Liu He (died 310),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Xuantai, was for seven days an

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

-led Chinese Han Zhao dynasty in 310.

Life

Liu He was the founding emperor Liu Yuan (Emperor Guangwen)'s son, likely oldest son, by his first wife Empress Huyan. According to the

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang ...

, Liu He was described as having an imposing, handsome and sturdy look, and was about 1.96 meters tall. he was studious, but suspicious and miserly. Liu He was created the Prince of Liang (梁王), a title that he was posthumously known by as well, in 308. In early 310, Liu Yuan created him

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

. Before Liu Yuan died later in 310, he commissioned his sons and Liu He's brothers Liu Yu (劉裕) the Prince of Qi, Liu Long (劉隆) the Prince of Lu, and Liu Ai (劉乂) the Prince of Beihai with substantial troops at the capital, in addition to the large army that another son, Liu Cong the Prince of Chu, already had, with intent that they assist him with governance and military matters. A group of officials, both Xiongnu and Chinese, were given various responsibilities in assisting Liu He. However, three officials were left out—Liu He's uncle

Huyan The Huyan (; LHC: *''ha(C)-jan'' <

Old Chinese

(~200 BCE): *''hɑ-jan^H/B'') was a noble house that led the last rem ...

You (呼延攸), Liu Cheng (劉乘) -- who had prior grudges with Liu Cong—and Liu Rui (劉銳) the Prince of Xichang. They were disgruntled, and they persuaded the already suspicious Liu He that he could not be safe if his brothers maintained large forces in or near the capital. Three days after Liu Yuan's death, under Liu He's orders, these officials commenced surprise attacks on Liu He's four brothers—Liu Rui against Liu Chong, Huyan You against Liu Yu, Liu Cheng against Liu Long, and Tian Mi (田密) and Liu Gui (劉璿) against Liu Ai. Once Tian and Liu Gui got on the way, however, they did not attack Liu Ai but instead escorted him to alert Liu Cong, who then prepared for the confrontation. Liu Rui withdrew his troops. Over the next two days, Liu Yu and Liu Long were defeated and killed. Two days later, Liu Cong besieged the palace and killed Liu He, Liu Cheng, Liu Rui, and Huyan. After initially offering the throne to Liu Ai, Liu Cong then assumed the throne himself.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, He 4th-century Chinese monarchs Former Zhao emperors 310 deaths Year of birth unknown Murdered Chinese emperors