Name Emperor of Died 1208 | ||
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Reign January 20, 1189 – December 29, 1208 Father Wanyan Yungong 完顏允恭 (posthumously honored as Emperor Xianzong) Mother Lady Tudan 徒單氏 (posthumously honored as Empress Xiaoyi) Ancestors Emperor Taizu of Jin, Emperor Shizong of Jin, Wanyan Yungong, Wanyan Helibo, Empress Yijian, Wanyan Zongyao | ||
Grandparents Emperor Shizong of Jin Great-grandparents Wanyan Zongyao | ||
Emperor Zhangzong of Jin (31 August 1168 – 29 December 1208), personal name Madage, sinicised name Wanyan Jing, was the sixth emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, which ruled northern China between the 12th and 13th centuries. He reigned from 20 January 1189 to 29 December 1208.
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Life
Emperor Zhangzong was the sixth emperor of the Jin dynasty. He inherited the throne from his grandfather, Emperor Shizong and was succeeded by Wanyan Yongji.
To some extent, Emperor Zhangzong continued his grandfather's policy of encouraging intensive use of the Jurchen language and promotion of Jurchen customs. He forbade wearing of Han Chinese clothes and required his subjects to perform the Jurchen kowtow ceremony. He required his meng'an and mouke (Jurchen hereditary feudal nobility) to take an archery test if they wanted to sit for a jinshi examination. On the other hand, he permitted Jurchens to follow Han Chinese funeral practices, and Tang and Song dynasty rituals are known to have been performed at his court in 1194.
Resuming one of the projects of the Prince of Hailing, Emperor Zhangzong established Confucian temples in all prefectures and counties of his empire.
Emperor Zhangzong ordered Taiye Lake built in Beijing for him to go fishing. Unlike his grandfather, Emperor Zhangzong did not consider hunting as a natural and necessary way of military training but viewed it as recreation.
Song invasion of the Jin
When, in 1206, the troops of the Southern Song chancellor Han Tuozhou invaded the Jin dynasty, trying to reunify China from the south, Emperor Zhangzong's armies defeated the invaders.
The conflict began when the Song were informed of Jurchen troubles with the rising Mongols and natural disasters. The Song began provoking Emperor Zhangzong in 1204 and onward by orchestrating raids on Jin settlements. The fighting continued to escalate, partly aggravated by Song officials in support of revanchism, and war against the Jin dynasty was officially declared on June 14, 1206.
The Song advance was impeded by Jin military successes and declining soldier morale that forced many to desert. By the fall of 1206, multiple towns and military bases had been captured by the Jurchens. Neither side was willing to continue fighting, and a peace treaty was signed on November 2, 1208. To obtain peace, the Song dynasty had to yield territory, pay an indemnity, and execute their hawkish chancellor. The Song dynasty was obligated to pay an annual tribute of 50,000 taels of silver and 50,000 packs of fabric. They also delivered the severed head of the minister who had instigated the war to the Jurchens.