Royals › Monarch / Emperor
Liu Bang
Founding emperor of the Han, a village head from Pei who rose against Qin, destroyed Xiang Yu in 202 BC and made Chang'an his capital
Mural of the event “Siege of Baideng”, which this person took part in.
In the early Western Han, the state had emerged from late Qin warfare with the economy in tatters and the populace fragile. Meanwhile, the Xiongnu cavalry empire on the northern steppe surged in strength under Modu Chanyu and raided the frontier repeatedly.
Also known as Zi Ji · Hangao Zu · Han Gao Di
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
Liu Bang, courtesy name Ji, of Feng in Pei county, served under Qin as a village head. In 209 BC he rose in revolt at Pei, and in 206 BC he was the first rebel into Guanzhong, where the Qin ruler Ziying surrendered and he promised the elders just three laws. Enfeoffed as King of Han by Xiang Yu, he fought him for four years and destroyed him at Gaixia in 202 BC, then took the imperial title and, on Lou Jing's advice, settled the capital at Chang'an. He then eliminated the non-Liu kings Han Xin, Peng Yue and Ying Bu, and after being surrounded by the Xiongnu at Baideng in 200 BC he turned to marriage alliances with them. Wounded by an arrow on campaign against Ying Bu, he died in the Changle Palace in 195 BC, with the posthumous name Gao and the temple name Taizu. The *Records of the Grand Historian* (*Shiji*) preserves the 'Song of the Great Wind' he sang on a visit home.
Life and times
- c. 256 BCEBorn
Zhou
Qin
Hanbirth by another account 247 BCE - 206 BCEHongmen Banquet
Took partAt the Hongmen banquet, Fan Zeng pressed Xiang Yu to kill Liu Bang, but Liu escaped and resumed the struggle for Guanzhong.- Feast at Hongmen ConfrontationFan Zeng plotted to kill Liu Bang at the Hongmen feast, but Fan Kuai intervened, allowing Liu Bang's escape.
- Feast at Hongmen Confrontation
- 206 BCEChu-Han Contention
Took partLiu Bang's coalition defeated Xiang Yu at Gaixia, ending the Chu-Han struggle and clearing the way for the Han dynasty.- Xiang Yu Routing Han at Pengcheng205 BCEXiang Yu launched an audacious blitzkrieg with 30,000 elite cavalry at Pengcheng, decimating Liu Bang's 560,000 allied host.
- Xiang Yu Routing Han at Pengcheng
- 200 BCESiege of Baideng
Took partModu Chanyu trapped Emperor Gaozu at Baideng for seven days, after which Han adopted marriage diplomacy to ease frontier pressure.- Gaozu Besieged at BaidengEmperor Gaozu was encircled by Modu Chanyu's 300,000 cavalry on Mount Baideng for seven days, prompting Han-Xiongnu peace treaties.
- Liu Jing Proposes Heqin with Xiongnuc. 200 BCEAfter the siege at Baideng, Liu Jing proposed marrying a princess to Modu Chanyu with yearly gifts, and Han and the Xiongnu concluded a heqin treaty.
- Gaozu Besieged at Baideng
- 195 BCEDied
Works
Literature · Poetry2- Song of the Great WindHanLiu Bang's Chu song, sung to a zither at a homecoming feast in Pei after crushing Ying Bu
- Song of the SwanHanLiu Bang's Chu song for Lady Qi, conceding the crown prince could no longer be replaced
- Literature · Sayings2
- The Swan Flies a Thousand Li in One FlightHanIdiom from Liu Bang's Song of the Swan: a future soaring beyond reach
- Might Across the Land: Liu Bang's Song of the Great WindHanFamous line from Liu Bang's Song of the Great Wind: home in glory after conquering the realm
Family tree
- Direct kin
Liu Bang - Other kin1
Connections
- Shared events6
- Interactions1
- Rulers and officials5
- Others1
