| Emperor Zhangzong of Jin 金章宗 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Jin dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 20 January 1189 – 29 December 1208 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Shizong | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Wanyan Yongji | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 August 1168 | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 29 December 1208 (aged 40) | ||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Dao Mausoleum (道陵, in present-day Fangshan District, Beijing) | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Empress Qinhuai Li Shi'er others | ||||||||||||||||
| Issue | See § Family | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| House | Wanyan | ||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Jin | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Wanyan Yungong | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Xiaoyi | ||||||||||||||||
| Emperor Zhangzong of Jin | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 金章宗 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Madage | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 麻達葛 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 麻达葛 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Wanyan Jing | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 完顏璟 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 完颜璟 | ||||||
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Emperor Zhangzong of Jin (31 August 1168 – 29 December 1208), personal name Madage, sinicized name Wanyan Jing, was the sixth emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty of China. He reigned from 20 January 1189 to 29 December 1208.[1]
During his rule, he is credited for ordering the construction of the beautiful Taiye Lake, an artificial lake in Beijing, that remains to this day. He also established many Confucian temples throughout Northeast China and was tolerant of both Han and Jurchen cultures 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 Tatar confederation who once allied with the Jin dynasty rebelled and joined the rising Mongol Empire. The Southern Song chancellor Han Tuozhou tried to take advantage of Madage's incompetency by launching an attack on the Jin. However the Jin dynasty defeated the Southern Song, and the Southern Song was forced to pay retribution and execute Han Tuozhou for the Jin.[2]
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 launched an invasion on the Jin shortly after Madage's death. The Yuan dynasty would ultimately conquer both the Jin and Southern Song dynasties, reunifying China after centuries of war between the various empires.