Emperor Yuan of Han
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| Han Yuandi (漢元帝) | |
|---|---|
| Family name: | Liu (劉 liú) |
| Given name: | Fuling (弗陵, fúlíng) |
| Posthumous name: (full) | Xiaoyuan (孝元, xiào yuán) literary meaning: "filial and original" |
| Posthumous name: <center>(short) | Yuan (元, yuán) "original" |
Emperor Yuan of Han (75 BC–33 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He reigned from 48 BC to 33 BC. Emperor Yuan was remembered for the promotion of Confucianism as the official creed of China. He appointed Confucius adherents to important government posts and as a result, government expenses were lessen and the welfare of people improved significantly.
However, at the same time that he was preaching Confucianism, Yuan failed to check the power of his own family whom he believed is an act of filial piety as commanded by Confucianism and in particular the empress who was a member of the Wang clan. Wang's family member held high posts in the government and this trend continued under Yuan's son, Emperor Cheng. This slowly gave the Wang family a chance to gain power, control the government and ultimately under Wang Mang to be able to usurped the throne in AD 9 and ended the western Han dynasty.
Era names
- Chuyuan (初元 py. chū yuán) 48 BC-44 BC
- Yongguang (永光 py. yŏng guāng) 43 BC-39 BC
- Jianzhao (建昭 py. jiàn zhāo) 38 BC-34 BC
- Jingning (竟寧 py. jìng níng) 33 BC
Personal information
| Father | Emperor Xuan of Han |
| Mother | Empress Xu |
| Wives |
Empress Fu (d. 2 BC), mother of Prince Kang of Dingtao and grandmother of Emperor Ai of Han |
| Children | at least 1 son |
See also
| Preceded by: Emperor Xuan of Han | Emperor of the Han Dynasty 49 BC–33 BC | Succeeded by: Emperor Cheng of Han zh:汉元帝 |