xin2
漢
WANG MANG'S XIN DYNASTY
AD 9 – 23 Xīn-huángdì Wáng Mǎng Jùjūn (新 皇帝 王 莽 巨君) Xīn Emperor. Born in 46, Wáng Mǎng was a filial and intelligent member of a powerful clan of Imperial-in-Laws; his aunt, the Empress Dowager was the highest ranking woman at the Han court. As such he filled a number of roles in the Imperial bureaucracy: Gentleman of the Yellow Gates, Archery Drill Colonel, Cavalry Commandant, Counsellor of the Palace and Palace Attendent. In 16 BC he was made Marquis of Xīndū (新都侯). At the death of his uncle in 8 BC he was appointed Grand Marshal; the highest office of state. However, after the accession in 7 BC of Āidì, who was not directly related to the Wáng clan, as the Thirteenth Emperor, his clan's power waned and he lived in the countryside until 1 BC when Píngdì a direct relative and an infant, acceded as the Fourteenth Emperor. Once more Grand Marshal, he also served as defacto Regent. He adopted the guise of the ideal Confucian minister and grew increasingly popular with the bureau. In AD 1 the bureaucracy declared him Senior Tutor to the Emperor, and Duke Ānhàn (安漢公), the title of Duke associated him with the ancient ideal minister, the Duke of Zhou, and making him the highest ranking noble in China, while the title itself, meaning "Han Peace", announcing his guiding role to the dynasty. Everyone say that the way to get ahead was to recommend honours for this up-and-coming minister. Hundreds of thousands of submissions reached the Emperor Píngdì requesting that Wáng Mǎng be granted further honours and powers; the last of these was an official appointment as Regent. Emperor Píngdì died suddenly, in AD 6; a new royal infant was found, but he was never enthroned. Wáng Mǎng progressively adopted more and more trappings of Imperial rule, always "on behalf of" the unthroned infant; this included the regnal title of Jū-shè (居攝). A series of portents convinced Wáng Mǎng that the Mandate of Heaven had passed from the Han Dynasty to himself and, finally, in AD 9 he declared himself Emperor of the Xīn, meaning 'New,' Dynasty.
The ideal minister continued to behave strictly according to Confucian precepts - and in doing so proved not to be an ideal Emperor. In foreign relations, Wáng Mǎng adopted a haughty tone towards the powerful Xiongnu nomads, sending them a new seal proclaiming their ruler a Chinese vassal. Raids followed and Wáng Mǎng planned a major counter-invasion of the Xiongnu and many other nomadic people. Many in the army balked at this and deserted, taking up banditry. Internally, he initiated a number of reforms: informing on senior officials was encouraged, the autonomous kingdoms were abolished to be governed like other provinces, the sale of land and slaves was abolished, the number of state-run monopolies was increased, prices for basic goods were fixed, private ownership of gold was banned, and coinage was reformed (twice, because the first run was deemed inauspiscious). These were idealistic attempts to prevent the private accumulation of wealth, but they were ineffective at best and inspired famine and rebellion at worst. Even had they been effective, the fate of the new dynasty was sealed in AD 11 when the dykes of the Yellow River, which rose far above their floodplain, leaky, weak, and in desperate need of attention for generations, finally burst. Together with his economic reforms the result was widespread devestation and famine. The peasantry took up banditry, and from AD 21 rebelled outright. The Capital swelled with angry refugees. In AD 23, a further rebellion, organised by a member of the ousted Han Dynasty, flared up, capturing several cities and defeating Wáng Mǎng's generals in battle. Wáng Mǎng sunk into despair; publically appealing to Heaven to save his Dynasty or strike him down. Heaven chose the latter course - his generals were defeated and the armies of the restored Han Dynasty advanced on the Capital. His last troops deserted, refugees set his palace and family temples alight and he was slain in the hopeless fighting that followed. His corpse was ripped apart and his head displayed in the marketplace.
He married (first) a daughter of Yíchūn-hóu Wáng Xian Zhangbó (宜春侯 王 咸 長伯), Marquis of Yichun and Superintendent of Ceremonial (26 – 25).
He took as concubine (first) Zēngzhì (增秩).
He took as concubine (second) Huáinéng (懷能).
He took as concubine (third) Kāimíng (開明).
He took as concubine (fourth?) Yuánbì (原碧), who had relations and plotted rebellion with Wáng Mǎng's disgraced son in AD 21.
In AD 23 he married (second), a daughter of Shi Chen
1) Wáng Yǔ (王 宇) (son of the first wife). Concerned in AD 3 by the way his father had severed contact between the Fourteenth Emperor, Píngdì, and his mother, he tried to fake a portent with Lǚ Kuān to trick Wáng Mǎng into changing his policy. This was discovered and he was imprisoned and poisoned. He married Lǚ Yān (呂 焉), daughter of Lǚ Kuān (呂 寛), with whom her husband conspired; she was pregnant at her husbands death, so was imprisoned and only executed after the child was born.
a) Gōngchóng-gōng Wáng Zōng (功崇公 王 宗), Duke of Gōngchóng. He was Marquis of Xīndū (新都侯) from AD 8 until promoted to Duke of Gōngchóng in AD 9. In AD 18 he was discovered to be plotting to become Emperor and committed suicide.
b) Gōngmíng-gōng Wáng Shòu (功明公 王 壽), Duke of Gōngmíng from AD 9 until his death in 21.
c) Gōngchéng-gōng Wáng Jí (功成公 王 吉), Duke of Gōngchéng from AD 9.
d) Gōngzhāo-gōng Wáng Shì (功昭公 王 世), Duke of Gōngzhāo from AD 9.
e) Gōngzhù-gōng Wáng Lì (功著公 王 利), Duke of Gōngzhù from AD 9.
a) Gōnglong-gōng Wáng Qiān (功隆公 王 千), Duchess of Gōnglong from AD 9. She was appointed Priestess of Emperor Ku (the mythical Third Emperor of China).
b) A daughter, presumably the one born posthumously in AD 3, who married Liú Yīng Rúzǐ (劉 嬰 孺子), Fifteenth Emperor of Han (see HAN 9).
2) Wáng Huò (王 獲) (son of the first wife), murdered a slave in 5 BC and committed suicide at his father's order.
3) Xīnqiān-gōng Wáng Ān (新遷公 王 安), Duke of Xīnqiān (son of the first wife). He was Marquis of Bāoxīn (褒新侯) from AD 4, Duke of Xìnjǔ (信舉公) from AD 8 and Duke of Xīnqiān from AD 9. He was intitially passed over as Heir on grounds of madness, appointed Heir in AD 20 and died of illness in AD 21.
4) Tǒngyìyáng-wáng Wáng Lín (統義陽王 王 臨), King of Tǒngyìyáng (son of the first wife). He was Marquis of Shǎngdū (賞都侯) from AD 4, promoted to Duke of Bāoxīn (褒新公) in AD 8 and to King in AD 9. He was designated Imperial Heir, only to be demoted in AD 20. He married Liú Yīn (劉 愔), an astrologist and daughter of Liú Xīn (劉 歆), one of the main ideological supporters of Wang Mang's regime (see HAN 1). In AD 21 he had relations with Yuánbì (原碧), one of his father's minor concubines and plotted rebellion with her. Discovered, he committed suicide.
5) Gōngxiū-gōng Wáng Xīng (功脩公 王 興), Duke of Gōngxiū from AD 21 (son of Huáinéng).
6) Gōngjiàn-gōng Wáng Kuāng (功建公 王 匡), Duke of Gōngjiàn from AD 21 (son of Zēngzhì).
1) Dìngān-guǎn Wáng (定安館 王), Empress of China (daughter of the first wife). In AD 4 she married Hàn Yuánzōng Xiào Píng-huángdì Liú Kàn (漢 元宗 孝 平皇帝 劉 衎), Fourteenth Emperor of Han. After her father usurped power in AD 9 she was seperated from Rúzǐ, the infant Fifteenth Emperor, with whom she had bonded, and was imprisoned at Mingguang Palace. The new regime gave her the title of Huáng-huángshìzhǔ (黃皇室主), but she refused to have any contact with her usurping father. In the conflagration that followed her father's fall from power in AD 23 she threw herself into the fire.
2) Mùxiū-rèn Wáng Yè (睦脩任 王 曄) (daughter of Zēngzhì).
3) Mùdǎi-rèn Wáng Jié (睦逮任 王 捷) (daughter of Kāimíng), she married Hòuān-gōng Shē (後安公 奢), Duke of Hòuān and Dàjūqú of the Xiongnu (大且渠) (see XIONGNU)