Emperor Xuanzong of Jin (18 April 1163 – 14 January 1224), personal name Wudubu,

sinicized 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 ...

names Wanyan Xun and Wanyan Congjia, was the eighth

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 Jurchen-led Jin dynasty of China. He was the second Jin emperor to be defeated by 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, ...

, and the first after they crossed the

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against Eurasian noma ...

in 1211 during the Jin campaign.

Life

Wudubu was a son of

Wanyan Yungong Wanyan Yungong (完顏允恭; 1146－1185), personal name Hutuwa (胡土瓦), was an imperial prince of the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Shizong of Jin an Empress Mingde. He was the father of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin and E ...

(), a son of Emperor Shizong. He was a nephew of

Wanyan Yongji Wanyan Yongji (died 11 September 1213), childhood name Xingsheng, was the seventh emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty of China. He reigned for about five years from 1208 until 1213, when he was assassinated by the general Heshilie Zhizhong. ...

, his predecessor as emperor. His mother was Lady Liu (), a concubine of Wanyan Yungong. In 1178, he was enfeoffed as the "Duke of Wen" (). In 1186, he chose for himself the

name "Xun" (). In 1189, he was promoted to "Prince of Feng" (). In 1196, his princely title was changed to "Prince of Yi" (). In 1205, he changed his sinicized name to "Congjia" (). His princely titles were subsequently changed again, to "Prince of Xing" () and then "Prince of Sheng" (). In the eighth month of 1213, the general Heshilie Zhizhong (紇石烈執中; also known as Hushahu 胡沙虎) rebelled against the emperor, Wanyan Yongji, and assassinated him. Hushahu then installed Wanyan Congjia on the throne to replace Wanyan Yongji. As Wanyan Congjia was stationed in

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 ...

at the time, Hushahu chose Wanyan Congjia's eldest son, Wanyan Shouzhong (完顏守忠), to temporarily serve as ''jianguo'' (監國;

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

) in the capital,

Zhongdu Zhongdu (, lit. "Central Capital") was the capital of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in medieval China. It was located in the southwestern part of Beijing's Xicheng District. It had a population of nearly one million by the late 12th century, and ...

(中都; present-day Xicheng and Fengtai districts of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

). In the ninth month, Wanyan Congjia returned to Zhongdu and was crowned emperor; he is thus historically known as Emperor Xuanzong of the Jin dynasty. He appointed Hushahu as Grand Tutor (太師), Chief Imperial Secretary (尙書令), and Marshal of the Capital (都元帥), in addition to enfeoffing him as "Prince of Ze" (澤王). Shortly after his ascension, Emperor Xuanzong adopted the

regnal name A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ac ...

"Zhenyou" (貞祐). He also changed his sinicised name back from "Congjia" to "Xun". In the tenth month, Hushahu was assassinated by Zhuhu Gaoqi (朮虎高琪), another general, due to political infighting. Emperor Xuanzong pardoned Zhuhu Gaoqi and appointed him as Left Deputy Marshal (左副元帥). In the fall of 1213, the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...

, under the leadership of

Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...

, split their forces into three groups to attack the Jin dynasty. They conquered nearly all the prefectures and counties in

; only 11 cities, including Zhongdu, Zhending Prefecture (眞定府; around present-day

Zhengding County Zhengding (), originally Zhending (), is a county in southwestern Hebei Province, North China, located approximately south of Beijing. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of the province, and h ...

, Hebei Province), Daming Prefecture (大名府; around present-day Daming County, Hebei Province) did not fall to the Mongols. In the third month of 1214, the Jin dynasty succeeded in negotiating for peace with the Mongols. However, on 27 June, Emperor Xuanzong left Zhongdu and moved the Jin capital southward to Bianjing (汴京; present-day

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

, the old Song dynasty capital in

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 ...

); the court reached Bianjing about two months later. The Mongols were angered, so they waged war against the Jin dynasty again. On 31 May 1215, Zhongdu fell to the Mongols. In the tenth month, the warlord

Puxian Wannu Púxiān Wànnú ({{zh, t=蒲鮮萬奴, s=蒲鲜万奴, w=P'u-hsien Wan-nu) was a Jurchen warlord who established the short-lived Eastern Xia dynasty in 13th-century China. He originally served the waning Jin dynasty under pressure from the Mo ...

rebelled against the Jin dynasty, and declared himself king of the

Eastern Xia The Eastern Xia (), also known as Dongxia, Dongzhen (東真)Warfare in Chinese History, by H. J. Van Derven, p239 or Dazhen (大真), was a short-lived kingdom established in Manchuria (today's Northeast China and Outer Manchuria) by the Jurchen ...

regime in

Liaodong The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...

. In early 1220, Emperor Xuanzong had Zhuhu Gaoqi executed after Zhuhu Gaoqi's repeated failures to repel the Mongols, and also because Zhuhu Gaoqi eventually planned on rebelling. Emperor Xuanzong's foreign policy towards the other states was a direct cause of the fall of the Jin dynasty. Firstly, he agreed to submit to Genghis Khan in return for peace between the Mongols and Jin dynasty. Secondly, he severed ties between the Jin dynasty and its ally,

Western Xia The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...

. Thirdly, he ignored the advice of his

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 ...

Tushan Yi Tushan may refer to: * Tushan, Chongqing (涂山), a town in Chongqing, China * Tushan, Jiangsu (土山), a town in Pizhou, Jiangsu, China * Tushan, Shandong (土山), a town in Laizhou, Shandong, China * Tushan Township (涂山乡), a township in ...

(徒單鎰), and other ministers, and moved his capital from Zhongdu to Bianjing. Fourthly, he waged war 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 rest ...

. These actions resulted in the Jin dynasty having to fight wars on three different fronts. Furthermore, they resulted in domestic instability and rebellions, which contributed even more to the decay of the Jin dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong died in 1224. He was succeeded by his second son, Wanyan Shouxu (Emperor Aizong). He was posthumously honored with the

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

"Xuanzong," and was buried in the Deling Mausoleum (德陵) in present-day

Family

Consort and issue(s): *

Empress Rensheng Empress Rensheng of the Wang clan, also known simply as Empress Wang, was the wife of the eighth emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty of China, Emperor Xuanzong. She was captured and taken north by Mongol forces during the siege of Bianjing. ...

, of the Wang clan (仁聖皇后王氏), sister of Empress Minghui *Empress Minghui, of the Wang clan (明惠皇后王氏, d. 1231), sister of

**Wanyan Shouxu, Emperor Aizong (金哀宗完顏守緒, 25 September 1198 – 9 February 1234), 2nd son *Consort Li, of the Shi clan (麗妃史氏) ** Wanyan Xuanling, Prince of Zhi (至王完顏玄齡), 4rd son *Consort Zhen, of the Pang clan (真妃龐氏) ** Wanyan Shouchun, Prince of Jing (荊王完顏守純), 3rd son *Unknown ** Wanyan Shouzhong, Crown Prince Zhuangxian (莊獻太子完顏守忠, d. 1215), 1st son **Princess of the Wen State (溫國公主), 1st daughter

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Xuanzong of Jin, Emperor Jin dynasty (1115–1234) emperors 13th-century Chinese monarchs 1163 births 1224 deaths

Life

Family

See also

References