There was such a profession in ancient China, which was very dangerous and had a very high mortality rate. This profession is the emperor! According to statistics, the ratio of emperors killed in the history of China was 3 1%, of which 50% lived to be under 40, and only 15% lived to be over 60. If we only count from Qin Shihuang, there are 2 in Qin Dynasty, 3 1 in Han Dynasty,1in Three Kingdoms,1in Jin Dynasty, 78 in Wuhu Sixteen States, 59 in Southern and Northern Dynasties, 2 in Sui Dynasty, 22 in Tang Dynasty, 55 in Five Dynasties and Ten Countries, and in Song Dynasty. There are Nanming and Beiyuan, others such as Li Zicheng and Zhang, Hong Xiuquan and his son of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and even Yuan Shikai, who is only two months old, adding up to 408 people. One of them * * * 6 1 was killed. Moreover, the final fate of most of the lineal royal families is tragic, and they are widowed and enslaved. However, the royal families of the two ethnic minorities were able to save their lives. Yuan Shundi ran back to the desert, and the Qing court was favored by Yuan Shikai.
In the history of China, the emperor has almost absolute power of life and death. It is not just one person who suffers, but also the whole family. However, everything is dialectical. When the murderer kills, his situation is also very dangerous, and he is in danger of losing his head at any time. Even the maid-in-waiting who is the least capable of killing people may unite to kill the emperor. According to statistics, more than 60 emperors, large and small, died in this way. These emperors who were killed by him had different causes and styles. Taking the "murderer" as the main line, the "killing means" of the emperor who died under unusual circumstances are: near-minister killing, eunuch killing, son killing, uncle killing, father killing, mother killing, wife killing, brother killing, grandmother killing, grandfather killing, father-in-law killing, soldier killing, captive killing and so on.
First of all, the minister was killed.
This method of killing is called committing an offence and insurrection, which used to be called killing. It is also one of the most common phenomena in the history of China, especially in the early dynasties, where there are countless examples of courtiers refusing to kill the emperor. The Sixteen Kingdoms period, the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, as well as the late dynasties, were all the hardest hit areas of "minister regicide". It is easier to kill an emperor than to cut down a bandit.
During the Sixteen Kingdoms Period, Emperor Liu Xie of Hanyin was the son of Emperor Liu Cong of Wu Zhao. First, as the crown prince, he has been in charge of state affairs, and officially became the emperor in July of 3 18. However, in September of that year, Liu Xie, who had just been emperor for two months, was killed by Jin Zhun, the general in charge of the military power and the minister of Chinese literature. Jin Zhun, who was in power in military and political affairs, directly led the troops to Guangji Temple, seized Liu Xie, scolded him and killed him immediately. Liu men, women and children were beheaded in the East City, Liu Cong's body was dug up and split in two, Liu's ancestral temple was burned, and officials were appointed to exercise the power of the emperor.
During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, most emperors were murdered by their men. Therefore, there are so many small countries and dynasties.
Emperor Yang Di Yang Guang (569-6 18) ascended the throne in 604 and reigned in 15. In 6 18, he was killed by Yu Wenhuaji in Jiangdu at the age of 50.
Tang Zhaozong Ye Li and the last emperor Li Zhu were both killed by their courtier Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen, formerly the Ministry of Huang Chao, defected in 882 AD and sent troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang court named Zhu Wen as the right general Jin Wu, recruited the deputy envoy of the Bank of China Camp in the River, and also named him as, and was later named as the national title. However, Zhu Quanzhong was disloyal, self-respecting and power-hungry, and always tried to usurp the throne of the Tang Dynasty. Four years later (AD 904), Ye Li was forced to move to Luoyang, and in August of the same year, Zhu Quanzhong killed Ye Li. But he didn't dare to be the emperor at once, but turned a corner and made Li Zhu the emperor, making a transition. After Li Zhu became emperor for three years, Zhu Wen couldn't wait. In the first month of 907, Zhu Wen forced Li Zhuchan to take his place. In March, Li Zhu officially decreed to resign as the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. When he became emperor, the first thing Zhu Quanzhong did was to change his name to Huang Zhu and his country name was Kaiyuan. The heyday of feudal society in China officially ended in the Tang Dynasty, thus entering a very bad period of "Five Dynasties and Ten Countries".
Second, the eunuch was killed.
This is also a common phenomenon of regicide in China, and also the most traditional method of regicide. Almost every dynasty can find such cases, which caused eunuchs to interfere in politics. Why is it called "eunuch killing the Lord" as a traditional way of killing people? Because it has been used since Ying Zheng, the first emperor of China.
China's first feudal emperors, Ying Zheng and Hu Hai, were all dismissed by eunuchs, and the executor was eunuch Zhao Gao. In the thirty-seventh year of Qin Shihuang (2 10 BC), Ying Zheng died on the way to patrol the mountains, in the sand dunes of Pingxiang County, xing zhou (now Pingxiang, Xingtai, Hebei). At that time, he was recuperating in the sand dune official platform (palace), but he died suddenly at the age of 50. According to official records, Ying Zheng died of illness, but many scholars believe that it was homicide and Ying Zheng died in a coup staged by eunuch Zhao Gao. At that time, the prince was Fu Su, who had no intention of passing the throne to Hu Hai of Qin Ershi. Zhao Gao worried that Fu Su's succession would be unfavorable to him, so he took advantage of his fifth tour and Hu Hai's accompanying opportunity to plan a coup.
After the death of Ying Zheng, Hu Hai succeeded to the throne. But he didn't escape the fate of being played by eunuchs and being harmed by Zhao Gao. In August of the third year of Qin Ershi (207 BC), after Liu Bang captured Wuguan, Zhao Gao, fearing punishment, conspired with his son-in-law Yan Le and others, and took advantage of Wang Yigong's fasting to send troops around the palace to force him to commit suicide. Zhao Gao tried to usurp the throne and stand on his own feet, but his ministers refused, so he made Zi Ying, the son of II, king of Qin. But Zhao Gao didn't die of natural causes. In September of the same year, he was killed by Zi Ying, and the three clans perished.
After that, the incidents of "eunuchs killing their masters" increased. For example, Tang Jingzong and Li Zhan were killed by eunuchs.
Li Zhan (809-826 AD), the eldest son of Tang Muzong Hengli, was first named King of Hubei and later moved to King of Guajing. In the second year of Changqing, he was established as a prince and ascended the throne in 825 AD. Li Zhan loved ease, liked women, was proud of eunuchs, and was abandoned in national politics. I am also superstitious about Taoism and want to live forever since I was a child. Eunuchs were sent to Hunan, Jiangnan and other places to collect herbs. In December of the second year of Bao Li (AD 826), eunuch Liu Keming and others staged a coup and killed unsuspecting Li Zhan. At that time, Li Zhan returned to the palace after hunting at night. When he entered the house to change clothes, the candlelight in the temple suddenly went out. When the light is black, Liu Keming starts to work at once. Li Zhan died at the age of 18, and only served as emperor for two years.
Third, kill separately.
This used to be called killing. Killing your father is the first sin in the world, just like killing a king. Killing the emperor's father is a heinous crime. Although there is a rule that the monarch is the minister and the father is the son, things that violate ethics often happen. Especially in the imperial family, it is not uncommon for a son to kill Laozi and become an emperor himself.
The story of Yang Guang, an extravagant emperor, killing his father is widely circulated among the people in China. Yang Guang is the second son of Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty. The feudal practice is that the crown prince "stands for a long time but is not young." When he was emperor, he didn't have his share. The prince is his eldest brother, Yong Yang. But Yang Guang is very calculating and pretends to be honest and filial in front of his parents. Emperor Wendi was furious at the suggestion that the prince wanted the emperor to die early. In 600 AD, Yong Yang was abolished as Shu Ren and Yang Guang was appointed as Prince. But later, Emperor Wendi found himself cheated by Yang Guang and decided to rebuild Yong Yang. As a result, things failed, but he wanted his own life. In July 604, Emperor Wendi was seriously ill. Yang guang thought that the opportunity to be emperor came and wanted to seize power in advance, but it was leaked to Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty. What annoys Emperor Wendi even more is that Yang Guang molested his beloved woman, Mrs. Chen Xuanhua. Emperor Wendi immediately decided to abolish Yang Guangjiao and spread it to Yong Yang. As a result, it got around. That night, Yang Guangxian laid hands on him and poisoned the dying Emperor Wendi in Renshou Palace. He succeeded to the throne and was called the Emperor of Yang Di in history.
Another famous case of "patricide" is Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong. Li Shimin is a good emperor with great achievements and influence among the emperors of China, but this good emperor succeeded to the throne through proper means. In June of the ninth year of Wude (AD 626), Li Shimin launched a mutiny in Xuanwu Gate of Miyagi, killing the emperors and grandchildren of Prince Li, Li Yuanji and King Qi, which is known as the "Xuanwu Gate mutiny". In this case, Tang Gaozu had to accept Li Shimin as the Prince on June 7th. Two months later, Li Yuanchan became Li Shimin, and from then on he lived the life of the so-called emperor's father, which was actually equivalent to house arrest. In the ninth year of Zhenguan (AD 635), Li Yuan died in May. At that time, some people suspected that Li Shimin had murdered him, but there has been controversy in the history circle.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Zhu, the king of the later Liang Dynasty, also killed his father and the ancestor of the Liang Dynasty and became an emperor. How lewd the emperor was, and what's more, Zhu Quanzhong kept it. After Zhang's death, it is difficult to ban his sexual desire. The women he likes are his two daughters-in-law. Zhu Quanzhong is particularly fond of the wife of his second son, Zhu Youwen. At the instigation of his second daughter-in-law, in June of the following year (9 12), Zhu Quanzhong, who was seriously ill, planned to make his second son Zhu Youwen a prince. When Zhu learned the news, he immediately used his palace guards to launch a coup, killed Zhu Wen in the palace overnight, wrapped him in a broken mat and buried him underground in the palace.
In the Southern Dynasties, the emperor ascended the throne in 424 AD and was killed by Prince Shao.
Michelle Ye, the sage of the Qing Dynasty, that is, Emperor Kangxi, was suspected to have been killed by his fourth son Yongzheng. Michelle Ye (A.D. 1654- 1722), a little emperor who ascended the throne at the age of eight, was the most successful emperor in the Qing Dynasty, which opened the "prosperous period of Kanggan" and the longest emperor in the history of China, with 62 years before and after. Bury Jing Ling after death. There are many reasons for Michelle Ye's death, and there was a fierce battle for the throne before his death. Finally, Yin Zhen won the throne with the power of his uncle Kolundo and the strength of Nian Gengyao, and was called Yong Zhengdi in history. According to official records, Yin Zhen succeeded to the throne by Michelle Ye's testamentary edict, but the testamentary edict was circulated among the people and obtained through the murder of Michelle Ye.
Fourth, my uncle was killed.
The traditional system of imperial succession is "stand upright and not stand young" and "pass on officials but not ordinary people" Even if the emperor's younger brother dies, it is not convenient for him to be an emperor unless there are special circumstances. For example, Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi is the heir to the throne of Zhao Kuangyin. Due to the existence of the traditional system of succession to the throne, uncles only have coveted members, which also led to the court tragedy. Ming Taizu Judy is such an "uncle". After the death of Prince Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang had planned to make Judy a prince, but considering that things could not be messed up, Zhu Yunwen's great-grandson status was finally established. Judy didn't want to launch the Jingnan mutiny, which forced him to set himself on fire in Zhu Yunwen Palace, where he had just been emperor for five years.
Zhang Xuanliang, the little emperor in the Sixteen Kingdoms period, was killed by his uncle. Zhang Xuanliang (A.D. 350-363), Zi An, was the youngest son of the former monarch of the sixteen countries. In the second year of Liang Qian Peace (AD 355), Zhang Zuo of Wang Wei was killed, and Zhang Xuanliang was promoted to general, Liangzhou animal husbandry and Xiping public by Song Hun and Zhang Cong, and the title of Jianxing in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was restored. In the third year of Xingyuan in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 363), Tianxi Zhang, the uncle who was in control of the political situation, launched a mutiny and sent troops into the palace to kill Zhang Xuanliang. Zhang Xuanliang was only 14 years old. After his death, he was made a worship king by Tianxi Zhang.
Five, brothers kill each other
However, under the inheritance system of the crown prince, the younger brother is often deprived of the throne, and even if he is talented, he is unlikely to inherit the throne. This system often leads to brothers and sisters killing each other, and the director has another human tragedy.
During the Sixteen Kingdoms Period, Liu Yuxin acceded to the throne after the death of Emperor Liu Yuan. As a result, my younger brother Liu Cong was unwilling. He killed his brother Liu He and became emperor himself.
Liu Jue, the Emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty (920-943), died in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In 942, his father Ada died and succeeded to the throne. As a result, the next year, he was killed by his younger brother Liu Hongxi at the age of 24. Liu Hongxi became emperor, known as Zhongzong in history. After Liu Jue was killed, Liu Hongxi named him Shang Emperor, and there was no mausoleum.
Facing the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Jin Guo and Ming Zongxu (A.D.119-1149) were the direct grandchildren of Akuta, and Akuta became emperor in 17. Wan Yanliang, the unmarried brother who grew up with him, had an idea. He can be emperor, why can't I? Then I began to seek rebellion. In December of the ninth year of Emperor Taizong (A.D. 1 149), Wan Yanliang sneaked into the palace, collaborated with courtiers and hacked Wan to death with a knife. Qi died at the age of 365,438+0 and was buried in Siling.
Six, the mother was killed
As the saying goes, tiger poison does not eat children. But under the temptation of supreme imperial power, good motherhood will also be distorted. There are many "poisonous mothers" in the history of China, such as Lv Zhi, the first queen of the Western Han Dynasty, Wu Zetian, the first queen of the Tang Dynasty and Cixi, the first queen of the Qing Dynasty, all of whom are vicious women.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Emperor Tuoba Hong (AD 454-476) presented literary works to the Northern Wei Dynasty. At the age of seven, he succeeded to the throne as the crown prince, and his biological mother Li Guiren was given death and was raised by the then queen Feng. After becoming emperor in 12, he became the Zen master of Prince Justin, calling himself the father of the emperor. After TaBaHong was killed by "foster mother" Feng Taihou with poisoned wine. He died at the age of 23.
There may be a tradition that mothers kill their children, or Su Zongyuan Xu (AD 5 10-528), the second son of Wu Zongyuan Ke, succeeded to the throne as the Crown Prince at the age of 6. However, mother Hu Chonghua had a strong desire for power and came to North Korea on the grounds that Xu Yuan was young. Later, he simply poisoned his son. Compared with Feng Taihou's foster mother, this is his own mother. Xu Yuan died at the age of 65,438+09, just coming of age. Being such a mother is not the most poisonous and unfair. After his death, Hu Taihou became a little maternal, so she built a mausoleum to bury him and named it Dingling.
Seven, his wife was killed
A husband is precious, but a wife is glorious. Having an emperor's husband should be a woman's longest face, but as a "first lady", there are times when she is restless. Tang Zhongzong Li Xian was killed by his wife Wei Ruyun.
Li Xian (AD 656-7 10) was the son of Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, and his life was unfortunate. After Li Zhi's death, the 28-year-old Crown Prince was appointed as the heir, and Wu Zetian claimed to be the Holy Spirit Emperor, changing the country name to "Zhou". Li Xian was deposed as King Luling and moved to Zhoufang (now Shiyan City, Hubei Province), where he lived a normal life under house arrest. In the second year of victory (AD 698), he was recalled to the East Palace and re-established as a prince. In the first year of Shenlong (AD 705), Prime Minister Zhang Jian was seriously ill by Wu Zetian, so he took Li Xian back and repeated the title of the Tang Dynasty.
I want to be emperor safely, but his wife, Empress Wei, can't keep her position. The relationship between Li Xian and Wei Ruyun is really good. The reason why it was abolished in those days was because he was talking nonsense, saying that his father Wei could give him the whole world if he wanted. Wu Zetian used this as an excuse to depose him. When Li Xian became emperor again, he trusted Wei. For example, Li Zhi valued Wu Zetian, allowed her to participate in state affairs and made her father-in-law king. However, Wei Ruyun was not satisfied. She wanted to imitate her mother-in-law Wu Zetian and fell in love with the female emperor. The trouble came, and she did something more malicious. In the sixth year of Jinglong (AD 7 10), Queen Wei was accused of fornication in the harem and worried about the investigation. Together with Princess Anle, she wrapped the poison in a cake, killed it and came to the Regent.
Eight, the father was killed.
Before, killing my son was not a crime. However, in the history of China, a father killed his son, the emperor, which is a rare record. After all, my father's position is relatively stable. More often, the emperor Lao Zi killed the prince.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, there was a disgraceful little emperor among the emperors of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the second emperor, the Northern Han Dynasty (95 1-979), Liu Jun, Zong Rui, even called on his master Liao's father, the emperor. Naturally, Liao called him Zidi. Liu Jun (AD 926-968), aged 15, succeeded his father Liu Youwei, and even became the "son emperor" in 15, and died at the age of 43. It is doubtful whether he was killed by the "father" in the end. After Liu Jun died, he didn't even have a son. His adopted son, Liu Ji 'en, succeeded to the throne. He was only emperor for more than 60 days and was killed.
Nine, grandma was killed
The traditional family bond in China is "generation separation", and the affection between grandparents and grandchildren is often better than that between father and son, mother and child. But it's not that grandma killed the emperor's grandson. This happened to Lv Zhi.
Lv Zhi was the queen of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. After Liu Bang's death, their 8-year-old son, Liu Ying, became emperor, known as Hui Di in history. Liu Ying is young and Lv Zhi is in power. Liu Ying, who was only 2 1 year old in BC 188, is said to have been scared to death. Lv Hou became a little emperor and then faced the court for eight years. Liu Ying has no children. In order not to let the imperial power fall behind others, Lv Zhi brought the child of a palace girl into the palace and lied that Liu Ying and his queen were his grandchildren. Lv Zhi is very good at doing things. When the little emperor grew up, he poisoned the little emperor's biological mother, the maid-in-waiting. The little emperor, who was gradually sensible, knew that his grandmother had killed his mother, and he was unhappy and complained bitterly. Therefore, Lv Zhi is very worried. He felt that the little emperor was disobedient and unsafe. He simply poisoned the little emperor and made Liu Yi, the same young Changshan king, emperor to continue his rule.
Ten, grandpa killed.
According to the truth, even if you choose another emperor, you can't have a grandfather. Most people dare not even think about it. But in 58 1 year, it happened that my grandfather killed the emperor's grandson and became the emperor himself.
This "Wolf Grandpa" is the aforementioned Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty, the founding king of Sui Dynasty. Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty (AD 54 1-604) was the father of Empress Yang, the father of Yu Wenyun in the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In February 579, Yu Wenyun claimed to be Emperor Tianyuan and gave way to Prince Yu, who was only 7 years old. Because of his youth, Emperor Wendi was asked to help and manage state affairs. Emperor Wendi was not satisfied with this. In February 58 1 year, Yu directly abolished it, forced his grandson to meditate, and took him as a mediator. Three months later, he died and the Northern Zhou Dynasty was over. At the age of 465,438+0, Emperor Wendi of the Sui Dynasty became the independent name of the country, thus China had the Sui Dynasty for 38 years.
Eleven, father-in-law was killed.
Just like my relationship with my grandfather, being my father-in-law's consort has nothing to do with being an emperor. However, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang seized an opportunity to kill her son-in-law. After 23 years of emperor addiction.
Wang Mang (45 BC-23 AD) was the father-in-law of Emperor Liu Kan of Han Ping. In BC 1 year, the 25-year-old emperor Liu Xin died. Liu Xin, who had no children, persuaded his aunt, the Queen Mother, and made Liu Kan, who was only 9 years old, emperor, known as Emperor Ping. In order to consolidate his position, he once again lobbied the Queen Mother and asked Liu Kan to marry his daughter. Only when 12 years old, Wang married and Wang Mang became an official. After that, he simply poisoned his little son-in-law and made two-year-old Liu Ying emperor. Only 14-year-old daughter became the empress dowager, which may be the youngest empress dowager in the history of China. In this case, the Queen Mother had to ask Wang Mang to replace the emperor and call him a "fake emperor" or a "photographer". Three years later, in AD 8, 54-year-old Wang Mang directly abolished Liu Ying, became emperor on his own, and changed his name to "Xin", which was called "Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty" in history. Therefore, Wang Mang became the first feudal emperor in China to become emperor by usurping the throne.
Twelve, soldiers killed.
Most emperors won the world at once, and soldiers were the absolute dominant force in the national war. Essentially, it is impossible to be a stable emperor without an army. Soldiers can help themselves conquer the world, but they can also make themselves a ghost under the horse. It is also common for emperors to be killed by soldiers.
Yang guang, emperor of Yang Di, was killed by Yu Wenhuaji. In the 14th year of Daye (AD 6 18), on March 3rd, its guards mutinied, and Yu Wenhua, the general of Right Tunwei, was killed in the palace in the evening. Yang Guang and Xiao Huanghou escaped and were caught. The rebels wanted to take their heads. Yang Guang chose to take poison, saying that he wanted to keep his whole body. After taking poison, he was strangled by soldiers, which satisfied his wish to keep his whole body. After his death, Cao Cao was buried in Jiangdu Palace, and his bones still exist.
Emperor Jin and Hailing Wang Yan Yanliang also suffered the same result as Yang Guang. In the sixth year of Zheng Long (A.D. 1 16 1), King Hailing was killed by his men on the way to defeat the Southern Song Dynasty. He is 40 years old and became emperor in 13 years. The body of Hailing King was transported back to Beijing and buried in Di Chin Mausoleum in Jiulong Mountain, Beijing, and then moved out for grass burial.
Thirteen, captured and killed
In the history of China, not one person or two people were captured by foreigners as the king of a country. The most famous is Zhu Qizhen and Ming Yingzong, who were captured alive by Wala in the Battle of Civil Fort in the 14th year of Orthodox (1 149). But fortunately, Zhu Qizhen saved his life. Zhu Qizhen, who was put back nine years later, can become emperor again. But more often, they will be killed after being captured.
Another celebrity arrested was Song Huizong Evonne. The emperor is very artistic. If he is not an emperor, he should be one of the outstanding literati in history, and he has written a lot in his life. Because the emperor likes dancing and writing ink, literature and art flourished when Evonne was in power. The famous Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival was painted for this purpose and dedicated to him. In the second year of Jingkang (A.D. 1 127), Evonne was captured by nomadic people. After being captured, they were humiliated, and women in the palace were also asked by soldiers to have forced sexual relations, or wives or prostitutes. Wang Wanrong, his beloved princess, failed to keep it, and was robbed of her by Jin Bing. Later, he died in Wu Guocheng and was buried in Youling forever.
During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Murong Chao and Southern Yan (385-4 10) succeeded their stepfather Murong De to the throne in 405. In 4 10, Southern Yan was defeated by Emperor Wu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Murong Chao was captured and sent to Jiankang (now Nanjing) to be killed. Southern Yan died in 14.
From the above example, we can draw two inspirations: the emperor is not easy to be, and it is a very dangerous profession; Most of the dead emperors died in the hands of close people, indicating that relatives and friends are unreliable. When interests or temptations conflict with family, killing is inevitable.