Zhang Shijie () was a Chinese admiral, military general, and politician during the

Mongol invasion of China The Mongol conquest of China was a series of major military efforts by the Mongol Empire to conquer various empires ruling over China. It spanned six decades in the 13th century and involved the defeat of the Jin dynasty, Western Liao, We ...

. Zhang was born to a prosperous family in present-day

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

(part of the Liao empire, then Jin empire). After the fall of the Jin to the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

, Zhang joined the Mongol army and was stationed in present-day Henan province under the command of Zhang Rou, a

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

general of the Mongol Empire. Zhang Shijie defected from the Mongols to the

Southern Song The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. ...

dynasty after he committed a crime, to evade punishment. Zhang Shijie gained his position in the Song administration after passing his civil service examination, eventually becoming a successful administrator overseeing civil, military, and naval duties for the

. After the fall of the capital Lin'an (modern-day

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

), Zhang commanded the Song naval forces during the Mongol invasion of China in 1276, and served as the last commander of the Song fleet, during the attempt to escort Emperor Bing of Song and other Imperial officials as they fled the Mongols in 1279. However, Zhang's fleet was intercepted by Mongol forces under the command of

Zhang Hongfan Zhang Hongfan () (1238–1280) was a Chinese military general of the Mongol Empire. As commander of the Mongol army and navy, he annihilated the Southern Song by crushing the last Song resistance at the Battle of Yamen in 1279, where he is said to ...

(the son of Zhang Shijie's former commander Zhang Rou) off the coast of

Xinhui Xinhui, alternately romanized as Sunwui and also known as Kuixiang, is an urban district of Jiangmen in Guangdong, China. It grew from a separate city founded at the confluence of the Tan and West Rivers. It has a population of about 735,500, ...

and destroyed at the Battle of Yamen on 19 March 1279. Prime Minister Lu Xiufu committed suicide, drowning the child Emperor with him, following their defeat. Although Zhang Shijie was able to escape with his remaining ships, he was said to have died a few days later during a storm at sea. Along with Lu Xiufu and Wen Tianxiang, Zhang is considered one of the "Three Loyal Princes of the Song".

References

*Giles, Herbert A. ''A Chinese Biographical Dictionary''. Taipei, 1975. 1279 deaths Chinese admirals Deaths due to shipwreck at sea Generals from Hebei Politicians from Baoding Song dynasty generals Song dynasty politicians from Hebei Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{China-history-stub