Li Shou
Encyclopedia
| Han Zhaowendi ((成)漢昭文帝) | |
|---|---|
| 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"... : |
Li (李; lǐ) |
| 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"... : |
Shou (壽, shòu) |
| Temple name Temple name Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive... : |
Zhongzong (中宗, zhōng zōng) |
| 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... : |
Zhaowen (昭文, zhāo wén), literary meaning: "accomplished and civil" |
Li Shou (李壽) (300–343), courtesy name Wukao (武考), formally Emperor Zhaowen of (Cheng) Han ((成)漢昭文帝), 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...
/Ba
Ba (state)
Ba was an ancient state in eastern Sichuan, China. Its original capital was Yicheng , Hubei. Ba was conquered by Qin in 316 BC. The modern ethnic minority Tujia people trace some of their origins back to the Ba people....
-Di
Di (ethnic group)
The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...
state Cheng Han
Cheng Han
The Cheng Han was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It represented two states, the Cheng state proclaimed in 304 by Li Xiong and the Han state in 338 by Li Shou...
. He was the cousin of Cheng Han's founding emperor Li Xiong
Li Xiong
Li Xiong , courtesy name Zhongjuan , formally Emperor Wu of Cheng , was the first emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han and commonly regarded as its founder...
, but after he overthrew Li Xiong's son Li Qi
Li Qi
Li Qi , courtesy name Shiyun , posthumous name Duke You of Qiongdu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han. He seized the throne after his brother Li Yue assassinated their father Li Xiong's designated heir, their cousin Li Ban, in 334...
in 338, he disassociated himself from Li Xiong's regime by renaming the state from Cheng to Han, and further setting up a different imperial ancestral temple. Traditional historians, however, did not consider his regime a separate state and treated the succession from Li Xiong to Li Shou's son Li Shi
Li Shi
Li Shi , courtesy name Ziren , historically known by his Jin Dynasty -bestowed title Marquess of Guiyi , was the last emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han...
as a single Cheng Han state. Li Shou was initially known for lenience and thriftiness—the same virtues commonly associated with Li Xiong—but later imitated the ruling style of Shi Hu
Shi Hu
Shi Hu , courtesy name Jilong , formally Emperor Wu of Zhao , was an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao...
the emperor of Later Zhao
Later Zhao
The Later Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity...
by ruling harshly and extravagantly, greatly inflicting burdens on the people and damaging the Cheng Han state.
During Li Xiong's reign
Li Shou was a son of Li Xiong's trusted uncle and key advisor Li Xiang (李驤), who carried the title of the Prince of Han. When Li Shou was 18, Li Xiong, believing in his talent, made him in general, and he distinguished himself at his post of Jinshou (晉壽, in modern GuangyuanGuangyuan
Guangyuan is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, China. It has an area of 16313.78 square kilometers and a population of 2,484,123 in 2010...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
). After his father died in 328, he was given a number of important posts and created the Duke of Fufeng. In a campaign in 332 and 333, he further led a Cheng Han army to conquer the Jin
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...
possession Ning Province (寧州, modern Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
and Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
) -- which Cheng Han forces had previously been unable to conquer, further solidifying his reputation as a general. For this victory, he was created the Prince of Jianning.
During Li Qi's reign
After Li Xiong died in 334 and was succeeded by his nephew and crown princeCrown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Li Ban
Li Ban
Li Ban , courtesy name Shiwen , posthumous name initially Crown Prince Li , later Emperor Ai of Cheng , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han....
, pursuant to Li Xiong's edict, Li Shou was one of the key officials in control of the government, along with He Dian (何點) and Wang Gui (王瓌). He did not appear to be involved either for or against the plot by Li Xiong's sons Li Yue (李越) and Li Qi
Li Qi
Li Qi , courtesy name Shiyun , posthumous name Duke You of Qiongdu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han. He seized the throne after his brother Li Yue assassinated their father Li Xiong's designated heir, their cousin Li Ban, in 334...
to overthrow Li Ban, and after Li Yue assassinated Li Ban later that year and made Li Qi emperor, Li Shou was created the Prince of Han and continued to initially be in control of the government. When Li Qi's cousin Li Shi (李始) asked Li Shou to join him to depose Li Qi, Li Shou refused—and Li Shi in turn falsely accused him of treason, but Li Qi instead asked Li Shou to attack Li Ban's brother Li Wu (李玝), who had warned Li Ban previously about Li Yue and Li Qi. Li Shou sent messengers to persuade Li Wu to persuade him to flee and left a path for Li Wu to do so, so Li Wu fled to Jin. After this campaign, Li Qi made Li Shou the governor of Liang Province (梁州, modern northern Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
) with his post at Fucheng (涪城, in modern Mianyang
Mianyang
Mianyang is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Its administrative area includes the city proper of Mianyang, with 985,586 inhabitants in the built up area , the county-level city of Jiangyou, and six counties, covering an area of over and a population...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
).
During his reign, Li Qi was constantly suspicious of possible rebellions, and Li Shou frequently worried that Li Qi would kill him, as both Li Qi and Li Yue were apprehensive of him. Therefore, whenever he had to visit the capital Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, he had his subordinates submit false report of attacks by Later Zhao
Later Zhao
The Later Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity...
, so that he could then return to his defense post. In 338, Li Shou consulted the hermit Gong Zhuang (龔壯), who advised him to rebel and to declare himself a Jin vassal. Li Shou then further planned an attack with his advisors Luo Heng (羅恆) and Jie Siming (解思明). Li Qi, hearing some rumors of this, several times sent the eunuch Xu Fu (許涪) to spy on Li Shou and also poisoned Li Shou's adoptive brother Li You (李攸). Li Shou, in response, forged a letter from his brother-in-law Ren Diao (任調), which stated that Li Qi was about to arrest and kill Li Shou; he then showed the letter to his soldiers. His soldiers believed the letter and agreed to march on Chengdu.
Li Shou's attack was not anticipated by Li Qi, and further, Li Shou's heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
Li Shi, a capital guards officer, opened the gates and welcomed the forces in. Li Shou forced Li Qi to order the execution of Li Yue and several other officials that Li Qi trusted. He then forged an edict by Li Xiong's wife Empress Dowager Ren
Empress Ren
Empress Ren was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Cheng Han. Her husband was the founding emperor Li Xiong ....
deposing Li Qi and creating him the Duke of Qiongdu. Li Qi committed suicide later that year.
Reign
Luo and Jie suggested Li Shou claim only the title Prince of Chengdu and submit to Jin as a vassal, but Ren, Cai Xing (蔡興), and Li Yan (李艷) persuaded Li Shou to take the throne instead. He then changed the name of the state from Cheng to Han and started a new imperial temple enshrining his father Li Xiang and his mother Lady Zan, making a break with Li Xiong's regime. Indeed, he was so embarrassed about the events of Li Xiong's era that he ordered that his subordinates' petitions and reports not be allowed to refer to Li Xiong's virtues, believing that he could exceed Li Xiong in all things. He requested that Gong come out of his seclusion and serve as a senior advisor, but Gong, disappointed that Li Shou was not willing to be a Jin vassal, declined. He created his wife Princess Yan empress, and he created Li Shi crown prince.Later in 338, the official Ren Yan (任顏), Empress Dowager Ren's brother, plotted a coup but was discovered and executed. Li Shou used this as an excuse to also execute all of Li Xiong's surviving sons.
In spring 339, Cheng Han lost Ning Province—which Li Shou himself had captured several years earlier—to Jin. For the next several years, Jin and Cheng Han would, however, continue to fight over parts of Ning Province.
In 340, Later Zhao's emperor Shi Hu
Shi Hu
Shi Hu , courtesy name Jilong , formally Emperor Wu of Zhao , was an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao...
wrote to Li Shou, seeking an alliance against Jin. Li Shou agreed and began to build a fleet and store food supplies, ready to attack, despite opposition by Jie. Gong visited Chengdu and analyzed the situation for Li Shou—that if Jin were destroyed, Li Shou would be forced to submit to Later Zhao as well due to Later Zhao's sheer size. Li Shou thereafter cancelled the plan to attack Jin. Indeed, later that year, the chances of an alliance with Later Zhao was further damaged when Li Shou wrote Shi Hu with arrogant terms, causing Shi Hu much offense.
Early in his reign, Li Shou followed Li Xiong's ruling methods of being lenient, but later, after his messengers to Later Zhao told him about how Shi Hu kept order by harsh laws, Li Shou modified his style to be far harsher and also, in emulation of Shi Hu, started many construction projects. This, just like how Shi Hu burdened his people, burdened the people of Cheng Han, greatly weakening their loyalty toward the state.
In 343, Li Shou died and was succeeded by Crown Prince Shi.
Personal information
- Father
- Li Xiang (李驤), Prince Xian of Han and Li XiongLi XiongLi Xiong , courtesy name Zhongjuan , formally Emperor Wu of Cheng , was the first emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han and commonly regarded as its founder...
's uncle, posthumously honored as Emperor Xian
- Li Xiang (李驤), Prince Xian of Han and Li Xiong
- Mother
- Lady Zan, posthumously honored as empress dowagerEmpress DowagerEmpress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
- Lady Zan, posthumously honored as empress dowager
- Wife
- Empress YanEmpress Yan (Zhaowen)Empress Yan was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Cheng Han. Her husband was Li Shou . When Li Shou, after a coup, took over the throne from his cousin and the founding emperor Li Xiong's son Li Qi, he created her empress in 338...
(created 338)
- Empress Yan
- Major Concubines
- Consort Li, daughter of Li Feng (李鳳), mother of Prince Shi
- Children
- Li ShiLi ShiLi Shi , courtesy name Ziren , historically known by his Jin Dynasty -bestowed title Marquess of Guiyi , was the last emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han...
(李勢), the Crown Prince (created 338), later emperor - Li Guang (李廣), committed suicide 345
- Li Shi