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Emperor Jing of Han
Western Han emperor who halved the land tax, crushed the revolt of the Seven Kingdoms in 154 BC and stripped the princes of power over their own states
Mural of the event “Reign of Wen and Jing”, which this person took part in.
In the early Western Han, the population was severely impoverished by late-Qin warfare and state finances were strained. The court required a policy of recuperation that could revive popular vitality.
Also known as Liu Qi
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
Liu Qi, Emperor Jing of Han, was the son of Emperor Wen and Empress Dou and took the throne in 157 BC; reign titles had not yet been introduced, so his years were counted in three series. In 155 BC he halved the land tax to one-thirtieth of the harvest, and twice he reduced flogging sentences. In 154 BC, after he accepted Chao Cuo's plan to cut the princes' fiefs, Wu, Chu, Zhao and four other kingdoms rose; executing Chao Cuo did not stop them, and Zhou Yafu crushed the revolt within three months. In 145 BC he barred the princes from governing their kingdoms and had the court appoint their officials. He died in the Weiyang Palace early in 141 BC, was named Emperor Xiaojing and was buried at Yangling. Ban Gu's verdict in the *History of the Han* (*Hanshu*) is often cited as the origin of the phrase 'the reigns of Wen and Jing'.
Life and times
- 188 BCEBorn
Han - 180 BCEReign of Wen and Jing
Took partage 8Emperors Wen and Jing reduced land taxes, corvee, and punishments, allowing agriculture, population, and state reserves to recover.- Chao Cuo and Seven States Rebellion154 BCEage 34Emperor Jing adopted Chao Cuo's edict to trim vassal power, provoking Liu Pi of Wu and seven princes to launch a major rebellion.
- Emperor Jing Is Buried at Yangling141 BCEage 47After Emperor Jing died in 141 BCE, he was buried at Yangling, a physical legacy of the Wen-Jing court and its funerary system.
- Chao Cuo and Seven States Rebellion
- c. 156 BCEEmperor Jing Reduces Flogging Sentences
age 32In 156 and 144 BCE Emperor Jing twice cut the number of strokes and issued a bamboo-rod ordinance to end the deaths caused by the heavy flogging that had replaced mutilating punishments. - 154 BCESeven Kingdoms Revolt
Took partage 34The decisive triumph of Han central authority over the regional vassal kings. - 141 BCEDied
Family tree
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Emperor Jing of HanWife
