Emperor Renzong of Western Xia (1124 – 16 October 1193), born Li Renxiao (), was the fifth emperor of the Tangut-led

Western Xia dynasty The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...

of China. His reign from 1139 to 1193 was the longest among all Western Xia emperors. Li Renxiao was the eldest son of the Emperor Chongzong, and succeeded him at the age of sixteen. After ascending into the throne, Renzong made friendly overtures to the Jin dynasty. In domestic politics, Renzong created many schools and used examinations to choose his officials. He respected

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

, and built many temples worshipping Confucius. During the

era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

of Tiansheng, Renzong hired a Tibetan lama as a religious advisor and printed many copies of Buddhist teachings. In 1170, Renzong discovered a plot to kill him. He executed the generals who were behind the plot. As a result, Renzong distrusted his army generals and the army began to fall into incompetence. During his later years, Western Xia began to fight wars against various enemies. Renzong's reign was the peak of Western Xia Dynasty. Many tribes to the north and west became vassal states of Western Xia, and Renzong's focus on internal politics allowed the central government to be more efficient. His reign coincides with the peak of the Southern Song and the Jin Dynasties, and there were relatively few conflicts between these three countries. He died in 1193 having reigned for over half a century like his father before him.

Family

Consorts and issue: * Empress Wang (d. 1167/1168) * Empress Zhangxianqinci (章獻欽慈皇后), of the Luo clan ** Emperor Huanzong of Western Xia, Chunyou (西夏桓宗純祐), first son

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References

1124 births 1193 deaths Western Xia emperors Chinese Buddhist monarchs 12th-century Chinese monarchs 12th-century Tangut rulers {{China-royal-stub