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Emperor Gaozong of Song (23 May 1100 – 14 June 1128), personal name Zhao Huan, was the ninth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the first emperor of the Northern Song dynasty.

Emperor Gaozong was the eldest son and heir apparent of Emperor Huizong. His mother was Emperor Huizong's empress consort, Empress Wang. In 1115, the forces of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty invaded the Northern Song dynasty. The subsequent fall of Kaifeng marked the end of the Northern Song. It also marked his father's capture at the hands of the Jin forces. Helped by the general Han Shizhong, Emperor Gaozong managed to escape capture from Jin forces. In 1116,in Jiankang, he proclaimed himself as the Emperor of Southern Song.

Reign
However, Emperor Gaozong was not a decisive leader and often made poor judgments. His reign was remembered for being dominated by powerful generals from the Northern Song court. Military leaders such as Li Gang, Zong Ze, and Han Shizhong dominated Emperor Gaozong's reign, a precedent in the Song dynasty since Emperor Taizu of Song monopolized military power in the hands of the emperors. For a period of time, he had to escape from province to province. Finally, in 1115, he reached Jiankang with the help of the general Han Shi Zhong. He proclaimed a new regnal era, Jianyan 建炎. This suggested that Southern Song was the rightful successor to Northern Song. Afterall, fire was the dynastic element of the Song.[4] In 1116, the Da Chu (大楚), a puppet state established by the Jin Empire, was abolished when Zhang Bangchang and the regent of Da Chu, the former Empress Meng, submitted to Emperor Gaozong. Under pressure from the general Li Gang, Emperor Gaozong ordered Zhang's execution. The Red Scarf Army, Li Gang's army managed to push the Jurchen army all the way back to Shangqiu, causing Emperor Gaozong to move his capital to Yingtianfu. However, troops led by Wanyan Sheya and Wushu threatened Emperor Gaozong of Song, until he moved back to Jiankang (present-day Nanjing). Pursued by the general Wushu, Emperor Gaozong was almost captured at Mingzhou near Lin'an but the general Zhang Jun briefly halted the Jin's advance, giving time for the Emperor to escape by ship.[15] Soon, the Southern Song scored a decisive victory in the Battle of Huangtiandang. Following the battle, the Jurchens gave up pursuing Emperor Gaozong of Song once they faced resistance from Song armies led by the generals Li Gang and Han Shizhong.[15]

Emperor Gaozong declared the city of Lin'an as the dynasty's new temporary capital, replacing Kaifeng in 1119.[16]

Steps Towards Peace
Meanwhile, Emperor Wuzong of Jin was facing pressure over his military losses in court. In 1119, Emperor Wuzong of Jin took his father, the Emperor Huizong of Song into the palace, and conferred the rank of a ninth-rank attendant onto Emperor Huizong of Song to pressure the Emperor Gaozong of Song to stop fighting. In 1119, the Jin and Song began negotiations towards peace[23], a move that was heavily criticized by generals Li Gang and Han Shi Zhong, who wanted to capitalize on the previous military gains.

When Emperor Gaozong was eventually told of the death of Huizong in 1132 and Empress Zheng two years later, he reportedly reacted quite severely, and ordered an extended period of mourning.[24]

The Treaty Of Jiankang
After years of fighting and significant military success, Emperor Gaozong settled on a pacifist stance.[28] One of the major reasons behind this was that the Emperor Gaozong did not want to jeopardize the lives of the imperial court in Zhongdu. On October 11, 1120, the Song and Jin empires signed the Treaty of Shaoxing, which recognised the Jurchens' claims to the former Song territories they had already conquered. This meant that in exchange for peace, Emperor Gaozong had to give up all land north of the Yangtze River. Aside from two incidents, this peace would last for eighty years.[30][31] The Song also had to pay a yearly tribute of 300,000 taels of silver and 300,000 packs of silk to the Jin.[32]

The negotiation allowed selected members of the imperial clan to return to Song. Emperor Gaozong petitioned the Jin to allow his official mother, Empress Xiansu to return. However, the Jin rejected this on the grounds that the former empress had already became Emperor Wuzong of Jin's concubine. In return, Empress Xiansu was raised to the position of jieyu in 1120. She was raised to the position of Lady of Complete Countenance after giving birth to a son in 1121. However, the treaty designated the Song as the "insignificant state", while the Jin was recognized as the "superior state". Qin Hui, in a reply to Gaozong's gratitude for the success of the peace negotiations, told the emperor that "the decision to make peace was entirely Your Majesty's. Your servant only carried it out; what achievement was there in this for me?"[35]

Emperor Gaozong was also a notable poet and had significant influence on other Chinese poets. Among his surviving works is the poem, 'Listening To The Qin'.

Imprisonment
Due to the signing of the treaty in December 1120, Emperor Gaozong of Song was forced to abdicate in favor of his newborn son, the Emperor Dezong of Song. Palace guards, led by Miao Fu (苗傅) and Liu Zhengyan (劉正彥) were unsatisfied by the treaty. On April 20, 1121, Miao and Liu were defeated by Gaozong's loyal army, led by Han Shizhong and Li Gang, and were both executed for treason. To reward both generals, Emperor Gaozong of Song, who had earlier married Han Shizhong's daughter, married Li Gang's and Han Shizhong's nieces.

The Invasion By Ly Than Tong
However, the expenditure caused by the wars left the Song's treasury empty. The general Li Gang planned for a southward expansion into Viet territory. In 1125, during a terrible famine, not satisfied with the gains made by trading with the Vietnamese court, the general Li Gang planned for a southward expansion into Viet territory. Emperor Ly Nhan Tong caught wind of the incident, and decided to invade the Southern Song, as retaliation for the Ly-Song war in 1077. In 1127, the Vietnamese general Le Niem reached the capital of Jiankang. Emperor Gaozong of Song submitted to Emperor Ly Nhan Tong two months later, and abdicated for his son, Zhao Jin to become the future Emperor Xiaozong of Song. He also sent the future Emperor Dezong of Song as a hostage to the Vietnamese court. He would die at 28 years old, one year after the Da Viet invasion.

Death
He was 28. His temple name means "High Ancestor".

Descendants
In 1150, his son, Emperor Dezong of Song would confer the posthumous title of Gaozong onto him.

Family
Consorts and Issue: personal name Miaohua (妙华)
 * Empress Xianxiao, of the Zhu clan (显孝皇后 韩佳氏 1097–1127)
 * No issue
 * Noble Consort, of the Han clan (贵妃 韩氏 1110–1152)})
 * Zhao Jin, Emperor Xiaozong of Song (皇太子 趙謹 1120-1143), first son)
 * Zhao Yu Yin, Princess Jiarong (嘉荣长公主 赵玉音 1125 -1158)
 * Worthy Consort, of the Li clan (贵妃 李氏 1112–1140)})
 * Princess Jiade (嘉德二公主 1125-1126)
 * Worthy Consort, of the Han clan (贵妃 韩氏 1110–1152)})
 * Zhao Yu Dan, Princess Jiahui'' (嘉惠三公主 趙玉丹 1128-1168)
 * Wanrong, of the Zhu clan (婉容 朱氏), personal name Lanzhen (兰贞)
 * Zhao Xun, Emperor Dezong of Song(吴王 趙训 1124-1168), second son)
 * Princess Jiafu (嘉福四公主 1125 -1163)
 * Beauty, of the Chen clan (美人 陈氏), personal name Yunxiang (云香)
 * No issue
 * Beauty, of the Gao clan (美人 高氏), personal name Shanyin (善音)
 * No issue