[December 16] Wu, empress of China

Local Name: Wǔ Zétiān (武則天)
Parents: Wu Shihu, duke of Ying, and Yang
Date of Birth: 17 February 624
House: Zhou
Spouse(s): (1) Taizong, emperor of China, then (2) Gaozong, emperor of China
Predecessor: Wang
Reign: 690 – 705
Brief: China's only empress regnant and a blatant usurper who named her dynasty the "Zhou Dynasty", Empress Wu is a rather unique figure in Chinese history. She came to power through her companionship with Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who had her as a concubine. When the emperor died prematurely, she married his son and successor, Gaozong, becoming his first and foremost wife. When the emperor had a stroke in 660, she claimed the regency for him. When Taizong died in 683, she continued as regent for their son Zhongzong. When Zhongzong began to rebel the next year, she deposed her son and installed Ruizong, her youngest son, in his place. She then began a purge of all rival members of the Tang dynasty, either killing them or forcing them to commit suicide. In 690, she deposed her son and claimed the throne for herself, destroying the traditional order of succession established a thousand years before. As empress, she elevated Buddhism over Taoism across China, and built temples for it. She then began expanding the empire outward in all directions, especially strengthening the garrisons in the north. Throughout her fifteen-year reign, Wu fought against rivals, intrigues, and outside attacks, but in the end, expanded China to one of its broadest extents since Han times. She became ill in 705 and was forced to abdicate, dying later that year. Though a usurper, Tang historians decided nevertheless to honor her memory and she and her dynasty entered the record books as Wu of Zhou, empress regnant of China. 

Date of Death: 16 December 705

Successor: Wei

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• Eberhard, duke of Friuli (867)
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• John II, duke of Lorraine (1470)
• Leopold II, prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1751)
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[September 26] Taichang, emperor of China

[September 10] Shi Huang, emperor of China

Birth Name: Zhào Zhèng (趙政)
Surnamed: Shi Huangdi (The First Emperor: 始皇帝)
Parents: Zhuangxiang, king of Qin, and Zhào Ji, a concubine
House: Ying (Qin)
Born: 259 BCE
Predecessor: Zhuangxiang (as king of Qin)

Reign: 221 – 210 BCE

Date of Death: 10 September 210 BCE

Successor: Er Shi

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Baldwin II, count of Flanders (918)
• Matilda, lady of the English (1102)
• Henry II, count of Champagne (1197)
• Go-Nijo, emperor of Japan (1308)
• Louis I, king of Hungary, Sicily & Poland (1382)
• John, duke of Burgundy (1419)
• Charles III, prince of Monaco (1889)
• Ferdinand, king of Bulgaria (1948)
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[September 2] Jiaqing, emperor of China

Native Name: 嘉慶帝

Date of Birth: 13 November 1760
Parents: Qianlong, emperor of China, and Xiaoyichun
House: Qing (Manchu)
Spouse(s): (1) Xiaoshurui, daughter of Hitara Horchingo, duke of Cheng'en, and Yongyan of China, then (2) Xiaoherui, daughter of Gong'ala

Predecessor: Qinglong

Reign: 1796 – 1820

Summary: Born in a secondary imperial palace, his mother was a native Chinese woman while his father was descended from the Qing dynasty of Manchuria north of China. In 1773, Jiaqing became the crown prince when his elder brothers dies. A close advisor to his father, Heshen, was severely despised by the prince for his abuses of power. When he became emperor, his first task was to remove the entrenched minister of state. Jiaqing's father abdicated the throne in 1795 to avoid out-reigning his father, Kangxi. His father continued to rule for another three years as a retired emperor.

In 1799, Jiaqing took over management of the empire from his father, who died early in the year. Heshen was accused of corruption and abuse of power, stripped of his titles and rank, and ordered to commit suicide. The White Lotus Rebellion and the Miao Rebellions had broken out around this time and emptied the Chinese treasury quickly, putting China at a severe economic disadvantage. His lifelong goal became the re-establishment of Chinese fortunes and influence in East Asia. Unfortunately, British imperialism led to an outflow of silver to pay for Indian opium, a process that continued to drain the Chinese treasury. In 1803, and again in 1813, members of Jiaqing's family attempted to kill the emperor. Hundreds of members of the family were exiled for their betrayal. Fearing the spread of European ideas, the preaching of Catholicism was outlawed in China under penalty of death. Those Christians already in China were sent to Muslim cities in western China and given as slaves to appease Muslim leaders. By 1820, Jiaqing was an obese emperor and probably suffered a stroke resulting in his death. His second son, Daoguang, succeeded him.

Date of Death: 2 September 1820
Successor: Daoguang

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[June 24] Hongwu, emperor of China

True Name: 洪武帝
Parents: Zhu Shizhen and Chen Erniang
Date of Birth: 21 October 1328
Royal House: Ming
Spouse: Xiao Ci Gao, daughter of Ma Gong and Zheng
Predecessor: Huizong
Reign: 69 – 79 CE
Date of Death: 24 June 1398
Successor: Jianwen












Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Maximinus Thrax, emperor of Rome (238)
• Frederick IV, duke of Austria (1439)

[June 5] Sima Lun, emperor of China

China during the Jin Dynasty, including the War of the Eight Princes

Full Name: 司馬倫

Parents: Sima Yi (Xuan), posthumous emperor of China, and Lady Bai

Date of Birth: before 249

House: Jin

Predecessor: Hui

Reign: 301

Summary: China after the fall of the Han Dynasty was often in turmoil. The Jin Dynasty arose from the ashes of the Three Kingdoms period as a factional and rival-prone family destined to rule China only for a brief time. Sima Lun was one such rival. He was the youngest son of high Jin administrator and member of the royal family. His nephew, Sima Yan, established the Jin dynasty as Emperor Wu in 265 and Sima Lun was named prince of Langye. He served in various minor posts such as provincial governor and an army general and was accused of various crimes, all pardoned by his nephew. During the reign of Emperor Hui, his grandnephew, Sima Lun was placed in charge of the Qin province where he caused an uprising. He fled to the capital at Luoyang and attempted to flatter himself into an administrative position in the capital, but was rebuffed. The Empress Jia, regent for the emperor, had previously been involved in a conspiracy that saw the overthrow of the crown prince. She replaced him in his regency duties. Sima Lun decided to join the conspirators. He convinced the empress regent to assassinate the deposed crown prince, which she did in 300, but then he declared a coup and had her arrested. Her entire clan was murdered and the empress was forced to commit suicide. Sima Lun then installed himself as regent over the frail Emperor Hui. His co-conspirator and advisor, Sun Xiu, convinced Sima Lun to depose Hui and declare himself emperor of China. Hui's grandson was executed and Hui was placed under house arrest. 

Sima Lun's usurpation of the throne was not taken well by the Chinese people. The new emperor awarded honors to many former rebels to pacify them. He placed most members of the Jin family under guard or house arrest, but one, Sima Jiong, rose up in rebellion first. The other family members joined in the revolt before Sima Lun could quiet them. His forces were quickly defeated by a joint army of Jin soldiers from various provinces, all preceded over by Jin family members. The usurper was captured in Luoyang and forced to restore Hui to his throne. He was then commanded to commit suicide. His advisors were all executed for supporting a usurper and all of Sima Lun's sons were tracked down and forced to commit suicide.

Date of Death: 5 June 301

Successor: Hui

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Louis X, king of France (1316)

Dmitry, grand prince of Vladimir (1383)

Bodawpaya, king of Burma (1819)

Edward VIII, king of the United Kingdom (1972)

[March 19] Huaizong, emperor of China

True Name: Bing 宋帝昺

Parents: Duanzong, emperor of China, and Yu

Date of Birth: 1271

House: Zhao (Song Dynasty)

Predecessor: Duanzong

Reign: 1278 – 1279

Summary: Luck was never on Huaizong's side, nor on the side of his immediate successors. His father died when he was only three. China at the time of his birth was in its death-throws due to the menace of the Mongol Hordes in the north. Huaizong's father, Duzong, was a drunkard and womanizer who gave all his political power to an incompetent minister. When he died, the empire fell to his four-year-old second son, Gong. Control of state remained in the hands of the minister, Jia Sidao, and the Grand Empress Dowager Xie. By this point, most of China was under Mongol control and the emperors were figureheads on the run.  The empress and her grandson surrendered to the Mongols in 1276 leaving the empire under the control of Duzong's elder son, Duanzong. Throughout this entire time, Huaizong was shuttled around China with his siblings, attempting to flee. Duanzong established his capital at Fuzhou in 1277 but the Song monarchy could not hold off the Mongols for long. The princes were forced to flee again in early 1278 and took a ship to Guangdong, where the royals stayed in Hong Kong. During the flight, Duanzong fell from the boat and almost drowned. He died a few months later due to injuries received from the fall. Huaizong, thus, became the only heir left to the Song Dynasty at the age of seven. 

Huaizong was enthroned on 10 May 1278 on Hong Kong but his reign would prove to be short and dramatic. He had no true regency and was unable to govern by himself. Lu Xiufu was one of his only surviving advisors while Empress Dowager Yang ruled technically as the regent. Lu became the prime minister and ran the government for the young emperor, but there was barely any government to run. In 1279, a full-scale Mongol invasion of Hong Kong began led by General Zhang Hongfan. The imperial court was forced to flee again but battle was met at Yamen. The remains of the Song army and navy were obliterated by the Mongols and Huaizong was angry at the ease of the Mongol victory. Lu, seeing the end of the dynasty in sight, acted to ensure another Song prince didn't fall into Mongol hands. He ordered his wife to commit suicide and then informed the emperor that eternal shame would fall on the Song dynasty if the Mongols captured him. Lu then picked up the emperor and the imperial seal and jumped off a cliff into the sea, killing them both. By the end of the battle, tens of thousands of bodies floated dead in the sea, the result of mass suicide by the Song ruling elite. With the death of Huaizong, the Song dynasty came to an end, though former emperor Duanzong lived for many more years as a Mongol prince. The body of Emperor Huaizong was recovered and interred in a tomb at Shekou, Shenzhen Province.

Date of Death: 19 March 1279

Successor: Kublai Khan

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[February 10] Chengzong, khagan of the Mongolian Empire

True Name: Temür Öljeytü Khan (Öljiyt Tömör or 鐵穆耳)

Parents: Zhenjin, son of Kublai Khan, and Kokejin

Royal House: Yuan

Spouse: Bulugan

Reign: 1294 – 1307

Predecessor: Kublai Khan

Summary: As the successor of the great Kublai Khan, first Mongol khagan to rule over China as well as the largest Mongol empire in history, Chengzong had a lot of work to do. Kublai outlived both his eldest son and his second son, Temür, who was Chengzong's father. Temür died when Chengzong was 21, and the young prince retained his mother as an advisor throughout his reign. From 1286 until his own coronation in 1294, he was the obvious heir and campaigned with his grandfather regularly. Kublai appointed him governor of Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire, and there he received the submission of three princes of a rival Mongol line. In 1294, Kublai died and a kurultai (election council) was called to elect the next Great Khan. Despite many years as the unofficial heir, he required the vote of the khanate to gain the throne. He won the crown against the contest of his brother, Gammala, and became the second Yuan Emperor of China.

As Great Khan and Emperor, Chengzong was a more conservative ruler than his grandfather. He maintained the borders but looked to internal reform rather than outright expansion. He cancelled planned invasions of Japan and Vietnam, instead favoring simple submissions and tribute. Chengzong did, however, send help to Burma to help quell a revolt there. He diversified the bureaucracy of China by brining in Mongols, Muslims, Tibetans, Taoists, and Christians, although he personally remained a Buddhist. Problems within the khanate began under his reign. The Ilkhanate converted to Islam in 1295 and broke ties with the Great Khanate. Meanwhile, the Chagatai Khanate, one of the largest branches, was in the midst of a civil division that pitted them occasionally against any neighbor who got in the way. They were eventually pacified, but it did not last long. Other branches of the khanate were more respecting of their elected, though mostly titular, leader, but the integrity of Genghis Khan's empire was fading. It faded further with the death of Chengzong because he did not leave an heir when he died in 1307. After his death, the Mongols only followed the Great Khan nominally, preferring instead to follow their own goals.

Date of Death: 10 February 1307

Successor: Külüg Khan

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• William IX, duke of Aquitaine (1126)
• Baldwin III, king of Jerusalem (1162)
• Shijo, emperor of Japan (1242)
• Margaret II, count of Flanders (1278)
• Leo XII, pope of Rome (1829)
• Abdul Hamid II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1918)
• Pius XI, pope of Rome (1939)

[January 3] Yuan, emperor of China

Formal Name: Sima Rui Zhongzong Yuan Jin (司馬 睿 中宗 元)

Parents: Sima Jin, prince of Langye, and Xiahou Wenji

Date of Birth: 276

Royal House: Jin

Spouse: Yu Mengmu Yuanjing

Reign: 318 – 323

Predecessor: Min of Jin

Summary: Yuan rose to prominence during the reign of Emperor Huai when he was appointed military general of the Yang Province south of the Yangtze River. Since he was new to the region, he appointed two local politicians as his chief advisors and Yuan eventually earned the respect of the populace. When Huai was captured in 311, Yuan took in all the politicians who had fled from Luoyang, the imperial capital. Seeing an opportunity, he began consolidating power south of the Yangtze River. This upset the local population and Yuan spent many years attempting to pacify his realm. When Emperor Huai was executed in 313, the new emperor, Min, accepted Yuan as Prime Minister, thereby keeping an uneasy truce between the two powers. In 316, Min was captured and Yuan did little to help him. Instead, Yuan took the title "Prince of Jin" and set up his son as his heir. A few months later, Min was executed and Liu Cong, a member of a rival family, declared himself emperor of China. Yuan disagreed and declared himself emperor as well.

As emperor, Yuan had a hard time unifying China and never succeeded in it. In the north, the Later Zhao dynasty set up shop, deposing Yuan's distant Jin cousins who had ruled China for fifty years. Over the course of the subsequent years, sixteen rival dynasties would divide up China between them. Eastern Jin was the senior among them at the start, but quickly faded into obscurity. Yuan's final years were fraught with infighting between his advisors that led to the deaths of many of them and the virtual autonomy of another. 

Date of Death: 3 January 323

Successor: Ming of Jin

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