Emperor Renzong of Song

Emperor Renzong of Song

Palace portrait on a hanging scroll, kept in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Emperor of the Song dynasty
Reign 24 March 1022 – 30 April 1063
Predecessor Emperor Zhenzong
Successor Emperor Yingzong
Born Zhao Shouyi (1010–1018)
Zhao Zhen (1018–1063)
(1010-05-30)30 May 1010
Died 30 April 1063(1063-04-30) (aged 52)
Empresses Empress Guo
Empress Cao
Concubines Consort Zhang
Consort Miao
Consort Zhou
Consort Yang
Consort Yu
Consort Dong
Consort Zhang
Consort Zhang
Consort Zhu
Consort Zhang
Consort Lian
Consort Yang
Issue
  • Zhao Fang
  • Zhao Xin
  • Zhao Xi
  • Princess of Zhou-Chen
  • Princess of Xu
  • Princess of Deng
  • Princess of Zhen
  • Princess of Chu
  • Princess of Shang
  • Princess of Lu
  • Princess of Tang
    Princess of Chen
    Princess of Qin-Lu
    Princess of Gun
    Princess of Yan-Shu
    Princess of Yu
Era dates
Tiansheng (天聖; 1023–1032)
Mingdao (明道; 1032–1033)
Jingyou (景祐; 1034–1038)
Baoyuan (寶元; 1038–1040)
Kangding (康定; 1040–1041)
Qingli (慶曆; 1041–1048)
Huangyou (皇祐; 1049–1053)
Zhihe (至和; 1054–1056)
Jiayou (嘉祐; 1056–1063)
Posthumous name
Titian Fadao Jigong Quande Shenwen Shengwu Ruizhe Mingxiao Huangdi
(體天法道極功全德神文聖武睿哲明孝皇帝) (awarded in 1083)
Temple name
Renzong (仁宗)
House House of Zhao
Father Emperor Zhenzong
Mother Consort Li
Emperor Renzong of Song
Chinese 宋仁宗
Zhao Zhen
Traditional Chinese 趙禎
Simplified Chinese 赵祯
Zhao Shouyi
Traditional Chinese 趙受益
Simplified Chinese 赵受益
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Zhao.

Emperor Renzong of Song (30 May 1010 – 30 April 1063), personal name Zhao Zhen, was the fourth emperor of the Song dynasty in China. He reigned for about 41 years from 1022 to his death in 1063, and was the longest reigning Song dynasty emperor. He was the sixth son of his predecessor, Emperor Zhenzong, and was succeeded by his cousin's son, Emperor Yingzong, because his own sons died prematurely. His original personal name was Zhao Shouyi but it was changed by imperial decree in 1018 to "Zhao Zhen".

Emperor Renzong is not widely known. His reign marked the high point of Song influence and power but was also the beginning of its slow disintegration that would persist over the next century and a half.[1] One possible reason behind its weakness is its interpretation of its own foreign policy. The official policy of the Song Empire at the time was one of pacifism and this caused the weakening of its military. The Tangut-led Western Xia state took advantage of this deterioration and waged small scale wars against the Song Empire near the borders.

When Emperor Renzong came to power, he issued decrees to strengthen the military and paid massive bribes to the Khitan-led Liao dynasty, an adversary of Western Xia, in the hope that this would ensure the safety of the Song Empire. However, these policies involved a heavy price. Taxes were increased severely and the peasants lived in a state of perpetual poverty. This eventually caused organised rebellions to take place throughout the country and the breakdown of the Song government.

Emperor Renzong elevated the 46th-generation descendants of Confucius to the current title of Duke Yansheng. They were previously of lower noble ranks.[2]

Legend

According to the 14th-century classical novel Water Margin, the first 27 years of Emperor Renzong's reign were known as the "Era of Three Abundances." But this was followed by a great plague around the year 1048 that decimated the population. It was only the prayers of the priests from the Taoist sect Way of the Celestial Masters that eventually lifted this pestilence. The imperial emissary who had been sent to the Taoist monastery recklessly entered the Suppression of Demons Hall, thinking the stories of demons was a hoax to delude gullible people.[3]

Ancestry

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Zhao Jing (趙敬)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Zhao Hongyin (趙弘殷)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Lady Liu (劉氏)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Emperor Taizong of Song
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Du Shuang (杜爽)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Empress Dowager Du
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Lady Fan (范氏)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Emperor Zhenzong of Song
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Li Ying (李英)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Consort Li (李夫人)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Emperor Renzong of Song
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Li Yansi (李延嗣)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Li Rende (李仁德)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Consort Li
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emperor Renzong.

References

  1. Zhenoao Xu, W. Pankenier, Yaotiao Jiang, David W. Pankenier (2000). East-Asian Archaeoastronomy: Historical Records of Astronomical Observations of China, Japan and Korea. CRC Press. ISBN 90-5699-302-X.
  2. "Updated Confucius family tree has two million members". News.xinhuanet.com. 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  3. Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong, translated by Sidney Shapiro (1993). Outlaws of the Marsh (Volume I, Chapter 1). Foreign Languages Press, Beijing. ISBN 7-119-01662-8.
Emperor Renzong of Song
Born: 30 May 1010 Died: 30 April 1063[aged 52]
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Emperor Zhenzong
Emperor of the Song Dynasty
1022–1063
Succeeded by
Emperor Yingzong
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