Han Tuozhou (; November 6, 1152 – November 24, 1207) was a Chinese politician of the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an 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. The Song conquered the rest ...

, who served as a

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

under

Emperor Ningzong Emperor Ningzong of Song (19 November 1168 – 17 September 1224), personal name Zhao Kuo, was the 13th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the fourth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1194 until his death in 1224. He ...

. He was responsible for Southern Song efforts to recover territories lost in northern China to the

Jurchen Jin dynasty Jurchen may refer to: * Jurchen people, Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century ** Haixi Jurchens, a grouping of the Jurchens as identified by the Chinese of the Ming Dynasty ** Jianzhou Jurchens, a grouping of ...

in their 1142

peace settlement A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surren ...

that ended the Jin–Song war. In his efforts to begin a military build-up, he had

Yue Fei Yue Fei ( zh, t=岳飛; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general who lived during the Song dynasty, Southern Song dynasty and a national hero of China, known for leading Southern Song force ...

(who had resigned during peace talks with the Jurchen, after which he was jailed and poisoned) posthumously promoted and

Qin Hui Qin Hui or Qin Kuai (January 17, 1090 – November 18, 1155) was a Chinese politician. He was a Chancellor of the Song dynasty in Chinese history. He was a contemporary of Yue Fei during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Song. Modern historians ...

(who led the aforementioned peace talks with the Jurchen) demoted.Lorge, Peter, ''"War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China"'', 1st edition, Routledge, 2005: 56, 66-67 (-) These efforts were unsuccessful, and the ensuing war was devastating to southern China, resulting in further territorial losses and terrible inflation. In consequence, Han was executed by the Song regime, and his head offered to the Jurchens as a peace offering. Han Tuozhou is also famous for his opposition to '' daoxue'' (the Song

Neo-Confucianist Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in th ...

movement) which was banned on his order during the years 1195–99. His antagonizing policies were reversed by his successor in office,

Shi Miyuan Shi Miyuan (; February 23, 1164 – November 27, 1233) was a Chinese politician during the Southern Song Dynasty. He was instrumental in installing Emperor Lizong on the throne, despite the fact that Lizong was not in the line of succession. Unde ...

(史彌遠). Han was assassinated by bludgeoning in 1207, on his way to the imperial palace. This was an exceptional affair in the generally tolerant political atmosphere of the Song. Yuan dynasty historiographers assigned the blame of assassination on Shi Miyuan. However, such judgement is questioned. More plausibly, his extermination was ordered by Empress Yang who succeeded the deceased niece of Han Tuozhou,

Empress Han Empress Han (1165 – 14 December 1200) was the Empress of Emperor Ningzong during the Song Dynasty. Biography Han was born in modern-day Henan, the descendant of a prominent Northern Song official. She became a concubine of Ningzong along with ...

(d.1200) Han's and Su Shidan's (蘇師旦, subordinate of Han) bodies were exhumed and presented to Jin as compensation for the Song's aggression, in the negotiation process carried out by Wang Nan and Xu Yi. This measure was probably undertaken as compensation for the humiliation of Jin confederate Wu Xi (吳曦), whose body was hung on displays in Xingzhou (興州, in modern Lueyang, Shaanxi) and

Lin'an Linan or Lin'an may refer to the following locations in China: *Hangzhou (), formerly named Lin'an () in the Song Dynasty **Lin'an District (), a district of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Towns and Townships *Linan, Fujian, a town in Xianyou County, Fujian * ...

. On some accounts, Jin provided Han with honorary burial, recognizing him as a loyal official.Cambridge History of China v.5.1:812

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Tuozhou 1152 births 1207 deaths Assassinated Chinese politicians Song dynasty chancellors