Wang Ji'en () (died 999), previously Zhang Dejun (), was an
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
and a military general during
imperial China
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...
's
Later Zhou and the following
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 ...
.
Under Later Zhou
Wang Ji'en was born in Shanzhou (, modern
Shan County, Henan
Shanzhou District, previously known as Shan County or Shanxian or Shaan, is an urban district of Sanmenxia in western Henan, China, bordering Shanxi province to the north.
It is located on the southern bank of the Yellow River and includes the ...
). His original surname was Wang, but his adoptive father Gentleman Zhang named him Zhang Dejun. He was one of the higher-ranked
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
during the reign of
Chai Rong
Chai Rong () (27 October 921 – 27 July 959), later known as Guo Rong (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ...
,
the second
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
Later Zhou.
Under the Song dynasty
During Emperor Taizu's reign
As he requested to change his surname back to his ancestral surname,
Emperor Taizu of Song named him Wang Ji'en.
During Emperor Taizong's reign
During Emperor Zhenzong's reign
Notes and references
Sources
*
Later Zhou people
Song dynasty eunuchs
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