Emperor Gaozong of Song

Emperor Gaozong was the first emperor of China's Southern Song Dynasty.

After his father Emperor Huizong and brother Emperor Qinzong of Song were captured in the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty capital of Kaifeng to the Jurchens, Gaozong escaped and hid for some time on an island off the southeast Chinese coast, before returning to establish a new temporary capital at Hangzhou in 1138. Gaozong then concluded a peace agreement with the Jurchen Jin Dynasty in 1142, agreeing to pay tribute to the Jin, and accepting the Huai River as the northern boundary of the Song Empire.


Preceded by
Emperor Qinzong of Song
Emperor of Song
1127-1162
Succeeded by
Emperor Xiaozong of Song

References

  • Conrad Schirokauer, et al, A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations, Fourth Edition, Cengage Learning (2012), 208.