| Emperor Xian of Han 漢獻帝 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A Qing dynasty illustration of Emperor Xian | |||||||||
| Emperor of the Han dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 28 September 189 – 11 December 220[1][2] | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Shao | ||||||||
| Regent | |||||||||
| Duke of Shanyang (山陽公) | |||||||||
| Tenure | 11 December 220 – 21 April 234 | ||||||||
| Successor | Liu Kang | ||||||||
| Prince of Bohai (渤海王) | |||||||||
| Tenure | 189 | ||||||||
| Prince of Chenliu (陳留王) | |||||||||
| Tenure | 189 | ||||||||
| Born | 2 April 181[3] Luoyang, Han China | ||||||||
| Died | 21 April 234 (aged 53)[4] Henei Commandery, Cao Wei | ||||||||
| Consorts | Empress Fu Consort Dong Empress Xianmu Consort Cao (Xian) Consort Cao (Hua) Consort Song | ||||||||
| Issue | unnamed eldest son Liu Feng, Prince of Nanyang Liu Xi, Prince of Jiyin Liu Yi, Prince of Shanyang Liu Mao, Prince of Jibei Liu Dun, Prince of Donghai two other sons two other daughters Princess Changle | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Dynasty | Han dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Emperor Ling | ||||||||
| Mother | Empress Linghuai | ||||||||
| Emperor Xian of Han | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 漢獻帝 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 汉献帝 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220.[5][6]
Liu Xie was a son of Liu Hong (Emperor Ling) and was a younger half-brother of his predecessor, Liu Bian (Emperor Shao). In 189, at the age of eight, he became emperor after the warlord Dong Zhuo, who had seized control of the Han central government, deposed Emperor Shao and replaced him with Liu Xie. The newly enthroned Liu Xie, historically known as Emperor Xian, was in fact a puppet ruler under Dong Zhuo's control. In 190, when a coalition of regional warlords launched a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo in the name of freeing Emperor Xian, Dong Zhuo ordered the destruction of the imperial capital, Luoyang, and forcefully relocated the imperial capital along with its residents to Chang'an. After Dong Zhuo's assassination in 192, Emperor Xian fell under the control of Li Jue and Guo Si, two former subordinates of Dong Zhuo. The various regional warlords formally acknowledged Emperor Xian's legitimacy but never took action to save him from being held hostage.
In 195, Emperor Xian managed to escape from Chang'an and return to the ruins of Luoyang during a feud between Li Jue and Guo Si, where he soon became stranded. A year later, the warlord Cao Cao led his forces into Luoyang, received Emperor Xian, took him under his protection, and escorted him to Xu, where the new imperial capital was established. Although Cao Cao paid nominal allegiance to Emperor Xian, he was actually the de facto head of the central government. He skillfully used Emperor Xian as a "trump card" to bolster his legitimacy when he attacked and eliminated rival warlords in his quest to reunify the Han Empire under the central government's rule. Cao Cao's success seemed inevitable until the winter of 208–209, when he lost the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs against the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei. The battle paved the way for the subsequent emergence of the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu.
In late 220, some months after Cao Cao's death, Cao Cao's successor, Cao Pi, forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne to him. He then established the state of Cao Wei with himself as the new emperor – an event marking the formal end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. The dethroned Emperor Xian received the noble title Duke of Shanyang (Chinese: 山陽公) from Cao Pi and spent the rest of his life in comfort and enjoyed preferential treatment. He died on 21 April 234, about 14 years after the fall of the Han dynasty.
- ^ de Crespigny (2007), p. xxxiii.
- ^ According to Emperor Xian's biography in Book of the Later Han, Liu Xie abdicated the throne on the yimao day of the 10th month of the 1st year of the Yankang era of his reign. This corresponds to 25 Nov 220 in the Julian calendar. (三月，改元延康。冬十月乙卯，皇帝逊位，魏王丕称天子。) Houhanshu, vol.09. Volume 69 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that while Liu Xie did abdicate on the yimao day of the 10th month, Cao Pi only ascended the throne on the xinwei day of the same month (16 days later), which corresponds to 11 Dec 220 on the Julian calendar. (冬，十月，乙卯，汉帝告祠高庙，使行御史大夫张音持节奉玺绶诏册，禅位于魏。王三上书辞让，乃为坛于繁阳，辛未，升坛受玺绶，即皇帝位，...) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.69
- ^ de Crespigny (2007), p. 554.
- ^ de Crespigny 2007, p. 555. Cao Rui's biography in the Sanguozhi recorded that the Duke of Shanyang died on the gengyin day of the 3rd month of the 2nd year of the Qinglong era of Cao Rui's reign. This date corresponds to 21 April 234 in the Gregorian calendar. Original quote in Sanguozhi vol. 3: [青龍二年]三月庚寅，山陽公薨
- ^
In the tenth month of 220 (November), various ministers proposed that Cao Pi replace Liu Xie as the emperor, citing various astrological signs. On 25 November, Liu Xie performed various ceremonies in preparation for abdicating the throne. On 11 December, Liu Xie formally abdicated the throne and Cao Pi ascended as the new emperor. Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Achilles Fang.
- ^
On 11 December Cao Cao's son and successor Cao Pi received the abdication of the Han Emperor and took the imperial title for himself, with a new reign period Huangchu "Yellow Beginning," named in honour of the new Power of Yellow and Earth which had been foretold should succeed to the Red and Fire of Han. (Cf. note 84 to Jian'an 24.) To Establish Peace, Rafe de Crespigny