Emperor Gaozu of Han
Emperor Gaozu of Han (Chinese: 漢高祖; 256 – 1 June 195 BC), given name Liu Bang (劉邦), courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emperor Gao, or Gaodi; "Gaozu of Han", derived from the Records of the Grand Historian, is the common way of referring to this sovereign even though he was not accorded the temple name Gaozu ("High Ancestor").
| Emperor Gaozu of Han 漢高祖 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Posthumous depiction from the Ming dynasty | |||||||||||||
| Emperor of the Han dynasty | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 28 February 202 – 1 June 195 BC | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Qin Er Shi (Qin dynasty) | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Hui | ||||||||||||
| King of Han | |||||||||||||
| Reign | c. March 206 – 28 February 202 BC | ||||||||||||
| Born | 256 BC Feng, Pei, State of Chu | ||||||||||||
| Died | 1 June 195 BC (aged 61) Chang'an, Han dynasty | ||||||||||||
| Burial | Chang Mausoleum (長陵) | ||||||||||||
| Consorts | Empress Lü Empress Gao Consort Cao Consort Qi Lady Zhao | ||||||||||||
| Issue | Liu Fei, King Daohui of Qi Emperor Hui of Han Liu Ruyi, King Yin of Zhao Emperor Wen of Han Liu Hui, King of Liang Liu You, King of Huaiyang Liu Chang, King Li of Huainan Liu Jian, King of Yan Princess Yuan of Lu | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| House | Liu | ||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Han (Western Han) | ||||||||||||
| Father | Liu Tuan | ||||||||||||
| Mother | Wang Hanshi | ||||||||||||
| Emperor Gaozu of Han | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 漢高祖 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 汉高祖 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "High Ancestor of Han" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liu Bang (personal name) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 劉邦 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘邦 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liu Bang was one of the few dynasty founders in Chinese history who was born into a peasant family. Prior to coming to power, Liu Bang initially served for the Qin dynasty as a minor law enforcement officer in his home town Pei County, within the conquered state of Chu. With the First Emperor's death and the Qin Empire's subsequent political chaos, Liu Bang renounced his civil service position and became an anti-Qin rebel leader. He won the race against fellow rebel leader Xiang Yu to invade the Qin heartland and forced the surrender of the Qin ruler Ziying in 206 BC.
After the fall of the Qin, Xiang Yu, as the de facto chief of the rebel forces, divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, and Liu Bang was forced to accept the poor and remote Bashu region (present-day Sichuan, Chongqing, and southern Shaanxi) with the title "King of Han". Within the year, Liu Bang broke out with his army and conquered the Three Qins, starting a civil war known as the Chu–Han Contention as various forces battled for supremacy over China.
In 202 BC, Liu Bang emerged victorious following the Battle of Gaixia, unified most of China under his control, and established the Han dynasty with himself as the founding emperor. During his reign, Liu Bang reduced taxes and corvée, promoted Confucianism, and suppressed revolts by the lords of non-Liu vassal states, among many other actions. He also initiated the policy of heqin to maintain a de jure peace between the Han Empire and the Xiongnu after losing the Battle of Baideng in 200 BC. He died in 195 BC and was succeeded by his son, Liu Ying.