Song Zhezong died at the age of 25. He had no heirs at that time. According to the succession system of the throne after the death of the father and the son after the death of the father, the next emperor could only be chosen from his brothers. Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty had fourteen sons, but before the death of Song Zhezong, eight princes had died. At this time, Song Huizong was appreciated by the Empress Dowager Xiang who listened behind the curtain, so he became the emperor.
Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, loved to study poetry and prose since he was a child and had outstanding talent. Later, after he became the vassal king, he always insisted on practicing calligraphy and painting. He was elegant, calm, elegant, and very scholar-like. After Song Zhezong's death, the monarch of the Northern Song Dynasty became a major event in the court at that time. Among the remaining half-brothers, his knowledge and conduct were quite outstanding.
He is not like other vassal princes, who rely on their position as princes to immerse themselves in sensuality all day long and have no intention of making progress. Moreover, he would go to the Cining Palace regularly every day to greet the Queen Mother Xiang, make the Queen Mother Xiang happy, and establish a strong sense of presence in front of the Queen Mother Xiang. In addition, he also has a love story that must be told with Empress Dowager Xiang's personal maid Zheng. So when the ministers were discussing which prince to make the emperor, the Queen Mother immediately thought of Zhao Ji, Huizong of the Song Dynasty. She thought that he was a benevolent, righteous, filial and brotherly person, and he was also talented in literature and had the ability to govern the country, so she supported him despite all the opinions. Song Huizong became emperor.
Posterity people say that Song Huizong was a wanton and unrestrained person. He did not want to be an emperor at all. He just wanted to be with flowers, birds, insects and fish, and write and paint every day. But some people objected that Song Huizong wanted to be emperor, otherwise why would he show kindness to the Empress Dowager every day, and why would he not refuse when they wanted to make him emperor. These are all unsolvable mysteries for now. Now we just need to be spectators and don't want to explore the truth.
Song Huizong was the eleventh son of Song Shenzong, named Zhao Ji. So which dynasty did Song Huizong belong to?
Just by looking at Zhao Ji's name, you can tell that he was the emperor of the Song Dynasty. But the Song Dynasty in history can be divided into the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty. So among the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, which dynasty did Song Huizong belong to?
The Northern Song Dynasty was the dynasty after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms in Chinese history, starting from 960 It was the Northern Song Dynasty until 1127. After 1127, a Song Dynasty also appeared, which was called the Southern Song Dynasty.
Song Huizong ascended the throne in 1100, and 1110 was within the period of the Northern Song Dynasty, so Song Huizong should be the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The entire Northern Song Dynasty experienced nine emperors, and Song Huizong was the eighth among them. In 1126, the Song Dynasty was in a state of decline due to political corruption and the attack of Jin soldiers, and even reached the point where the army was at the gates. At this time, Song Huizong seemed to not want the Song Dynasty to be destroyed in his own hands, so he hurriedly abdicated the throne to his son Zhao Heng. In the end, the Song Dynasty fell in 1127, and Song Huizong and Zhao Heng became prisoners of the Jin Kingdom.
Song Huizong reigned for 1***25 years, and the fall of the Song Dynasty was inseparably related to him. He was originally a wise king, but later he listened to the inducements of Cai Jing and others, which caused the political situation of the Song Dynasty to plummet, and ultimately led to the collapse of the Song Dynasty.
After that, Zhao Gou, the ninth son of Song Huizong, inherited the throne of the Song Dynasty, continued the imperial and legal traditions of the Song Dynasty, and still designated the country's name as Song. Historically, in order to distinguish the two The Song Dynasty before 1127 was called the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty established after 1127 was called the Southern Song Dynasty.
Song Huizong’s father was Song Shenzong Zhao Xu, the sixth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty. Zhao Xu was the eldest son of Song Yingzong and Queen Xuanren Shenglie. At the age of fifteen, he was named Duke of Guangguo. Later, he served as Ping Zhangshi under Tong Zhongshu's family and was named Prince of Huaiyang County. The following year, Zhao Xujin was granted the title of King Ying, and was established as the crown prince at the age of eighteen to help Song Yingzong handle the government affairs.
Zhao Xu has been diligent and studious since he was a child. He often forgets to eat when he is studying. When he was still a prince, he was very interested in the ideas of Legalism and liked to read the Legalist work "Han Feizi". He was very disgusted with the huge and bloated bureaucracy of the Northern Song Dynasty. He had studied Wang Anshi's thoughts on governing the country and admired him very much.
After Song Shenzong Zhao Xu ascended the throne, he had an in-depth discussion with Wang Anshi, who had just arrived in Beijing and was appointed, on the country's political, economic and military aspects, and he very much agreed with Wang Anshi's governing ideas.
The next year, he appointed Wang Anshi as the Councilor for Political Affairs, responsible for implementing the new law. He provided a strong support for Wang Anshi's reform in the court and fought against all opinions for him.
A year later, the implementation of the new law achieved remarkable results, and the politics and economy of the Northern Song Dynasty improved significantly, so he appointed Wang Anshi as prime minister. However, because the new law violated the interests of many bureaucrats and ministers, and met with fierce opposition from the upper-level bureaucracy and lower-level landlords and businessmen, the reform came to an end. As the emperor, Song Shenzong was aware of the major problems existing within the country, and it was extremely difficult to carry out reforms to address these deep-rooted problems. Many times, in order to safeguard their own interests, rulers would rather choose to turn a blind eye and let things develop. As long as they Do not offend the power of God. So judging from his courage to reform, he is a good emperor.