Prince of Changyi
| Liu He | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of Han | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 18 July – 14 August 74 BC | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Zhao | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Xuan | ||||||||||||
| King of Changyi | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 88–74 BC | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Liu Bo | ||||||||||||
| Marquis of Haihun | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 63–59 BC | ||||||||||||
| Born | c. 92 BC | ||||||||||||
| Died | 59 BC (aged 33) | ||||||||||||
| Issue | Liu Daizong | ||||||||||||
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| House | Han dynasty | ||||||||||||
| Father | Liu Bo, Prince Ai of Changyi | ||||||||||||
| Full name | |
|---|---|
| Liu He 劉賀 | |
| Era dates | |
| Yuanping (元平) | |
| Posthumous name | |
| none |
Liu He (Chinese: 劉賀; pinyin: Liú Hè; died 59 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty with the era name Yuanping (Chinese: 元平; pinyin: Yuánpíng). Originally King (Prince) of Changyi (Chinese: 昌邑王; pinyin: Chāngyì Wáng), he was installed by the powerful minister Huo Guang as emperor in 74 BC, but deposed only 27 days later, and omitted from the official list of emperors. He lost his original kingdom of Changyi and was demoted to the rank of marquis. He was given the new fief of Haihun in modern Jiangxi Province, and became commonly known as the Marquis of Haihun (Chinese: 海昏侯).
It is not known when Liu He was born, though it is often thought to have been in or around 92 BC. His father, Liu Bo (劉髆), King Ai (i.e., the lamented) of Changyi died in 86 BC, and he inherited his father's kingdom. (Historical records imply that he was at youngest a teenager at that time.) Liu Bo was a son of Emperor Wu of Han, whose death in 87 BC predated Liu Bo's by only one year.
(Note: the below description of Liu He's life as King of Changyi are based on description of him written after he was deposed, and may very well be biased or fabricated.)
When Emperor Wu died, Liu He was supposed to be in a period of mourning, but he continued to hunt incessantly. The mayor of the kingdom's capital, Wang Ji (王吉) offered honest criticism of him when this happened, and urged him to be more studious and humble. Liu He appreciated Wang's report and rewarded him, but did not change his ways. Similarly, when Liu He associated with people with ill reputation who engaged in vulgarity and engaged in wasteful spending, he was begged by the commander of his guards, Gong Sui (龔遂) to change his ways, and Liu He agreed—but soon after chased away the solemn guards that Gong had recommended and brought his prior companions back, and Gong could do nothing about it.
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Wikipedia