User:HuangdiOfSongChina/sandbox2

In 1260, Kublai sent one of his advisors, Hao Ching, to the court of Emperor Lizong to say that if Lizong submitted to Kublai and surrender his dynasty, he would be granted some autonomy. Emperor Lizong refused to meet Kublai's demands and imprisoned Hao Ching and when Kublai sent a delegation to release Hao Ching, Emperor Lizong sent them back.

== Emperor Xiaozong==

Emperor Xiaozong of Song (27 November 1127 – 28 June 1194), personal name Zhao Shen, courtesy name Yuanyong, was the 11th emperor of the Song dynasty in China and the second emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He started his reign in 1162 when his adoptive father and predecessor, Emperor Gaozong, abdicated and passed the throne to him. Even though Emperor Gaozong became a Taishang Huang ("Retired Emperor") after his abdication, he remained the de facto ruler, so Emperor Xiaozong only fully took over the reins of power in 1187 after Emperor Gaozong's death. After ruling for about a year, Emperor Xiaozong followed in his predecessor's footsteps and abdicated in favour of his third son Zhao Dun (Emperor Guangzong), while he became Taishang Huang and still remained in power until his death in 1194.

He was the first descendant of Emperor Taizu to become emperor.

Life
Zhao Shen was a seventh-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu, the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty. He was the second son of Zhao Zicheng (趙子偁; died 1143), a sixth cousin of Emperor Gaozong, the 10th Song emperor. After the Jingkang Incident in 1127, Emperor Gaozong's father, eldest brother and most of his close relatives were taken prisoner by the Jurchen-led Jin Empire. As Emperor Gaozong's only son, Zhao Fu (趙旉), died prematurely around the age of two, the emperor ordered his officials to start searching for other living descendants of the imperial family. Zhao Shen was discovered and adopted by Emperor Gaozong in April 1160 as a son. In July 1162, Emperor Gaozong officially designated Zhao Shen as his crown prince and heir apparent.

In 24 July 1162, Emperor Gaozong abdicated in favor of Emperor Xiaozong who became emperor. Emperor Gaozong retained power as Taishang Huang.

Archery and equestrianism were required for non-military officials at the Military College in 1162 during Emperor Xiaozong's reign.

In 1165, he reached peace with the Jin Dynasty.

Xiaozong was also responsible for Yue Fei's posthumous rehabilitation, as well as clearing out the remnants of Qin Hui's faction in court.

In 1187, the impetus Emperor Gaozong died and Emperor Xiaozong was stricken with grief.

In 1189, Emperor Xiaozong abdicated in favour of his son, Zhao Dun who took the throne as Emperor Guangzong. He then granted himself the title Taishang Huang and remained as the de facto ruler.

He became ill in 1194 and died.

Emperor Guangzong
Emperor Guangzong of Song (30 September 1147 – 17 September 1200), personal name Zhao Dun, was the 12th emperor of the Song dynasty in China and the third emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He was the third son of his predecessor, Emperor Xiaozong. His mother was Emperor Xiaozong's first wife, Lady Guo (郭氏; 1126–1156), who was posthumously honoured as "Empress Chengmu" (成穆皇后).

During his childhood, Guangzong either suffered from bipolar or severe neurosis.

Emperor Xiaozong abdicated in favor of Emperor Guangzong in 1194 which Emperor Guangzong later described his crowning as king and then Emperor Guangzong as a "double celebration" which gave the city of Chongqing its present-day name in honour of Guangzong. According to Xu Wei, the Nanxi style of theatre began in Emperor Guangzong's reign. Guangzong listened to some treacherous officials and dismissed the popular military leader Xin Qiji. Guangzong gave into drinking in his middle years which deteriorated his mental state. He was forced to give up his throne to Zhao Kuo, his only surviving son in 1194 by his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Wu, as he refused to attend the funeral procession of his father, Emperor Xiaozong due to the influence of his wife Empress Li Fengniang. He died in 1200 near Shaoxing, Zhejiang possibly from melancholy as he was mentally ill.

Emperor Ningzong
Emperor Ningzong of Song (19 November 1168 – 17 September 1224), personal name Zhao Kuo, was the 13th emperor of the Song dynasty in China and the fourth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1194 until his death in 1224. He was the second son and the only surviving child of his predecessor Guangzong. His mother Empress Li Fengniang may have to do something with the deaths of Ningzong’s half-siblings as she killed Ningzong’s stepmother Huang who was pregnant at the time.

He was noted for the cultural and intellectual achievements made during his reign. In particular, Zhu Xi wrote some of his most famous Neo-Confucianist works during this period. However, Emperor Ningzong was known for his aversion towards the spread of Neo-Confucianism in his imperial court due to the influence of his hawkish chancellor Han Tuozhou.

On the political side, however, Emperor Ningzong saw his government being plagued by rising inflation that threatened the economy and the military advances by the Jurchens from the north during the wars between the Song dynasty and Jurchen-led Jin dynasty.

In absence of a son, he adopted a relative named Zhao Xun in 1197 who was only 6 years old.

In 1220, his adopted heir Zhao Xun died from dysentery. Zhao Xun was only 29 years old. Shi Miyuan decided when Ningzong died, another relative named Zhao Hong was to succeed him but Zhao Hong was never placed as heir-apparent and when Ningzong died, he was replaced by Zhao Yun, the future Emperor Lizong.

He died in 1224 when he collapsed suddenly before dying. Ningzong may have been poisoned; it is also worth mentioning that Ningzong was physically weak as a nearly emaciated which suggested physical ailments of some gravity was shown in his official portrait. He was succeeded by another relative named Zhao Yun as all of Ningzong’s children died young.

Emperor Lizong
Emperor Lizong of Song (26 January 1205 – 16 November 1264), personal name Zhao Yun, was the 14th emperor of the Song dynasty in China and the fifth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1224 to 1264. Although he was a descendant of the Song dynasty's founder Zhao Kuangyin (Emperor Taizu) through his son Zhao Dezhao and hence a member of the imperial clan, Zhao Yun was not in line to succeed to the throne as his family had no political status. Shi Miyuan, who was the chancellor for many years, collaborated with Empress Dowager Yang and brought Zhao Yun to the throne.

Early Life
Although related to the Song imperial family, Emperor Lizong was only distantly related as he was the 10th generation descendant of the founding Song Emperor, Emperor Taizu more than 250 years before. His original name was Zhao Yuju. Zhao Yuju spent his childhood in obscurity living away from the imperial court in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. One rainy day in his early teens, along with his younger brother Zhao Yurui, Zhao Yuju stood huddling under a bridge along with an official, Yu Tianxi who was sent by Chancellor Shi Miyuan tasked to locate a suitable successor to the Song throne as the incumbent crown prince has recently passed away at aged 28. After discovering the true identity of this teenager, Yu quickly informed Shi Miyuan who agreed to groom Zhao Yuju to be replaced as the crown prince. Zhao Yuju changed his name to Zhao Guicheng after becoming crown prince. After Emperor Ningzong died in 1224, Shi, along with Empress Dowager Yang, supplanted the reigning crown prince and replaced Zhao Yun as emperor, reigning as Song Lizong. He later changed his name to Zhao Yun after becoming emperor.

Reign
Lizong's long reign of 40 years did little to improve the predicament of the Song Empire in his time. The emperor was uninterested in governmental affairs, and for the first decade of his rule he delegated matters into the hands of his ministers, notably Shi Miyuan, who was the de facto ruler in his absence. After Shi Miyuan's death in 1233, Emperor Lizong assumed full authority briefly but again quickly abandoned the responsibility of ruling and delegated matters to his chancellor Ding Daquan in order to pursue personal enjoyment. It was said that the emperor frequented brothels and invited prostitutes into the palace in his late years, which was vehemently opposed by his ministers.

Notable events during Emperor Lizong's reign included the demise of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in 1234, which was obliterated by the joint forces of the Mongol Empire and Song Empire. The Jurchens had fought multiple wars with the Song Empire decades before it was conquered by the Mongols. However, in 1259, the Mongols turned against the Song Empire. The Song government was forced to capitulate and cede all territories north of the Yangtze River to the Mongols. In 1279, the Mongols would eventually conquer the rest of the Song Empire.

In 1264, he used rockets to celebrate an anniversary for his mother. Also in 1264, Emperor Lizong died sonless (his sons died prematurely) from a illness and was succeeded by his nephew, Zhao Qi (Emperor Duzong).

One of his daughters married a descendant of Zhu Xi.

Posthumous Humiliation
After Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty, Lizong’s tomb was dug up. His corpse was well perserved and monks hung Lizong’s corpse for three days before cutting his head then cutting a portion of Lizong’s skull to make a wine cup before giving it to Kublai Khan. It was only after Zhu Yuanzhang defeated the Yuan Dynasty that Lizong was buried again.

Emperor Duzong
Emperor Duzong of Song (2 May 1240 – 12 August 1274), personal name Zhao Qi, was the 15th emperor of the Song dynasty in China and the sixth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He was a nephew of his predecessor, Emperor Lizong, and reigned from 1264 until his death in 1274. His birth name was Zhao Mengqi but his name was changed to Zhao Zi in 1251 and finally to Zhao Qi in 1253 after he was designated as Emperor Lizong's heir apparent.

Early Life
Emperor Duzong’s mother wanted to have an abortion for unknown reasons so she took drugs. However, Emperor Duzong was still born but the drugs effected him. His intelligence was low, his hand and feet were soft and he couldn’t even speak until he was seven years old. Duzong also had a huge lump on his forehead. Duzong was discovered by his paternal uncle Emperor Lizong in 1253 who was sonless who adopted Duzong and designated him crown prince. Emperor Lizong died in 1264 and Emperor Duzong became emperor.

Reign
Emperor Duzong's reign was plagued with rebellions, warfare and upheaval. The Mongols had spent decades harassing the Song Empire's borders and were on the verge of conquering the whole of China. Emperor Duzong ignored his duties and instead delegated all state and military affairs to the hands of Jia Sidao; the emperor instead indulged in drinking and women and lived in opulence. To make things even worse, Duzong’s intelligence was still lower than a normal person and he was often depressed. At first, he told the officials to be straightforward and tell him the problems in the countries, but this was all an act. Soon, he completely neglected his duties. Furthermore, he had a very high sexual appetite. Under Song laws, any woman who had sexual relations with the emperor had to pay respects to the emperor every morning. At one point, there were as many as 30 women paying their respects to Emperor Duzong in one morning. Duzong also gave official documents to four of his most favored women.

The decisive Battle of Xiangyang was fought in 1274 when the Mongols succeeded in capturing and destroying the last Song stronghold. The loss of Xiangyang sealed the fate of the Song dynasty and the news of its capture was deliberately hidden from Emperor Duzong by Jia Sidao.

Emperor Duzong died shortly thereafter from overindulgence in wine and was succeeded by his sixth son, Zhao Xian (Emperor Gong), who was then only four years old. Although Emperor Duzong was technically not the last emperor of the Song dynasty, historians see him as the last Song emperor who could have made decisions that would've significantly halted or even prevented the fall of the dynasty.

Emperor Gongzong
Emperor Gong of Song (2 November 1271 – May 1323), personal name Zhao Xian, was the 16th emperor of the Song dynasty in China and the seventh emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. The sixth son of his predecessor, Emperor Duzong, Zhao Xian came to the throne around the age of four, and reigned for less than two years before he was forced to abdicate in 1276. He was succeeded by his fifth brother, Zhao Shi (Emperor Duanzong).

Reign
Emperor Duzong died in 1274 from overindulgence in wine. His sixth son, Zhao Xian, who was then about four years old, was enthroned as the new emperor with assistance from the chancellor Jia Sidao. In the following year, Zhao Xian's grandmother (Grand Empress Dowager Xie) and mother (Empress Dowager Quan) became regents for the child emperor, although state and military power remained under Jia Sidao's control.

By the time Zhao Xian came to the throne, the Mongol Empire had already taken control of the northern and southwestern areas of China, crossed the Yangtze River and acquired key strategic locations such as Xiangyang. They were heading towards the Song capital at Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou). Grand Empress Dowager Xie pursued a dual-strategy to the pending destruction of the Song dynasty: On one hand, she ordered the people to rally behind their emperor and save the Song Empire. On the other hand, she tried to make peace with the Mongols. The Mongol army advanced further and captured Song territories and took control of various prefectures along the middle stretches of the Yangtze River.

In early 1275, Jia Sidao led an army of 30,000 to engage the Mongols at Wuhu. The Song army suffered defeat and not long afterward, bowing to public pressure, Grand Empress Dowager Xie ordered Jia Sidao's execution. However, the move came too late and the fall of the Song dynasty loomed closer.

By the middle of 1275, the Mongol army had controlled most of the Jiangdong region, the southern part of present-day Jiangsu Province. On 18 January 1276, the Mongol general Bayan showed up with his army outside Lin'an. The Song imperial court sent Lu Xiufu to negotiate for peace with the enemy, but Lu was forced to surrender. Later that year, Grand Empress Dowager Xie brought the five-year-old Zhao Xian with her to the Mongol camp to surrender.

Remnants of the Song Empire fled southwards to Fujian and Guangdong provinces, where they continued to resist the Mongols. Zhao Xian's fifth brother, Zhao Shi (Emperor Duanzong), was enthroned as the new emperor. Zhao Shi died of illness in 1278 and was succeeded by his seventh brother, Zhao Bing.

In 1279, after the Battle of Yamen, Lu Xiufu brought Zhao Bing with him to Yashan (present-day Yamen, Guangdong Province), where they committed suicide by drowning themselves at sea. The death of Zhao Bing marked the end of the Song dynasty.

Ennoblement by the Yuan dynasty
After the fall of the Song dynasty, Zhao Xian was relocated to the Mongol capital at Dadu (present-day Beijing) then later to Shangdu. Some sources also claim that he lived in Qianzhou (謙州; present-day Tuva in South Central Siberia). His sojourns made him one of the most well-travelled Han Chinese emperors in Chinese history.

Journey to the Mongol capital
Soon after Zhao Xian surrendered, the Mongol general Bayan urged him to travel north for an audience with the Mongol emperor, Kublai Khan. As a result, in March 1276, Zhao Xian left Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou) and proceeded towards Shangdu. Grand Empress Dowager Xie remained behind due to illness so he was accompanied northwards by Empress Dowager Quan, the Lady of Long (隆國夫人; Emperor Duzong's mother), Zhao Yurui (趙與芮; Emperor Lizong's younger brother and Zhao Xian’s grandfather), Zhao Naiyou (趙乃猷), and members of the privy council Gao Yinggong (高應松) and Xie Tang (謝堂). The former emperor's entourage also included Weng Zhongde (翁仲德), Wang Yuanliang (汪元量), and other palace officials.

After they crossed the Yangtze River, two former generals, Li Tingzhi (李庭芝) and Miao Zaicheng (苗再成), planned to hijack a transport to carry them all but failed. The group arrived in Dadu in May, and then proceeded to Shangdu, where Kublai Khan received them in the Hall of Great Peace (大安殿). The Khan conferred the title "Duke of Ying" (瀛國公) on Zhao Xian and a princess title on Zhao Xian's Mongol wife, Lady Borjigin. Kublai Khan further ordered that Zhao Xian and Lady Borjigin be given a residence in Dadu and receive preferential treatment. In 1298, Zhao Xian was given permission to move his residence to Shangdu. Between 1314 and 1320, the Mongol ruler Emperor Renzong received the Goryeo ruler Chungseon at his court. Chungseon asked to see visit Zhao Xian's residence and composed a song about him.

Relocation to Tibet
Kublai Khan wanted to preserve some vestiges of the Song imperial clan and in October 1288 issued an edict ordering Zhao Xian to relocate to Tibet. There, Zhao Xian was to study the Brahmana and Tibetan classics. Other sources claim that while in Tibet, Zhao Xian decided to study Buddhism instead. Kublai Khan's motive for this edict is unclear, as is whether such a relocation constituted a banishment. The Khan may have acted out of genuine concern for the former emperor or he may have wished to remove the Song heir to the throne out of China proper. In December 1288, Zhao Xian departed from Amdo (མདོ་སྨད, Wylie: mdo smad; Chinese: 朵思麻) in present-day Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, for Ü-Tsang (དབུས་གཙང, Wylie: dbus gtsang; Chinese: 烏思藏) within the borders of present-day Tibet. He became a resident at the Sakya Monastery and was given the dharma name "Chos kyi Rin chen" (ཆོས་ཀྱི་རིན་ཆེན་). Later on, Zhao Xian took over as the head monk at the monastery, translating Buddhist texts between the Chinese and Tibetan languages under the name "Sman rce Lha btsun" (སྨན་རྩེ་ལྷ་བཙུན་, Chinese: 合尊 hézūn), which means "royalty of Mangi" in Tibetan language.

Death
According to Sakya's monastic succession records, in April 1323, the 52-year-old Zhao Xian received an imperial edict ordering him to commit suicide at Hexi (河西; present-day Zhangye, Gansu Province. Many Ming dynasty historians believed that this was because Zhao Xian's poetry displeased the Mongol ruler, Emperor Yingzong.

Emperor Gong’s unofficial temple name is Gongzong (恭宗)

There is a rumour that Emperor Huizong was actually the son of Emperor Gong.