuo's control. In 190, when a coalition of regional warlords launched a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo in the name of freeing Emperor Xian, Dong Zhuo ordered

2150-401: Was a Chinese military general and politician. He was the military Grand Marshal and regent of the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was an elder half-brother of Empress He (the empress consort of Emperor Ling ), and a maternal uncle of Emperor Shao . In 189, he and his sister shared power as regents when the young Emperor Shao was put on the throne following Emperor Ling's death. During

2200-435: Was discovered in 214. Cao Cao was angry and forced Emperor Xian to have Empress Fu deposed. Emperor Xian was hesitant, and Cao Cao sent his soldiers into the palace to put pressure on the emperor. Empress Fu hid inside the walls, but was finally discovered and dragged out. As she was led away, she cried out to Emperor Xian for him to save her life, but his only response was that he could not even know what would happen to him. She

2250-428: Was killed, along with her two sons and family on 8 January 215. On 6 March 215,. Cao Cao forced Emperor Xian to instate his daughter Cao Jie , then an imperial consort, as the new empress. Cao Cao died on 15 March 220. His son and successor, Cao Pi , soon forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne in favour of himself, ending the Han dynasty. Cao Pi established a new state known as Cao Wei , and he granted Emperor Xian

2300-440: Was known as "Marquis Shi"). Liu Bian was born of the empress and was older, but Emperor Ling viewed his behaviour as being insufficiently solemn and therefore considered appointing Liu Xie as his crown prince , but hesitated and could not decide. When Emperor Ling died in 189, an influential eunuch official whom he trusted, Jian Shuo , wanted to first kill Empress He's brother, General-in-Chief He Jin , and then install Liu Xie on

2350-491: Was never showcased, however, as it was disbanded less than a year later. When Emperor Ling died in May 189, the stage was set for a showdown between He Jin and the eunuch faction. Jian Shuo plotted to lure He Jin into a trap at the imperial palace where he would be assassinated. However, when He Jin arrived, a minor official Pan Yin ( 潘隱 ) subtly warned He Jin about Jian Shuo's plot. Astonished, He Jin returned to his own camp and evaded

2400-409: Was pregnant, and Emperor Xian personally tried to intercede for her, but Cao Cao had her executed anyway. Emperor Xian's empress, Empress Fu Shou , angry and fearful about how Consort Dong died, wrote her father, Fu Wan ( 伏完 ), a letter accusing Cao Cao of cruelty, and implicitly asking her father to start a new conspiracy against Cao. Fu Wan was fearful of Cao Cao and never acted on the letter, which

2450-469: Was rendered poor and unable to fend for itself, and once it returned to Luoyang, it lacked even the basic essentials of life. Many officials starved to death. At this time, Yuan Shao 's strategist Ju Shou suggested that he welcome Emperor Xian to his base in Ji Province so that he could effectively be in control of the central government, but the other strategists Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong opposed – under

2500-495: Was sometimes adopted by Mongols and Manchus during the Qing dynasty . The choice of a courtesy name was significant, intended to express moral integrity and respect within the cultural context. A courtesy name is a name traditionally given to Chinese men at the age of 20 sui , marking their coming of age . It was sometimes given to women, usually upon marriage. The practice is no longer common in modern Chinese society. According to

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