Emperor Daozong of Liao

Emperor Daozong of Liao
Emperor of the Liao dynasty
Reign 28 August 1055 – 12 February 1101
Predecessor Emperor Xingzong
Successor Emperor Tianzuo
Born Yaogu (Khitan name)
Yelü Deguang (sinicised name)
(1032-09-14)14 September 1032
Died 12 February 1101(1101-02-12) (aged 68)
Era dates
Qingning (清寧; 1055–1064)
Xianyong (咸雍; 1065–1074)
Dakang (大康; 1075–1084)
Da'an (大安; 1085–1094)
Shouchang (壽昌; 1095–1101)
Posthumous name
Rensheng Daxiao Wen Huangdi
(仁聖大孝文皇帝)
Temple name
Daozong
Father Emperor Xingzong
Mother Empress Xiao Dali
Emperor Daozong of Liao
Traditional Chinese 遼道宗
Simplified Chinese 辽道宗
Chala (Khitan name)
Chinese 查剌
Yelü Hongji (sinicised name)
Chinese 耶律洪基

Emperor Daozong of Liao (14 September 1032 – 12 February 1101), personal name Chala, sinicised name Yelü Hongji, was the eighth emperor of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty.

Life

The Pagoda of Fugong Temple, built in 1056 at the site of Daozong's grandmother's family home in Ying County, Shanxi.

Emperor Daozong succeeded his father, Emperor Xingzong, in 1055. He was notable for reviving the name "Great Liao" in 1066, a designation first given the kingdom by Emperor Taizong in 947. Other noteworthy achievements made during his reign include the completion of a Liao edition of the Buddhist Tripitaka and the construction of the Sakyamuni Pagoda in 1056.

Emperor Daozong faced a number of assassination attempt throughout his life. In 1063, when a group of Khitans, angry that their system of tribal justice had been put under local Han Chinese administration, ambushed the emperor while he was on a hunting trip. Emperor Daozong survived the attack and the rebels were executed. However, in order to reassert his legitimacy as emperor, he was forced to perform a traditional "rebirth" ceremony. In 1070, he restructured the Liao legal system to reflect the differences in Han Chinese and Khitan customs.

Emperor Daozong's reign was fraught with corruption. He spent lavishly on his palaces and his Buddhist worship. Many people under his rule were angered by the high taxes and began to rebel against the Liao dynasty, most notably the Jurchen tribes which would eventually overthrow and replace the Liao dynasty.

Emperor Daozong of Liao
House of Yelü (916–1125)
Born: 1032 Died: 1101
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Emperor Xingzong
Emperor of the Liao Dynasty
1055–1101
Succeeded by
Emperor Tianzuo
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