Liu Bang

Liu Bang
A portrait of Emperor Gaozu in Sancai Tuhui.
Emperor of the Han dynasty
Born	256 BC or 247 BC Feng Town, Pei County, State of Chu
Died	1 June 195 BC (aged c. 60-61 / c. 51–52) Chang'an, Han Empire
Reign	28 February 202 BC – 1 June 195 BC
Successor	Liu Ying
Names
Traditional Chinese	劉邦
Simplified Chinese	刘邦
Pinyin	Liú Bāng
Wade–Giles	Liu Pang
Courtesy name	Ji (Chinese: 季; pinyin: Jì; Wade–Giles: Chi)
Posthumous name	Emperor Gaozu (Chinese: 高皇帝; pinyin: Gāo Huángdì; Wade–Giles: Kao Huang-ti)
Temple name	Taizu (Chinese: 太祖; pinyin: Tàizǔ; Wade–Giles: Tai-tsu) Gaozu (Chinese: 高祖; pinyin: Gāozǔ; Wade–Giles: Kao-tsu)

Emperor Gaozu of Han (Chinese: 漢高祖; 256 BC – June 1, 195 BC), born Liu Bang (Chinese: 劉邦), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 – 195 BC. He was one of the few dynasty founders in Chinese history with humble origin from the peasant class.

Before coming to power, Liu Bang initially served as a minor patrol officer for the Qin dynasty in his hometown Pei County, within the conquered state of Chu. With the First Emperor's death and the Qin Empire's subsequent political chaos, Liu Bang renounced his government position and became an anti-Qin rebel leader. He won the race against fellow rebel leader Xiang Yu to invade the Qin heartland and forced the surrender of the last Qin emperor in 206 BC.

After the fall of the Qin, Xiang Yu, as the de facto chief of the rebel forces, divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, and Liu Bang was forced to accept the poor and remote Bashu region (parts of present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) under the title "King of Han" (Chinese: 漢王; pinyin: Hàn Wáng). Within the year, Liu Bang broke out with his army and conquered the Three Qins, starting a civil war known as the Chu–Han Contention for supremacy over China. In 202 BC, Liu Bang emerged victorious following the Battle of Gaixia, unified most of China under his control, and established the Han dynasty with himself as the founding emperor.