Emperor Taizu was the founder and first emperor of the Song Dynasty. He usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty in 960 and spent sixteen years conquering the rest of China proper, reuniting much of the territory once held by the Han and Tang empires and ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Ruling from the new capital at Kaifeng, he promoted the civil service examination system for staffing the bureaucracy by merit and supported scientific and technological projects, establishing the administrative pattern that defined the Northern Song.
Facts
RoleFounding emperor of the Song Dynasty, reigned 960 to 976 1 BirthplaceLuoyang (Later Tang dynasty) 2 Death PlaceBianjing (Northern Song dynasty) 2 Role
Role (category) FAQs
How did Emperor Taizu of Song come to the throne?
He was proclaimed emperor by his own troops in 960 and took the throne without bloodshed.
He took it in 960 with the backing of his own army and without bloodshed. As commander of the capital armies he was sent out to meet a rumored Khitan invasion. When the troops halted about ten miles from the capital, soldiers urged on by his brother and by his secretary Zhao Pu surrounded his tent at dawn, dressed him in an imperial yellow robe and declared him emperor. He told them not to harm the empress dowager or the boy emperor, not to bully the ministers and not to loot. The army marched back to Kaifeng, friends opened the city gate, and he forced the boy emperor of the Later Zhou from the throne while assuring him that he and his mother would be safe. Encyclopedia.com notes that this was the last such usurpation in Chinese history, and that he named his new dynasty Song after the prefecture where he had served as a regional commander.
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Taizu founded the Song dynasty
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Song Dynasty
WikipediaNorthern Song section
After usurping the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty, Emperor Taizu of Song (r. 960-976) spent sixteen years conquering the rest of China proper, reuniting much of the territory that had once belonged to the Han and Tang empires and ending the upheaval of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
Infobox, emperor list
Emperor: 960-976 Emperor Taizu (founder of Northern Song)
Ministers image caption
Emperor Taizu of Song, Emperor Taizong of Song, prime minister Zhao Pu and other ministers playing Cuju, an early form of football, by Qian Xuan (1235-1305)
Emperor Taizu of Song: Gender
He usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty in 960 and spent sixteen years conquering the rest of China proper, reuniting much of the territory once held by the Han and Tang empires and ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Emperor Taizu of Song
WikipediainfoboxQuote, infobox
Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 - 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founding emperor of the Song dynasty of China.
Wikidata: Emperor Taizu of Song
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