Liu Yuan (Han-Zhao)
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| Emperor Guangwen of Han 漢光文帝 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Consort Zhang | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Issue | see #Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| House | Liu | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Han-Zhao | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Liu Bao | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Lady Huyan | ||||||||||||||||||||
Liu Yuan (劉淵) (died 19 August 310),
Liu Yuan was a direct descendant of the Southern Xiongnu
The formation of Han-Zhao, along with Cheng-Han in southwestern China, is often seen as the start of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, ending China's brief period of unification since the end of the Three Kingdoms period in 280. As anti-Jin sentiment continued to grow in northern China, Liu Yuan soon found himself leading a coalition of Han Chinese and tribal rebels. Though he would not live long to see it, his family and generals would eventually drive the Jin dynasty out of the north.
Family background
Liu Yuan was a member of
As Jin subject
As powerful Xiongnu nobles were usually encouraged or pressured by Cao Wei and Jin authorities to send their sons to the capital
As the commander of the tribes, Liu became known for his fair administration of laws and willingness to listen to ideas, and also for his willingness to spread his wealth. Therefore, the ambitious people in his region, not only of the five Xiongnu tribes but of many
Independence from Jin
In the midst of the
Once Liu Yuan returned to his people, he gathered 50,000 men quickly and was readying himself to rush to Sima Ying's aid, but he also publicly accepted the title of Grand Chanyu. (Previously, Sima Ying had bestowed the title of North Chanyu on him.) However, he then heard that Sima Ying's forces had collapsed in fear of Wang's troops and that Sima Ying had, against his prior advice, fled to Luoyang. He then declared his people independent from Jin and further declared that, as a Han descendant, he would succeed to the Han throne, and therefore claimed the title of the King of Han—deliberately choosing a title that had been previously held by the Han dynasty's founder,
Reign
For those impressed with Liu's abilities previously, however, his reign was somewhat of a let down. He spent great energy on trying to restore the Han system of government, but he himself was unable to quickly expand his sphere of influence. He set his capital at Lishi (離石, in modern Lüliang, Shanxi), but his control of territory became limited to that local region. His forces were often able to achieve victories over Jin forces but unable to hold cities. In 305, after a famine, he relocated to Liting (黎亭, in modern Changzhi, Shanxi).
As years went by, however, the various agrarian rebel generals who were resisting Jin rule, whether ethnically
In 308, Wang's troops advanced on the Jin capital Luoyang, but was repelled. That year, after capturing more territory, Liu Yuan moved his capital to Puzi (蒲子, in modern
In 310, Liu Yuan grew ill, and he created his second wife
Physical appearance
In the Book of Wei, Chinese author Wei Shou notes that Liu Yuan was over six feet tall and that he had strands of red hair in his long beard.[3]
Skepticism over lineage
Some modern Chinese academics, such as Tang Changru (唐长孺) and Chen Yong (陈勇), cast doubt on Liu Yuan's lineage from the Southern Xiongnu chanyus, with Tang in particularly presenting three reasons. Firstly, Liu Bao's lifespan was unusually long, as he was serving as Tuqi King in 195 and died after Tufa Shujineng's Rebellion in 279 according to Liu Yuan's entry in the Jinshu. Secondly, the Leader (or Commander) of the Left Tribe in 272 was Li Ke (李恪) and not Liu Bao according to Emperor Wu's entry in the Jinshu, but Liu Yuan's entry states that he inherited the position from his father. Thirdly, Liu Yuan was from Xinxing Commandery (新興郡; north of present-day Xinzhou, Shanxi), which would have placed him in the North Tribe (北部), so for him and his father to hold command over the Left Tribe is puzzling. Furthermore, the Jinshu states that after becoming Leader of the Left Tribe, he was later transferred to become Commander of the North Tribe, and when Sima Ying permitted him to return to the Xiongnu, he was given the title of North Chanyu rather than the vacant title of South Chanyu, which was held by his supposed ancestors.
Tang hypothesized that these discrepancies were due to Liu Yuan actually being from the Tuge tribe (屠各部) or Xiuchuge (休屠各). This theory is supported by the fact that Liu Yuan and his family members are referred to as "Tuge" in several passages from relevant records. The Tuge migrated into the Chinese interior much earlier than the other Southern Xiongnu tribes and were not related to the chanyu lineage of the
Family
Consort and their eespective issue(s):
- Empress Huyan, of the Huyan clan (呼延皇后), daughter of Huyan Yi (呼延翼)
- Liu He, Prince of Liang (劉和 梁王, d. 310), first son
- Empress Shan, of the Dan clan (單皇后), daughter of Dan Zheng (單徵)
- Liu Ai Prince of Beihai (劉乂 北海王, d. 317), seventh son
- Furen, of the Zhang clan (张夫人)
- Liu Cong (劉恭, d. 310), second son
- Liu Cong, the Prince of Chu (劉聰 楚王, d. 31 August 318), fourth son
- Unknown
- Third son
- Liu Yu, the Prince of Qi (劉裕 齐王, d. 310), fifth son
- Liu Long, the Prince of Lu (劉隆 鲁王, d. 310), sixth son
References
- ISBN 0-8135-1304-9.
- ^ Liu Yuan (劉淵) shares the same given name as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, whose real name is Li Yuan (李淵).
- ISBN 0520015967.
- OCLC 1096382148.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ Chen, Yong (2007). "去卑监国的败局与屠各刘豹的崛起". Wenxue100. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
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