| Emperor Ningzong of Song 宋寧宗 | |||||||||||||
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| Emperor of the Song dynasty | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 24 July 1194 – 17 September 1224 | ||||||||||||
| Coronation | 24 July 1194 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Guangzong | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Lizong | ||||||||||||
| Born | Zhao Kuo (趙擴) 19 November 1168 | ||||||||||||
| Died | 17 September 1224(1224-09-17) (aged 55) | ||||||||||||
| Burial | Yongmao Mausoleum (永茂陵, in present-dayShaoxing, Zhejiang) | ||||||||||||
| Consorts | |||||||||||||
| Issue | Princess Yuping | ||||||||||||
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| House | Zhao | ||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Song (Southern Song) | ||||||||||||
| Father | Emperor Guangzong | ||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Ciyi | ||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||
| Emperor Ningzong of Song | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 宋寧宗 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 宋宁宗 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Peaceful Ancestor of the Song" | ||||||||||
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| Zhao Kuo | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 趙擴 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 赵扩 | ||||||||||
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Emperor Ningzong of Song (19 November 1168 – 17 September 1224), personal nameZhao Kuo, was the 13themperor of theSong dynasty of China and the fourth emperor of theSouthern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1194 until his death in 1224.
He was the second son and the only surviving child of his predecessorGuangzong and like his father, Ningzong was weak-minded; easily dominated by women.[1] During Ningzong's reign, he had built 75 commemorative shrines and steles, the most in Song history.[2] He was a great patron of art, promoting artists such asLiang Kai andMa Yuan to painter-in-waiting and writing poems about their paintings.[3] Upon Ningzong's death, a minor official and a remote relative of Ningzong becameEmperor Lizong.
He was noted for the cultural and intellectual achievements made during his reign. In particular,Zhu Xi wrote some of his most famousNeo-Confucianist works during this period. However, Emperor Ningzong was known for his aversion towards the spread of Neo-Confucianism in his imperial court due to the influence of his chancellorHan Tuozhou and on the political side, however, Emperor Ningzong saw his government being plagued by rising inflation that threatened the economy and the military advances by theJurchens from the north during thewars between the Song dynasty and Jurchen-ledJin dynasty.
In absence of a son, he adopted a relative named Zhao Xun in 1197 who was only 6 years old.[4]
In 1198,Neo-Confucianism was banned for two years until the ban was repelled in 1202.[5][6]
As the Jin were weakening because of natural disasters, Ningzong's chancellor Han Tuozhou continually provoked the weak Jin by launching raids.[7] War against the Jin was officially declared on June 14, 1206, by Han Tuozhou.[8] The war was a disaster. Despite the Jin's weakness due to the natural disasters, it repulsed the Song attacks and even counter-attacked. To make things worse, Ningzong was not interested in the war effort[9] and morale was low. There was not enough supplies and many of the army deserted. Wu Xi (吳曦; d. 1207), the governor-general of Sichuan, defected to the Jin in December 1206.[10] This was bad, as Wu was holding the western front, however, Song loyalists assassinated Wu on March 29, 1207, before Jin troops could take control of the surrendered territories.[11] Fighting continued in 1207, but by the end of that year the war was at a stalemate. The Song was now on the defensive, while the Jin failed to make gains in Song territory.[12] The failure of Han Tuozhou's aggressive policies led to his demise. On December 15, 1207, Han was beaten to death by the Imperial Palace Guards.
A peace treaty was signed on November 2, 1208, and the Song tribute to the Jin was reinstated. The Song annual indemnity increased by 50,000 taels of silver and 50,000 packs of fabric.[13] The treaty also stipulated that the Song had to present to the Jin the head of Han Tuozhou, who the Jin held responsible for starting the war.[13] The heads of Han and Su were severed from their exhumed corpses, exhibited to the public, then delivered to the Jin finally ending the war.[14]
In 1210, the Mongols, formerly a Jin tributary, ended their vassalage and attacked the Jin in 1211.[15] In light of this event, the Song court debated ending tributary payments to the weakened Jin, but they chose to avoid antagonizing the Jin.[16] As the Mongols expanded, the Jin suffered territorial losses and attacked the Song in 1217 to compensate for their shrinking territory.[17] The Jin continued attacking the Song until they agreed to a peace treaty and the Jin returned home. However, the Song would never regain their lost land.
In 1220, Emperor Ningzong's adopted heir Zhao Xun died fromdysentery. Zhao Xun was only29 years old.[4]Shi Miyuan decided when Ningzong died, another relative namedZhao Hong was to succeed him butZhao Hong was never placed as heir-apparent due to conflicts withShi Miyuan and when Ningzong died, he was replaced byZhao Yun, the futureEmperor Lizong.[4]
Emperor Ningzong fell ill before dying a few days later in 1224.[18] Ningzong may have been poisoned. It is also worth mentioning that Ningzong was physically weak: hisofficial portrait showing him as nearly emaciated, suggesting physical ailments of some gravity.[4][original research?] He was succeeded by another relative namedZhao Yun as all of Ningzong's children died young.
He was a good monarch but sickly at times and this allowed his wife theEmpress Yang to exploit his inadequacies and become the de facto ruler of the Empire for nearly 30 years.
Ye Shi criticized the taxation system during the reign of Emperor Ningzong as a "ruthless extortion".[19] He stated:
Since the government crossed the Yangtze River, taxes have been double what they were in theXuanhe period. Never in history has government spending been as huge as it is today.
— Ye Shi,Essays: Financial Affairs[19]
Ye Shi pushed for fiscal conservatism, while many Confucian moralists supported fiscal expansion.[20]
Adopted Issue:
Emperor Ningzong Born: 1168 Died: 1224 | ||
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| Preceded by | Emperor of the Song dynasty 1194–1224 | Succeeded by |
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