Guo Zongxun () (14 September 953 – 973) or Chai Zongxun (), also known by his

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...

as the Emperor Gong of Later Zhou (), was the third and last

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

the Chinese

Later Zhou dynasty Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ( ...

, during the

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

. He reigned from July 959, when he succeeded his father Chai Rong (Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou), until February 960, when he was overthrown by his general

Zhao Kuangyin Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguish ...

(Emperor Taizu of Song), who founded the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. The Emperor Gong was sent away with his mother to Xijing (西京). Despite assurance by the Emperor Taizu of Song that the Chai family would be treated with respect, the Emperor Gong was killed in 973 by Xin Wenyue, an official trying to gain favour with the emperor. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor Taizu ordered a period of mourning and buried the dethroned emperor next to the Emperor Shizong's tomb.

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* * * * 953 births 973 deaths 10th-century murdered monarchs Later Zhou emperors Murdered Chinese emperors {{China-royal-stub