Emperor Taizu of Song |
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Emperor of the Song dynasty | |||||||||||||
Reign | February 960 – 14 November 976 | ||||||||||||
Successor | Emperor Taizong | ||||||||||||
Born | Zhao Kuangyin 21 March 927 Luoyang, Henan, China |
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Died | 14 November 976 Kaifeng, Henan, China |
(aged 49)||||||||||||
Burial | Gongyi, Henan, China | ||||||||||||
Empresses | |||||||||||||
Issue |
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House | House of Zhao | ||||||||||||
Father | Zhao Hongyin | ||||||||||||
Mother | Lady Du |
Era dates | |
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Jianlong (建隆; 4 February 960 – 3 December 963) Qiande (乾德; 4 December 963 – 15 December 968) Kaibao (開寶; 16 December 968 – 21 January 977) |
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Posthumous name | |
Qiyun Liji Yingwu Ruiwen Shende Shenggong Zhiming Daxiao Huangdi (啓運立極英武睿文神德聖功至明大孝皇帝) |
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Temple name | |
Taizu (太祖) |
Emperor Taizu of Song | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 宋太祖 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Literal meaning | "Great Progenitor of the Song" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Zhao Kuangyin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 趙匡胤 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 赵匡胤 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Sòng Tàizǔ |
Gwoyeu Romatzyh | Sonq Taytzuu |
Wade–Giles | Sung2 T'ai4-tsu3 |
IPA | [sʊ̂ŋ tʰâi̯.tsù] |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Sung Taaih-jóu |
Jyutping | Sung3 Taai6-zou2 |
Southern Min | |
Tâi-lô | Sòng Thài-tsó |
Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Zhào Kuāngyìn |
Gwoyeu Romatzyh | Jaw Kuangyinn |
Wade–Giles | Chao4 K'uang1-yin4 |
IPA | [ʈʂâu̯ kʰu̯áŋ.în] |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Jiu6 Hong1-yan6 |
Jyutping | Ziu6 Hong1-jan6 |
Southern Min | |
Tâi-lô | Tiō Khong-īn |
Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty in China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguished military general of the Later Zhou dynasty, Emperor Taizu came to power after staging a coup d'état and forcing Emperor Gong, the last Later Zhou ruler, to abdicate the throne in his favour.
During his reign, Emperor Taizu conquered the states of Southern Tang, Later Shu, Southern Han and Jingnan, thus reunifying most of China proper and effectively ending the tumultuous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. To strengthen his control, he lessened the power of military generals and relied on civilian officials in administration. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong).
Born in Luoyang to military commander Zhao Hongyin, Zhao Kuangyin grew up excelling in mounted archery. Once, riding an untamed horse without a bridle, he knocked his forehead on the wall above the city gate and fell off, but got right back up and chased the horse, eventually subduing it while going unharmed. In the mid-940s, he married Lady He on his father's arrangement. After wandering around for a few years, in 949 he joined the army of Guo Wei, a jiedushi (military governor) of the Later Han dynasty, and helped Guo quell Li Shouzhen's rebellion.