Liu Penzi ( Chinese trad. 劉 盆子 , ex. 刘 盆子 , 10-?) Is the puppet emperor of the restored Chinese empire Han , who was elevated to the throne by the “red-browed” rebels.
| Liu Xuan | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 10 |
| Place of Birth | |
| Date of death | is unknown |
| Reign time | 25 - 27 |
| Predecessor | Genshi di |
| Successor | Guang Wu-di |
| Name options | |
| Traditional spelling | 劉 盆子 |
| Simplified spelling | 刘 盆子 |
| Family | |
| Father | Liu Meng |
Biography
Liu Penzi was one of the descendants of Prince Liu Zhang, who participated in the accession to the throne of Emperor Xiaowen-di . Liu Pengzi’s grandfather, Liu Xian, received the noble title from Emperor Yuan-di , which passed after the death of Liu Xiang to his son Liu Meng (Liu Penzi’s father), but when Wang Man usurped the throne, Liu’s clan was deprived of possessions. When the "red-browed" rebelled against Wang Man, then Liu Pengzi, along with older brothers Liu Gong and Liu Mao, were in their troops. When General Fan Chun temporarily took the side of Genshi-di , who overthrew Wang Man, then Liu Gong went with him to his capital Luoyang and received the title from the new emperor, allowing him to return his father’s inheritance. When Fang Chun fled from Luoyang back to the "red-browed" in Puyang , then Liu Gong followed him, but remained a supporter of Genshi-di; Liu Mao and Liu Penzi remained with the Red-brow troops as shepherds.
In the year 25, the "red-browed" decided that Genshi-di did not suit them, and they needed their emperor. Having taken three descendants of Liu Zhang, they forced them to draw lots, after which the 14-year-old Liu Penzi was declared emperor, but received no real power, and continued to be a shepherd until the “red-browed” entered the capital Chang'an .
The "Red-browed", however, turned out to be bad rulers, their robberies embittered the townspeople, and in 26, after burning many palaces and plundering food supplies, they moved west towards the modern Gansu province. However, local commander Wei Xiao repelled their offensive, and they had to retreat east. Emperor Guang Wu Di began a war of attrition against them, and in the spring of 27, they surrendered to the mercy of the victor. Liu Penzi renounced his title, and Emperor Guang Wu-di, seeing that he did not have real power, forgave him.
The emperor made Liu Penzi an assistant to his uncle Liu Liang, the Zhao prince. Later, Liu Penzi became blind as a result of illness, and received land from the emperor, allowing him to live on rent. The year of his death is unknown.
Links
- The official biography of Liu Penzi in " Hou Hanshu " ( Chinese )