Brianna Gustafson
Mr. Burrows
History 4
6 December 2016
A New Direction: Song Taizu
“For prime minister, you must use an educated person.”
- Song Taizu
There was a dynasty known as the Song Dynasty, which was created from 960-1279 (Bentley, page 390). The dynasty went on for about 300 years. Taizu was the founder and first emperor of the Song Dynasty, he was originally named Zhao Kuang-yin (Encyclopedia). He was a great military leader and known for his reestablishment of the “civilian empire”, economic growth, and government (Encyclopedia). Taizu was made emperor by his military strategies, not by royalty or wealth. During his ruling, he controlled all of South China. How did Taizu influence change? Taizu played a key role implementing societal growth and improvement which was the foundation for what is known as the Song Dynasty.
…show more content…
Before he became emperor, the Tang Dynasty was in civil war and the country was in chaos. When Taizu was in the military he was directed to lead the counter attack against a northern military regime (Encyclopedia). Taizu addressed his troops and said “Don't do harm to the empress dowager and the little emperor. Don't bully the ministers and other officials. And don't loot inside or outside the capital…. If you obey me, you will get a handsome reward; but if you fail me, I shall not spare you.” (Encyclopedia). This solidified the soldiers trust and respect of Taizu. He gave them the warning not to harm anyone inside the palace and if they obeyed him he would reward them. The soldiers were led into the city by Taizu and went to the palace, where the young boy emperor was forced to step down from his throne peacefully. Through practical policies he recentralized authority by establishing loyalty and control of the army (Encyclopedia). Taizu as the new emperor, named his new dynasty
Mo Tzu lived and taught during the tumultuous Period of Warring States (475-221 BCE) in ancient China. He believed people should only do that which benefits themselves or others and that the civil wars that were taking place were a waste of both time and resources. At the time, Mo Tzu’s teachings were very controversial and differed from the popular belief...
One of the eras of a majestic ancient civilization that has left a lasting impression upon the world of today is the Chinese Song Dynasty. Established by General Zhao Kuangyin this dynasty lasted from 960–1279 AD and brought a new stability to China after many decades of civil war, and ushered in a new era of modernization. It was divided into the Bei (Northern) and the Nan (Southern) Song periods. This brilliant cultural epoch gave birth to major advances in economic reform, achievements in technology, and helped to further medical knowledge.
After starting the Chinese Empire, Shihuangdi based the empire on a harsh law system called legalism and was also influenced by Confucianism. Since Shihuangdi was the only ruler of the empire, the government was considered a strong central monarchy. When the Chinese empire had a good start, they expanded their territories to northern Vietnam, Korea, and the northwest steppes. Shihuangdi believed the harsher the empire the more respected, so he invested heavily into a strong military army a...
The Han Dynasty was a period of peace and prosperity. During the time of 206 BCE-220 CE, it was considered to be a world power having interests in literature,arts, culture, and technology as well as achieving numerous praiseworthy successes. It was found and established by Liu Bang, who became Emperor Gaozu following four years of civil war started by peasant uprisings agaisnt the Qin Dynasty. It was ruled by 12 emperors who promoted reform and lessened taxes, letting the people live in stability and peace. However, after two centuries the quality of Han rule declined and invasions overturned the dynasty entirely.
...Matsui had said, “Both Prince Asaka and Lieutenant General Yanagawa... were there. I told them everything had been lost in one moment through the brutalities of the soldiers. And can you imagine it, even after that, those soldiers laughed at me.” Tang Shengzhi was the First Commander for the Chinese during the battle, due to the fact that Chiang Kai-Shek did not want the burden.
The Song dynasty is actually divided into two separate periods: The Northern Song from 960-1126 A.D. and the Southern Song from 1126-1279 A.D. The northwestern part of the country had been taken over by the nomadic tribes, forcing the emperor move the capital to Kaifeng, then later to Hangzhou during the southern Song period. They also lost control of Tibet. (Duiker, & Spielvogel, 2009) While they struggled with territory control, the Song strived in economic development and cultural achievement.
And soon after Shi Huangdi came along. At the age of 13, he took the throne as a Chinese emperor. He started the Qin dynasty and led with an iron fist. He was very superstitious and was almost assassinated three times! Shi Huangdi believed that to get peace you had to force it upon your subjects.
In the early fifth century due to the weak Sui dynasty (561-617). The Emperor taxed heavy on its citizens and forced them to build large monuments and buildings with little to no pay. Many people as a result of this hard labor died. Fed up with heavy taxation and forced labor, rebellions occurred trough out Sui China and put the emperor to its grave 618. That same year Li Yuan, who was a Sui Governor in a Chinese province, later became emperor Gaozu of Tang declared himself ruler of the new Tang Dynasty. During his eight year reign, he united parts of China, relaxed harsh laws and promoted trade. After his retirement his son Li Shimin became the next Emperor of the Tang. He was also known as Emperor Taizong. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, China flourished economically and militarily. After his death, China enjoyed prosperity and peace brought about the soil faction of imperial protection over the Chinese regions.1 Also for the first time in this time period , China had trade relations with Yamato Japan. China also had strong diplomatic relations with the western world for the first time. In 674 the Sassanid Persian royal house fled the advancing Arab army and arrived in the Tang capital, Chang’an. Which became the most populist city in the world at the time, with two million
The Han Dynasty, the amazing Chinese era to have said to unified China for over 400 years old. This era in China’s history began in 206 B.C when a rebel armies rose up against the Qin army. One rebellion, led by Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang was later joined by Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu, Ying Bu, and Peng Yue joined forces with Liu Bang. The people of the Qin Dynasty were unhappy under the rule of Qin Shihuang who was ran his empire with an iron fist. His rule was absolute and disagreeing was punishable by death, though Emperor Qin was the one who to end the Warring States as well as complete the conquering of China in 221 B.C, thus expanding the Chinese state. After the takeover, Liu Bang took the name as Emperor of China and changed his given name to Emperor Gaozu and the Qin laws were abolished.
The rulers of the Ming and Safavid Dynasties strengthened their countries through careful control of their governments and military.
Written by Wu Sangui, the Chief Commander of the Liaodong garrison, this letter is addressed to Dorgon, the Regent of the Manchu. In this letter Wu details a rebel attack on the capital which resulted in the emperor of China loosing the Mandate of Heaven and committing suicide. The letter then turns to extolling upon the Regent’s virtues, and requesting that he send aid to help Wu. Wu also offers all of the wealth and women that the rebels have as payment for the Manchu’s aid. However, Wu’s purpose for requesting said aid from a former enemy is unclear.
The Qin Dynasty will set the foundation for the rest of the Chinese government in the future. ShiHuangdi, the emperor, made laws that if anyone in the government found out that you owned a book of Confucius
The Tang Dynasty’s rise is similar to the rise of the Han Dynasty, which began over 800 years earlier. The first emperor of the tang, Kao-tsu (618-626 C.E.), implemented many of the practices and ideas established during the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Kao-tsu carried on the tradition of local government rule, and also awarded each adult male in China equal amounts of land, in exchange for taxes. Emperor Taizong, who began rule in 626 C.E., was the son of Kao-tsu, also played an important role in the economic expansion of China and ruled during the beginning decades of the Tang. Emperor Taizong’s reign beg...
[of] the Board of Regents that Xianfeng created on his deathbed.” On November 1, 1862 Cixi, with the help of Prince Gong (Kung) and his brother Prince Chun (Ch’un), “stripped the regents of all their offices, blamed them for the recent troubles of China and arrested them” : a successful coup. This was known as the Xinyou Palace Coup. Although the Empress Dowager Ci’an had precedence traditionally, she did not like to involve herself in politics. This left much room for Cixi to thrive, especially because, during this time, “no one saw anything more in the twenty-six year old mother of the T’ung-chih
Yuan dynasty. The word Ming means “brilliant” and “bright.” The creator and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty was Chu Yuan-chang, who later changed his name to suit him and his new government.