Han Derang (; 941–1011), known for his

Khitan name Khitan names are the personal names of the Khitan people which ruled the Liao dynasty (907–1125) in ancient China and Kara-Khitan Khanate (1124–1218) in Central Asia. A nomadic Mongolic people, the Khitans have been extinct, making research ...

, Yelü Longyun (), Xingning (), or Yaoge () was a Chinese politician. He served as the prime minister of the Liao dynasty during the reign of Empress Xiao Chuo. He was a native of Hebei Yutian (祖籍河北玉田) and born into the Shihou family.

Early life

Han Derang was born in 941 as the fourth son of Han Kuangsi, King of Qin (韓匡嗣秦王), and Lady Xiao (蕭氏). However, his father died in southwest Nanjing after he went there to meet an envoy.

Political career

Reign of Emperor Jingzong

Han Derang served as a military officer in 979 (10th year of the reign of

Emperor Jingzong of Liao Emperor Jingzong of Liao (1 September 948 – 13 October 982), personal name Yelü Xian, courtesy name Xianning, was the fifth emperor of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China. He improved government efficiency and reduced corruption. He was kno ...

). He was gradually promoted. He stayed in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

and became the most influential and powerful minister not long after his promotion. In 979, the first year of Qianheng (乾亨), Han fought against the

Northern Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

's invasion at Youdu,

, and was awarded the ''Liaoxing Army'' (辽兴军) not long after his campaign against it. After this, he entered the North Court as the secret envoy from the South Court and become the most powerful person among the

Han people The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 17.5% of the worl ...

. At this time, Han was already 38.

Reign of Emperor Shengzong

When Emperor Jingzong's oldest son, Yelü Longxu (耶律隆绪), ascended the throne as

Emperor Shengzong Emperor Shengzong of Liao (16 January 972 – 25 June 1031), personal name Wenshunu, sinicised name Yelü Longxu, was the sixth emperor of the Khitan-led Chinese Liao dynasty and its longest reigning monarch. Conflict with the Northern Song d ...

in 982, Empress Xiao, Jingzong's widow, become his regent because Shengzong was only 11 years old. She ordered Han Derang to take charge of the imperial guards. In 985, Han became a politician and prime minister of Liao. Han took an important role in decision-making and in stabilizing the political situation in Shengzong's early years. Han led his army to defeat Cao Bin (曹彬) and Mi Xin (米信)'s troops in their expedition to the

. Han became Duke of Chuguo (楚国公) and then King of Chu (楚王). He was later appointed as both Prime Minister of Northern Song (北府宰相) and the Secret Envoy of the Privy Council (兼领枢密使). He was Privy Councilor of Northern Song (兼北院枢密使) too. The emperor entrusted him and made him King of Qi (齐王). After the alliance of Chanyuan, Han become Grand King of Jin (晋国王) and was given Liao's imperial name as Yelü Longyun (耶律隆运). However, in 1011, he followed Shengzong to

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

, where he died and was given the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

of Wénzhōng (文忠). His temple was built in Qianling Mausoleum.

Legacy

Han never married and was childless. Knowing this, Shengzong gave Han his brothers, Yelü Longyou (耶律隆祐)'s two sons, Yelü Zongye (耶律宗業) and Yelü Zongfan (耶律宗范) as Han's heirs. However, neither of them had successors. Therefore, during Emperor Daozong's reign, they took Yelü Zongxi, King of Wei (耶律宗熙魏王)'s son as their heir.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Lee Jin-woo in the 2009

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

TV series ''

Empress Cheonchu ''Empress Cheonchu'' (; also known as ''The Iron Empress'') is a 2009 South Korean period television series based on the title character, an actual historical figure and her lifelong struggle to protect the country her ancestors built. The gran ...

'' *Portrayed by

Shawn Dou use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

in the 2020 Chinese TV Series ''

The Legend of Xiao Chuo ''The Legend of Xiao Chuo'' () is a 2020 Chinese television series based on the novel Yan Yun Tai by Jiang Shengnan. It stars Tiffany Tang in the title role, along with Shawn Dou, Charmaine Sheh and Jing Chao. The series chronicles the life of lege ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Derang 941 births 1011 deaths Liao dynasty people 10th-century Chinese people Liao dynasty government officials Chinese military leaders