China was ruled by an emperor for over 2000 years. The first emperor was Qin Shi Huang who took the title in 221BC after he united all of China under one rule. The last emperor was Puyi of the Qing Dynasty who was overthrown in 1912 by the Republic of China.
How was the emperor chosen?
When the current emperor died, typically his oldest son became emperor. It didn't always happen this way, however. Sometimes there were disputes over who should become emperor and rivals were killed or wars began.
Titles
The Chinese word for "Emperor" is "Huangdi". There were a number of titles that people used to refer to the emperor including "Son of Heaven", "Lord of Ten Thousand Years", and "Holy Highness."
Many emperors also had a name that referred to their reign or era. For example, the Kangxi Emperor or the Hongwu Emperor.
Great Emperors
Here are some of the most famous emperors of China.
Emperor Wu of Han by Unknown [Public Domain]
Qin Shi Huang (221 BC to 210 BC) - Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China and founder of the Qin Dynasty. He united China under one rule for the first time in 221 BC. He began many economic and political reforms throughout China. He also built up the Great Wall of China and was buried with the Terracotta Army.
Emperor Gaozu of Han (202 BC to 195 BC) - Emperor Gaozu started life as a peasant, but helped to lead a revolt that overthrew the Qin Dynasty. He emerged as the leader and established the Han Dynasty. He reduced taxes on the common people and made Confucianism an integral part of the Chinese government.
Emperor Wu of Han (141 BC to 87 BC) - Emperor Wu ruled China for 57 years. During that time he greatly expanded China's borders through a number of military campaigns. He also established a strong central government and promoted the arts including poetry and music.
Emperor Taizong (626 AD to 649 AD) - Emperor Taizong helped his father to establish the Tang Dynasty. Once emperor, Taizong implemented many changes in the economy and government that helped to usher China into a golden age of peace and prosperity. His reign was considered one of the best in Chinese history and was studied by future emperors.
Empress Wu Zetian (690 AD to 705 AD) - Empress Wu was the only woman to rule China and take the title of emperor. She promoted officials based on talent, not on family ties. She helped to expand the empire and reformed areas of the economy and government that caused China to flourish in the future.
Kublai Khan (1260 AD to 1294 AD) - Kublai Khan was the ruler of the Mongolians who conquered China. He established the Yuan Dynasty in 1271 and took the title of Emperor of China. Kublai built up the infrastructure of China and established trade with outside countries. He brought different cultures and peoples into China.
Hongwu Emperor (1368 AD to 1398 AD) - The Hongwu Emperor founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368 AD when he forced the Mongols from China and ended the Yuan Dynasty. He established a powerful Chinese army and distributed land to the peasants. He also established a new code of laws.
Kangxi Emperor (1661 AD to 1722 AD) - The Kangxi Emperor was the longest ruling emperor of China at 61 years. His reign was a time of prosperity for China. He expanded the borders of China and had a dictionary of Chinese characters compiled that later became known as the Kangxi Dictionary.
Interesting facts about Emperors of China
There were over 500 emperors of China.
The words of an emperor were considered sacred and were to be obeyed immediately.
The emperor ruled under the "Mandate of Heaven." If the emperor did not do a good job, the mandate could be taken away.
An emperor may have several wives, but only one was called the Empress.
Activities
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For more information on the civilization of Ancient China:
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Dynasties Major Dynasties Xia Dynasty Shang Dynasty Zhou Dynasty Han Dynasty Period of Disunion Sui Dynasty Tang Dynasty Song Dyanasty Yuan Dynasty Ming Dynasty Qing Dynasty
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People Confucius Kangxi Emperor Genghis Khan Kublai Khan Marco Polo Puyi (The Last Emperor) Emperor Qin Emperor Taizong Sun Tzu Empress Wu Zheng He Emperors of China
Works Cited
History >> Ancient China
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Among the most famous emperors were Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty, emperors Gaozu and Guangwu of the Han
Han
The Han dynasty (UK: /ˈhæn/, US: /ˈhɑːn/; traditional Chinese: 漢朝; simplified Chinese: 汉朝; pinyin: Hàncháo) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu.
, Emperor Taizong of Tang of the Tang, Kublai Khan of the Yuan, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming
the Ming
The Ming dynasty (/mɪŋ/ MING), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China.
Again according to Sima Qian, the Five Emperors were the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Emperor Yao, and Shun. The Yellow Emperor, also known as Huangdi, supposedly ruled for an even 100 years, from 2697 to 2597 BCE.
Discover the story of China's First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang was born on 18 February in 259 BC. Famed for his army of terracotta warriors built to protect him for eternity, the Emperor is also one of the most controversial figures in history.
Taizong is considered to be one of the greatest emperors in China's history, and henceforth his reign became regarded as the exemplary model against which all future emperors were measured.
Among the most famous emperors were Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty, emperors Gaozu and Guangwu of the Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang of the Tang, Kublai Khan of the Yuan, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming, and the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing.
Often regarded as China's greatest emperor; technically the second emperor of Tang but really the power behind the throne even during his father's reign. He inaugurated a long period of cosmopolitan splendor and military dominance.
Tang Taizong is arguably the greatest Emperor in Chinese history. In Asia, many historians rank him with such rulers as Augustus, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon.
In October of 1911, a group of revolutionaries in southern China led a successful revolt against the Qing Dynasty, establishing in its place the Republic of China and ending the imperial system.
During the subsequent Shang ( c. 1600–1046 BCE) and Zhou (1046–256 BCE) dynasties, rulers were referred to as Wang 王, meaning king. China was fully united for the first time by Qin Shi Huang ( r.
Recent scientific studies have found significantly higher levels of mercury around the tomb than expected, suggesting that the toxic element may be escaping through cracks in the structure. For now, the tomb of Qin Shi Huang remains sealed, its mysteries preserved.
The second emperor of China was Qin Er Shi. Qin Er Shi, also known as Ying Huhai, was the Chinese emperor from 210 to 207 BCE. His reign ended when he committed suicide—he was twenty-two years old. His father, Qin Shi Huang, was the first Emperor of China.
The formidable and ambitious Qin Shi Huang was the first to rule a unified China, and historical reports suggest he became obsessed with drinking mercury in a misguided quest for eternal life. He often drank wine laced with mercury and might have died of mercury poisoning at the age of 49, the BBC reported.
In contrast to almost all of his predecessors, who had many consorts and concubines and fathered many children, the Hongzhi Emperor had only one empress, Empress Zhang. His empress gave birth to two sons, but the second one died at a young age.
Because like most kings and emperors through history, they were regarded as gods, or at least the chosen representative on Earth of whatever gods they had. This pattern was repeated throughout the human world, with concepts ranging from Divine right of kings to the Mandate of Heaven .
Five Good Emperors, the ancient Roman imperial succession of Nerva (reigned 96–98 ce), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138), Antoninus Pius (138–161), and Marcus Aurelius (161–180), who presided over the most majestic days of the Roman Empire. It was not a bloodline.
Currently, the Emperors are Red-Haired Shanks, Blackbeard, Straw Hat Luffy, and Buggy the Star Clown; Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaidou of the Beasts are the former known members from the previous generation prior to their succession.
Image above - Zhong Bell. Song Dynasty, Five Dynasties (960)
Five Dynasties (Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, Later Zhou) controlled the North, while more than ten kingdoms established themselves in the South.
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