Emperor Zhangzong of Jin (31 August 1168 – 29 December 1208), personal name Madage,

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 ...

name Wanyan Jing, was the sixth

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 reigned from 20 January 1189 to 29 December 1208.Tao, p. 85-86 During his rule, he is credited for ordering the construction of the beautiful Taiye Lake, an artificial lake in

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 ...

, that remains to this day. He also established many Confucian temples throughout Northeast China and was tolerant of both Han and Jurchen culture and customs. However, the Jin dynasty began to decline as he started neglecting governmental affairs and showing favoritism to one of his concubines Li Shi'er and her family members in political office. The Mongol

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

who once allied with the Jin dynasty rebelled and joined the rising

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, ...

. The Southern Song chancellor

Han Tuozhou Han Tuozhou (; November 6, 1152 – November 24, 1207) was a Chinese politician of the Southern Song dynasty, who served as a chancellor under Emperor Ningzong. He was responsible for Southern Song efforts to recover territories lost in north ...

tried to take advantage of Madage's incompetency by launching an attack on the Jin. However the Jin dynasty defeated the Song, and the Song was forced to pay retribution and execute Han Tuozhou for the Jin. Madage died shortly after the Song's failed invasion and was succeeded by yet another incompetent ruler. Seeing the declining state of the Jin dynasty under Madage and his successor,

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 , ...

launched an invasion on the Jin shortly after Madage's death. The Mongol

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

would ultimately conquer both the Jin and Song dynasty, reunifying China after centuries of war between the various empires.

Life

Early life

Emperor Zhangzong was the sixth emperor of the Jin dynasty. He inherited the throne from his grandfather, Emperor Shizong and was succeeded by

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. ...

. To some extent, Emperor Zhangzong continued his grandfather's policy of encouraging intensive use of the

Jurchen language Jurchen language ( zh, t=女真語, p=Nǚzhēn yǔ) was the Tungusic language of the Jurchen people of eastern Manchuria, the rulers of the Jin dynasty in northern China of the 12th and 13th centuries. It is ancestral to the Manchu language. In ...

and promotion of Jurchen customs. He forbade wearing of

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 ...

clothes and required his subjects to perform the Jurchen kowtow ceremony. He required his ''meng'an'' and ''mouke'' (Jurchen hereditary feudal nobility) to take an archery test if they wanted to sit for a ''

jinshi ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referre ...

'' examination. On the other hand, he permitted Jurchens to follow Han Chinese funeral practices, and

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) b ...

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 repetitio ...

dynasty rituals are known to have been performed at his court in 1194. Resuming one of the projects of the Prince of Hailing, Emperor Zhangzong established

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

temples in all prefectures and counties of his empire. Emperor Zhangzong ordered the construction of the Taiye Lake in

for him to go fishing. Unlike his grandfather, Emperor Zhangzong did not consider hunting as a natural and necessary way of military training but viewed it as recreation.Tao, p. 85-86 One of Emperor Zhangzong's concubines was Li Shi'er (李師兒). Zhangzong once romanced Concubine Li on Qiong Island (瓊島), where Concubine Li said that the emperor was like the sun (日), while she was the moon (月). Together, they make the character for "bright" (明). Emperor Zhangzong in his later years began to spoil Concubine Li and gave her family members positions in the government, while ignoring his duties as the emperor. As such, the Jin Empire began to decline during his reign. In 1196, the Tatar confederation who were originally part of the Jin dynasty revolted and allied with the Mongols. Seeing that the Jin dynasty was declining, the Southern Song chancellor Han Tuozhou sought to capitalize on the opportunity to launch an attack on the Jin. Han Tuozhou ultimately failed and was executed.《金史·列傳第三十六》

History of Jin The ''History of Jin'' (''Jin Shi'') is a Chinese historical text, one of the ''Twenty Four Histories'', which details the history of the Jin dynasty founded by the Jurchens in northern China. It was compiled by the Yuan dynasty historian and mi ...

, Biography 36

Failed Song invasion of the Jin

When, in 1206, the troops of 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. ...

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 ...

invaded the Jin dynasty, trying to reunify China from the south, Emperor Zhangzong's armies defeated the invaders. The conflict began when the Song were informed of Jurchen troubles with the rising

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 ...

and natural disasters. The Song began provoking Emperor Zhangzong in 1204 and onward by orchestrating raids on Jin settlements. The fighting continued to escalate, partly aggravated by Song officials in support of revanchism, and war against the Jin dynasty was officially declared on June 14, 1206. The Song advance was impeded by Jin military successes and declining soldier morale that forced many to desert. By the fall of 1206, multiple towns and military bases had been captured by the Jurchens. Neither side was willing to continue fighting, and a peace treaty was signed on November 2, 1208. To obtain peace, the Song dynasty had to yield territory, pay an indemnity, and execute the hawkish Han Tuozhou. The Song dynasty was obligated to pay an annual tribute of 50,000 taels of silver and 50,000 packs of fabric. They also delivered the severed head Han Tuozhou and Su Shidan (蘇師旦) for instigating the war to the Jurchens.

Late life

In December 29, 1208, Jin Zhangzong died. All six of his sons died before the age of three.《金史·列傳第三十一（页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）》 Without any heirs, he was succeeded by his uncle

instead. After Yongji ascended the throne,

knew that Wanyan Yongji was incompetent, so he immediately sent his army south to invade the Jin Dynasty in the following year. Jin Zhangzong's posthumous title was Xiantian Guangyun Renwen Yiwu Shensheng Yingxiao Emperor (憲天光運仁文義武神聖英孝皇帝). He was buried in Daoling (道陵).

Family

Parents * Father: Hutuwa (胡土瓦), sinicized name

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 ...

(完顏允恭), Emperor Shizong's second son and heir apparent, posthumously honored as Emperor Xianzong (金顯宗) * Mother: Lady Tudan (徒單氏), posthumously honored as Empress Xiaoyi (孝懿皇后) Consort and issue(s): *

Empress Qinhuai Empress Qinhuai of the Pucha clan (d. ca. 1186 – 1189, personal name unknown) was the wife of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin, the sixth emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty of China. She died before he ascended the throne and was made empress po ...

, of the Pucha clan (欽懷皇后蒲察氏) ** '' Wanyan Hongyu, Prince of Jiang'' (絳王完顏洪裕, 1186 — 25 October 1188), 1st son *First Consort, of the Li clan (元妃李氏, d. 1209), personal name Shi'er (師兒) ** ''

Wanyan Telin 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 count ...

, Prince of Ge'' (葛王完颜忒邻, 1202 – 1203 ), sixth son *''Zhaoyi,'' of the Jiagu clan (昭儀夾谷氏), Jiagu Qingchen's (夾谷清臣) daughter *''Furen'' Ziming, of the Lin clan (資明夫人林氏) ** '' Wanyan Hongjing, Prince of Jing'' (荊王完顏洪靖, 1192 – 1193), 2nd son *''Chengyu'', of the Jia (承御賈氏) ** ''misscariage'' (1208) *''Chengyu'', of the Fan clan (承御范氏) **Princess of Shun (順國公主), 3rd daughter *Unknown: ** '' Wanyan Hongxi, Prince of Rong'' (榮王完顏洪熙, 1192 – 1193), 3rd son ** '' Wanyan Hongyan, Prince of Ying'' (英王完顏洪衍, 1193 – 1193), 4th son ** '' Wanyan Honghui, Prince of Shou'' (壽王完顏洪輝, 3 June 1197 – 28 November 1197), 5th son

References

* Tao Jingshen. ''The Jurchen in Twelfth-Century China''. Univ. of Washington Press, 1976. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhangzong of Jin, Emperor 1168 births 1208 deaths Jin dynasty (1115–1234) emperors Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Taoists Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Buddhists Chinese Buddhist monarchs 12th-century Chinese monarchs 13th-century Chinese monarchs People from Xilingol League