Zhang Shijie () was a Chinese admiral, military general, and politician during the

Mongol invasion of China The Mongol conquest of China was a series of major military efforts by the Mongol Empire to conquer various empires ruling over China. It spanned six decades in the 13th century and involved the defeat of the Jin dynasty, Western Liao, We ...

. Zhang was born to a prosperous family in present-day

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

(part of the

Liao empire The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

, then Jin empire). After the fall of the Jin to the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

, Zhang joined the Mongol army and was stationed in present-day

Henan province Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

under the command of Zhang Rou, a

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 va ...

general of the Mongol Empire. Zhang Shijie defected from the Mongols to the

Southern Song The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, 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. ...

dynasty after he committed a crime, to evade punishment. Zhang Shijie gained his position in the Song administration after passing his

civil service examination Civil service examinations are examinations implemented in various countries for recruitment and admission to the civil service. They are intended as a method to achieve an effective, rational public administration on a merit system for recruiti ...

, eventually becoming a successful administrator overseeing civil, military, and naval duties for the

. After the fall of the capital Lin'an (modern-day

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

), Zhang commanded the Song naval forces during the Mongol invasion of China in 1276, and served as the last commander of the Song fleet, during the attempt to escort

Emperor Bing of Song Zhao Bing (12 February 1272 – 19 March 1279), also known as Emperor Bing of Song or Bing, Emperor of Song (宋帝昺), was the 18th and last emperor of the Song dynasty of China, who ruled as a minor between 6 and 7 years of age. He was a ...

and other Imperial officials as they fled the Mongols in 1279. However, Zhang's fleet was intercepted by Mongol forces under the command of

Zhang Hongfan Zhang Hongfan () (1238–1280) was a Chinese military general of the Mongol Empire. As commander of the Mongol army and navy, he annihilated the Southern Song by crushing the last Song resistance at the Battle of Yamen in 1279, where he is said to ...

(the son of Zhang Shijie's former commander Zhang Rou) off the coast of

Xinhui Xinhui, alternately romanized as Sunwui and also known as Kuixiang, is an urban district of Jiangmen in Guangdong, China. It grew from a separate city founded at the confluence of the Tan and West Rivers. It has a population of about 735,500, ...

and destroyed at the

Battle of Yamen The naval battle, naval Battle of Yamen () (also known as the Naval Battle of Mount Ya; ) took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song dynasty against the invading Mongols, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. Although out ...

on 19 March 1279. Prime Minister

Lu Xiufu Lu Xiufu (8 November 1236 – 19 March 1279), courtesy name Junshi (), was a Chinese statesman and military commander who lived in the final years of the Song dynasty. Originally from Yancheng (present-day Jianhu County) in Jiangsu Province, alo ...

committed suicide, drowning the child Emperor with him, following their defeat. Although Zhang Shijie was able to escape with his remaining ships, he was said to have died a few days later during a storm at sea. Along with

and

Wen Tianxiang Wen Tianxiang (; June 6, 1236 – January 9, 1283), noble title Duke of Xin (), was a Chinese poet and politician in the last years of the Southern Song dynasty. For his resistance to Kublai Khan's invasion of the Southern Song dynasty, and for ...

, Zhang is considered one of the "Three Loyal Princes of the Song".

References

*Giles, Herbert A. ''A Chinese Biographical Dictionary''. Taipei, 1975. 1279 deaths Chinese admirals Deaths due to shipwreck at sea Generals from Hebei Politicians from Baoding Song dynasty generals Song dynasty politicians from Hebei Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{China-history-stub