The Han Ling Emperor Liu Hong was a famous emperor in Chinese history, and during his reign, he was absurd and unscrupulous, betrayed officials and lords, caused chaos in the government, triggered the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and pushed the Eastern Han Dynasty to the brink of collapse. Even Dong Zhuo looked down on the Han Ling Emperor, "Lord of the world, it is advisable to be wise, and every time you read the Spirit Emperor, it is infuriating!" "However, many people do not know that in fact, The Han Ling Emperor was not a prince at all, he was just a pavilion marquis before he ascended the throne, and his title was also very low." So, why was Liu Hong able to become the Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty as a Prince of Ting?
1. Xie Du TingHou
Although Liu Hong, the Emperor of HanLing, was born into a clan family, his father, grandfather, and even great-grandfather were not emperors! The Gaozu of the Han Ling Emperor Liu Hong was Emperor Zhang of Han, and Emperor Zhang of Han was the third emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the grandson of Liu Xiu, the Guangwu Emperor. Emperor Zhang of Han had seven sons, the sixth of whom was named Liu Kai, who was given the title of King of Hejian and his fief was located in present-day Hebei Province. Liu Kai had sixteen sons, the fourth of whom was named Liu Shu (劉淑), and was given the title of Marquis of Xieduting.
After Liu Shu's death, his title was inherited by his son Liu Cang. In 157, Liu Cang's wife Dong Shi gave birth to a son, named Liu Hong, the later Emperor Ling of Han. A few years later, Liu Cang fell ill and died, and Liu Hong, who was still a child, inherited his father's title and became the third generation of Xie Du Ting Marquis. According to the title system of the Han Dynasty, among the marquises, "the big one eats the county, and the small one eats the township and the pavilion", that is to say, the county marquis has more food and high status, while the Tinghou has less food and low status.
2. Heaven descends to the throne
Under normal circumstances, according to Liu Hong's title and his blood relationship with the imperial family, let alone being an emperor, he didn't even have the opportunity to be a prince! However, the crown actually fell from the sky, and it directly hit Liu Hong's head! One day in the first month of 168, Liu Hong, the Marquis of Xieduting, came to the capital Luoyang, was welcomed into the imperial palace by the general Dou Wu, and then ascended the throne, becoming the twelfth emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Liu Hong was only twelve years old!
The direct reason why Emperor Han Ling was able to become emperor was that Emperor Huan of Han died early and was childless! In December 167, Emperor Huan of Han died of illness in the front hall of Deyang, at the age of six Chinese New Year's Eve. Emperor Huan of Han reigned for more than twenty years, but he had only three daughters and did not leave a single prince, and with his death, the eastern Han Dynasty was empty. In this case, two people decided the ownership of the throne, they were The Empress Dou of the Han Huan Emperor and Empress Dou Wu's father Dou Wu!
THIRD, the policy of prohibition is determined
After the death of Emperor Huan of Han, Empress Dou was promoted to empress dowager and became the ruler of the imperial government, and Empress Dou's father, Dou Wu, directly decided on the selection of a new emperor. The new emperor must meet three conditions: First, he must be from the hejian state. It turned out that from the beginning of Emperor Huan of Han, the throne had already been transferred to the line of Liu Kai, the king of Hejian, and according to blood relations, the new emperor had to choose from the hejian state. Second, it must be the sons and nephews of Emperor Huan of Han. This is well understood, because of the relationship between the royal family.
Third, you must not be very old. This is not difficult to understand, if the new emperor is too old, Dou Wu will not be able to control it, let alone run the government. In this case, Dou Wu found Liu Huan ( 劉鯈 ) from Hejian and asked him about "the sage of the prince Hou Zhi of his kingdom", and Liu Huan recommended Liu Hong, the marquis of Xieduting, who was only twelve years old. Dou Wu was very satisfied with this, "Empress Dowager Bai, so she was established as Emperor Ling." However, it turned out that the Han Ling Emperor was not a wise man at all!
References: 1. Book of the Later Han Dynasty; 2. Zizhi Tongjian