Digunai (24 February 1122 – 15 December 1161), also known by his sinicised name Wanyan Liang (完顏亮) and his formal title Prince of Hailing (海陵王, ''Hǎilíng Wáng''), was the fourth

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

of the

Jurchen 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 ...

-led Jin dynasty of China. He was the second son of

Wanyan Zonggan Wanyan Zonggan (完顏宗幹; died 1141), personal name Woben, formally known as Prince of Liao (遼王), was an imperial prince of the Jurchen Jurchen may refer to: * Jurchen people, Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until th ...

, the eldest son of Aguda (Emperor Taizu) (the founder of the Jin dynasty). He came to power in 1150 after overthrowing and murdering his predecessor, Emperor Xizong, in a ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

''. During his reign, he moved the Jin capital from Shangjing (present-day Acheng District,

Harbin Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest c ...

Heilongjiang Province Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost provinc ...

) to Yanjing (present-day

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

), and introduced a policy of

sinicisation Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...

. In 1161, after the Jin dynasty lost the Battle of Caishi against 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 res ...

, Digunai's subordinates rebelled against him and assassinated him. After his death, even though he ruled as an emperor during his lifetime, he was posthumously demoted to the status of a prince – "Prince Yang of Hailing" (海陵煬王) – in 1162 by his successor, Emperor Shizong. However, in 1181, Emperor Shizong further posthumously demoted him to the status of a commoner, hence he is also known as the "Commoner of Hailing" (海陵庶人).

Background

Digunai was the second son of Woben (斡本; also known as Wanyan Zonggan 完顏宗幹), a son of Aguda (Emperor Taizu), the founder of the Jin dynasty. His mother was, Lady Da, came from an elite family of

Balhae Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It ...

descent. Emperor Taizu's brother and successor, Emperor Taizong, started a series of wars between the Jin and

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

dynasties. During the reign of Emperor Xizong, who succeeded Emperor Taizong, Wanyan Zonggan was described as the most influential man in the Jin imperial court.Tao, p. 43 Digunai, who was an army marshal under Emperor Xizong, overthrew the emperor in a ''

'' in 1150 and replaced him.Chinese History – Jin Dynasty 金 (1115–1234) event history
/ref> Having seized the throne through illegitimate means, Digunai was suspicious of other members of the Jurchen aristocracy, and, immediately upon taking the throne, started eliminating potential rivals. He ordered the massacre of the descendants of Emperor Taizong, so as to secure the position of the lineage of Emperor Taizu, to which he belonged.Tao, p.45

Reign

Digunai capitalised on the Jin dynasty's "superior status" ''vis-à-vis'' the

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 res ...

after its victory over the latter in 1141, and sought to make the Jin dynasty the sole Chinese empire. To legitimise himself as a sinicised ruler, in 1150 he lifted Emperor Taizong's prohibition of wearing

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 v ...

dress, and adopted an array of Han Chinese practices and institutions, such as holding of sacrificial ceremonies in the northern and southern suburbs of his capital in 1149 (''cf.'' ceremonies conducted at the Temple of Earth and

Temple of Heaven The Temple of Heaven () is a complex of imperial religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for a ...

during the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

dynasties), the use of the imperial carriage in 1151, a system of feudal rights in 1156, and the Song dynasty's ''shan-hu'' (山呼) style of court ceremonies in 1157.Tao, p.44 Digunai also introduced the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

system in 1150 and set up the Imperial Academy in the following year. In his pursuit for greater sinicisation and the desire to acquire the

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven () is a Chinese political philosophy that was used in ancient and imperial China to legitimize the rule of the King or Emperor of China. According to this doctrine, heaven (天, '' Tian'') – which embodies the nat ...

, Digunai moved his imperial court from Shangjing (present-day Acheng District,

to Yanjing (present-day

) in 1153. In 1157, he ordered the destruction of the imperial palaces in Shangjing. In contrast to the traditions of the

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...

and Song dynasties, which rarely imposed corporal punishment on the members of the society's educated elites, Digunai continued the Khitan and Jurchen tradition of floggings with gusto, sometimes enjoying personally watching his subjects – including chancellors, censors, and a princess – beaten with poles or whips.

Assassination

Digunai's attempts to conquer the

and unify China under the Jin dynasty's rule ended in failure when his fleet was defeated by Song forcesTao, pp. 23–24 at the battles of Tangdao and Caishi in 1161. Many of his officers defected and in some places the people rebelled against him.Tao, p. 70 His subordinates conspired against him and assassinated him on 15 December 1161 in a military camp near the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

. Digunai's cousin, Wulu, who had led a rebellion against Digunai's rule, was proclaimed the new emperor.

Family

Parents * Father: Woben (斡本), sinicised name

(完顏宗幹) * Mother: Empress Cixian, of the Da clan of Bohai (慈憲皇后大氏) Consort and issue(s): * Empress Tudan (徒單皇后; d.1170), of the Tudan clan **'' Wanyan Guangying, Crown Prince'' (太子完顏光英, 1150 – 1161), 2nd son * Noble Consort, of the Tangkuo clan (貴妃唐括氏), personal name Dingge (定哥) * Nailahu (奈剌忽), First Consort (元妃), ex-wife of Zhang Ding'an (張定安) *First Consort, of the Da clan of Bohai (元妃大氏), **'' Wanyan Yuanshou, Prince of Chong'' (崇王完顏元壽, d. 1151), 1st son *Consort Li, of the Tangukuo clan (麗妃唐括氏), personal name Shigge (石哥) ** '' Wanyan Shensi'abu, Prince of Su'' (宿王完顏矧思阿補, 1156 – 1158), 3rd son *Consort Chen, of the Xiao clan (宸妃蕭氏) *Consort Li, of the

Yelü The Yelü clan ( Khitan: , spelled ''ey.är.uu.eld'', pronounced ''Yäruuld''; ), alternatively rendered as Yila () or Yarud, was a prominent family of ethnic Khitan origin in the history of China. The clan assumed leadership of the Khitan triba ...

clan (麗妃耶律氏) * Consort Zhao, of the Pucha clan (昭妃蒲察氏), personal name Alihu (阿里虎) *Consort Zhao (昭妃), personal name Alan (阿懶) *Consort Rou, of the

clan (柔妃耶律氏) *Consort Zhao, of th

Wanyan The Wanyan (; Manchu: ''Wanggiyan''; Jurchen script: ) clan was among the clans of the Heishui Mohe tribe living in the drainage region of the Heilong River during the time of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty. Of the Heishui Mohe, the clan was coun ...

clan (昭妃完顏氏), personal name Shigu (什古) *Consort Shu, of the

clan (淑妃完顏氏), personal name Pula (蒲剌) *Consort Shu, of the

clan (淑妃完顏氏), personal name Shigu'er (師姑兒) *Consort Gui, of the

clan (貴妃完顏氏), personal name Shaliguzhen (莎里古真) *Consort Zhao, of the

clan (昭妃), personal name Chongjie (重節) *Consort Li, of Tanguko clan (麗妃唐括氏),, personal name Puluhuzhi (魯胡只) *''Zhaoyuan'', of the

clan (昭媛耶律氏) *''Xiuyi'', of the Gao clan (修儀高氏) *''Cairen'', of the Nan clan (才人南氏) **Wanyan Guangyang, Prince of Teng (滕王完顏廣陽), 4th son *''Lady'', of the Pucha clan (蒲察氏), personal name Chacha (叉察)daughter of Princess Qingyi (慶宜公主) * Unknown: ** Princess of Rong (榮國公主), personal name Henü (合女) ***married Tushan Sila (單術斯剌) ** Unnamed Princess *** married Xiao Yu's son (蕭玉) ** Unnamed Princess *** married Wugulun Yi (烏古論誼)

References

Citations

Sources

* Jing-shen Tao, ''The Jurchen in Twelfth-Century China''. University of Washington Press, 1976, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Wanyan, Liang 1122 births 1161 deaths Jin dynasty (1115–1234) emperors 12th-century Chinese monarchs Murdered Chinese emperors