Song Shundi ((劉)宋順帝)
Family name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Liu Liu 劉 is a common Chinese family name. The transliteration Liu can represent several different surnames written in different Chinese characters:*劉 / 刘, pinyin: Liú...  (劉; liú)
Given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Zhun (準, zhǔn)
Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... :	Shun (順, shùn), literary meaning: "serene"

Emperor Shun of Liu Song ((劉)宋順帝) (467–479), personal name Liu Zhun (劉準), courtesy name Zhongmou (仲謀), nickname Zhiguan (智觀), was an emperor

Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

 of the Chinese

History of China

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...

 dynasty Liu Song. He became emperor in 477 after his violent older brother Emperor Houfei

Emperor Houfei of Liu Song

Emperor Houfei of Liu Song , also known by posthumous demoted title of Prince of Cangwu , personal name Liu Yu , courtesy name Derong , nickname Huizhen , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song...

 was assassinated by his attendant at the instigation of the general Xiao Daocheng

Emperor Gao of Southern Qi

Emperor Gao of Southern Qi , personal name Xiao Daocheng , courtesy name Shaobo , nickname Doujiang , was the founding emperor of the Chinese dynasty Southern Qi...

, but in his brief reign was effectively Xiao's puppet. In 479, Xiao forced him to yield the throne to Xiao, ending Liu Song and starting Southern Qi

Southern Qi

The Southern Qi Dynasty was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated...

. Later that year, the former Emperor Shun was killed by guards who were supposed to protect him, and the Liu clan was soon slaughtered as well.

Background

Liu Zhun was born in 467, and ostensibly, his parents were Emperor Ming

Emperor Ming of Liu Song

Emperor Ming of Liu Song , personal name Liu Yu , courtesy name Xiubing , nickname Rongqi , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song...

 and Emperor Ming's concubine Consort Chen Farong

Consort Chen Farong

Consort Chen Farong was an imperial consort during the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. She was a concubine of Emperor Ming, and during his reign, she carried the rank of Zhaohua , the sixth highest rank for Liu Song imperial consorts....

 -- but history does not provide a conclusive account of his actual parentage. Historical accounts, written during the succeeding Southern Qi

Southern Qi

The Southern Qi Dynasty was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated...

 Dynasty, indicate that Emperor Ming was impotent

Erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance....

, and that although he had 12 sons, those were the results of his having seized his brothers' pregnant concubines and kept the children if they bore males, or his having had his concubines have sexual relations with others. (However, the fact that Emperir Ming's wife Empress Wang Zhenfeng

Empress Wang Zhenfeng

Empress Wang Zhenfeng , formally Empress Gong , was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. Her husband was Emperor Ming .-Background:...

 had two daughters, although no sons, may argue against such allegations, because it appeared rather unlikely that Emperor Ming would do this over female children—indeed, the allegations stated that he would only do this if his brothers' concubines bore males—or that the morally upright Empress Wang would engage in sexual relations with others, thus suggesting that the allegations were made to delegitimize Emperor Ming's sons Emperor Houfei

Emperor Houfei of Liu Song

Emperor Houfei of Liu Song , also known by posthumous demoted title of Prince of Cangwu , personal name Liu Yu , courtesy name Derong , nickname Huizhen , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song...

 and Liu Zhun vis-à-vis Southern Qi.) Those accounts allege that his biological father was Emperor Ming's brother Liu Xiufan (劉休範) the Prince of Guiyang, and his biological mother was a concubine of Liu Xiufan. In any case, whether he was born of Consort Chen or not, she raised him. In 471, he was created the Prince of Ancheng.

After Emperor Ming's death in 472, Liu Zhun's older brother Liu Yu the Crown Prince became emperor (as Emperor Houfei). Liu Zhun himself was made the governor of the important capital region, Yang Province (揚州, modern Zhejiang

Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

 and southern Jiangsu

Jiangsu

' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...

), but actual governance was carried out by his staff members. In 474, after Liu Xiufan rebelled and sieged the capital Jiankang

Jiankang

Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Southern Dynasties. Its walls are extant ruins in the modern municipal region of Nanjing.-History:...

, the official Chu Cheng (褚澄), not knowing that assassins sent by Emperor Houfei's general Xiao Daocheng

Emperor Gao of Southern Qi

Emperor Gao of Southern Qi , personal name Xiao Daocheng , courtesy name Shaobo , nickname Doujiang , was the founding emperor of the Chinese dynasty Southern Qi...

 had already assassinated Liu Xiufan, seized Liu Zhun and surrendered Liu Zhun's headquarters to Liu Xiufan's army, claiming that Liu Xiufan had declared Liu Zhun to be his son. (Liu Xiufan himself made no such public declaration before his death.) However, when Liu Xiufan's army later found out that he was already dead, it collapsed, and Liu Zhun was not harmed.

By 477, Emperor Houfei had shown himself to be a cruel and violent ruler, often roving outside the palace with his guards and killing any person or animal that they encountered. Xiao, in fear of being killed by Emperor Houfei, engaged his associates to have him assassinated, and then used his personal control of the army to effectively force other high level officials Yuan Can

Yuan Can

Yuan Can , né Yuan Minsun , courtesy name Jingqian , was a high level official of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song, who near the end of the dynasty made a futile attempt to prevent the general Xiao Daocheng from gaining sufficient power to take the throne.- Background :Then-Yuan Minsun was born in 420...

 and Liu Bing

Liu Bing

Liu Bing , courtesy name Yanjie , was a high-level official of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song and a member of Liu Song's imperial clan, who near the end of the dynasty made a futile attempt to prevent the general Xiao Daocheng from gaining sufficient power to take the throne.-Background:Liu Bing was...

 to grant him near-imperial powers. He then made Liu Zhun emperor (as Emperor Shun), but the 10-year-old emperor was little more than Xiao's puppet.

Reign

Upon hearing of Emperor Houfei's death, the general Shen Youzhi

Shen Youzhi

Shen Youzhi , courtesy name Zhongda , was a general during the Chinese dynasty Liu Song, who, in the final moments of the dynasty, made a final failed attempt to prevent Xiao Daocheng from seizing the throne....

 accused Xiao Daocheng of wanting to usurp the throne, and he started a rebellion from his Jing Province (荊州, modern central and western Hubei

Hubei

' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

), although he then ill-advisedly became bogged down in his progress in sieging Yingcheng (郢城, in modern Wuhan

Wuhan

Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...

, Hubei

Hubei

' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

). Meanwhile, an attempted coup by Yuan Can and Liu Bing to seize back power for the imperial clan failed in late 477, and both Yuan and Liu Bing were killed, permitting Xiao to further consolidate his power. By spring 478, Shen also had been defeated, and he committed suicide. Xiao no longer had opposition. He began to have himself bestowed with higher and higher offices and honors, posturing himself for the throne. He was also gradually assassinating some of Emperor Shun's brothers.

In winter 478, Emperor Shun created Xie Fanjing

Empress Xie Fanjing

Empress Xie Fanjing was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. Her husband was the last emperor of the dynasty Emperor Shun.Xie Fanjing came from a noble family—her father Xie Yang was a mid-low level official in the imperial administration, but her grandfather Xie Zhuang was a...

, the granddaughter of the official Xie Zhuang (謝莊), as his wife and empress.

In 479, Xiao first had Emperor Shun create him the Duke of Qi and grant him the nine bestowments

Nine bestowments

The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine...

, and then create him the Prince of Qi. in summer 479, Xiao was prepared to seize the throne, and he prepared a ceremony at which Emperor Shun was to ascend a high platform and issue an edict giving the throne to him. However, the 12-year-old Emperor Shun was fearful, and he hid under a statue of a buddha, crying. Xiao sent his general Wang Jingze (王敬則) into the palace, and Empress Dowager Wang, fearful of what the consequences might be, personally led the eunuchs to search for Emperor Shun as well, finally finding him. Wang Jingze calmed Emperor Shun with false promises, finally getting him to get on the wagon that Wang Jingze prepared. He asked Wang, "Are you going to kill me?" Wang responded, "I will not kill you -- just letting you live elsewhere. Do not be sad -- this is what your Liu clan did to the Sima clan as well." (This was a reference to how Emperor Shun's great-grandfather Emperor Wu

Emperor Wu of Liu Song

Emperor Wu of Song , personal name Liu Yu , courtesy name Dexing , nickname Jinu , was the founding emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He came from a humble background, but became prominent after leading a rebellion in 404 to overthrow Huan Xuan, who had usurped the Jin throne in 403...

 had seized the throne from Jin Dynasty

Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...

.) Emperor Shun resumed crying, and said, "When I am reincarnated, may it be that I will never be again reborn in an emperor's household!" Wang brought Emperor Shun to the platform and had him complete the ceremony. Xiao accepted the throne, ending Liu Song and starting Southern Qi (as its Emperor Gao).

Death

Xiao Daocheng created Liu Zhun the Prince of Ruyin and built him a mansion in the vicinity of the capital Jiankang

Jiankang

Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Southern Dynasties. Its walls are extant ruins in the modern municipal region of Nanjing.-History:...

, but put him under heavy guard. Less than a month after Xiao's taking of the throne, someone rode a horse near Liu Zhun's mansion, and the guards mistook the situation as someone wanting to seize Liu Zhun and start a rebellion, so they killed Liu Zhun themselves. Xiao not only did not punish them, but instead awarded them, and subsequently started a slaughter of the Liu clan. He did, however, bury the former emperor with imperial honors.

Personal information

• Father
  • Emperor Ming of Liu Song
    Emperor Ming of Liu Song
    Emperor Ming of Liu Song , personal name Liu Yu , courtesy name Xiubing , nickname Rongqi , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song...
    
    
• Mother
  • Consort Chen Farong
    Consort Chen Farong
    Consort Chen Farong was an imperial consort during the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. She was a concubine of Emperor Ming, and during his reign, she carried the rank of Zhaohua , the sixth highest rank for Liu Song imperial consorts....
    
    
• Wife
  • Empress Xie Fanjing
    Empress Xie Fanjing
    Empress Xie Fanjing was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. Her husband was the last emperor of the dynasty Emperor Shun.Xie Fanjing came from a noble family—her father Xie Yang was a mid-low level official in the imperial administration, but her grandfather Xie Zhuang was a...
    
     (created 478)

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