Han Tuozhou (November 6, 1152 – November 24, 1207) was a Chinese politician of the

Southern 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 ...

, who served as a

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

under

Emperor Ningzong Emperor Ningzong of Song (19 November 1168 – 17 September 1224), personal name Zhao Kuo, was the 13th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the fourth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1194 until his death in 1224. He ...

. He was responsible for Southern Song efforts to recover territories lost in northern China to the Jurchen-led

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

in their 1142 peace settlement that ended the Jin–Song wars. In his efforts to begin a military build-up, he had

Yue Fei Yue Fei (; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general of the Song dynasty and is remembered as a patriotic folk hero, national hero, known for leading its forces in Jin–Song Wars, the wars ...

(who had resigned during peace talks with the Jin dynasty, after which he was jailed and poisoned) posthumously promoted and

Qin Hui Qin Hui or Qin Kuai (January 17, 1091 – November 18, 1155) was a Chinese politician. He was a Chancellor of China, Chancellor of the Song dynasty in Chinese history. He was a contemporary of Yue Fei during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Son ...

(who led the aforementioned peace talks with the Jin dynasty) demoted.Lorge, Peter, ''"War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China"'', 1st edition, Routledge, 2005: 56, 66-67 (-) These efforts were unsuccessful, and the ensuing war was devastating to southern China, resulting in further territorial losses and terrible inflation. In consequence, Han was executed by the Southern Song dynasty, and his head was offered to the Jin dynasty as a peace offering. Han Tuozhou is also famous for his opposition to '' daoxue'' (the Song's Neo-Confucianist movement) which was banned on his order during the years 1195–99. His antagonizing policies were reversed by his successor in office,

Shi Miyuan Shi Miyuan (; February 23, 1164 – November 27, 1233) was a Chinese politician during the Southern Song Dynasty. He was instrumental in installing Emperor Lizong on the throne, despite the fact that Lizong was not in the line of succession. Und ...

. Han was assassinated by bludgeoning in 1207, on his way to the imperial palace. This was an exceptional affair in the generally tolerant political atmosphere of the Song.

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

historiographers assigned the blame of assassination on Shi Miyuan. However, such judgement is questioned. More plausibly, his extermination was ordered by Empress Yang who succeeded the deceased niece of Han Tuozhou,

Empress Han Empress Han (1165 – 14 December 1200) was the empress consort of Emperor Ningzong during the Song dynasty. Biography Han was born in modern-day Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many her ...

(d.1200) Han's and Su Shidan's (蘇師旦, subordinate of Han) bodies were exhumed and presented to the Jin dynasty as compensation for the Southern Song's aggression, in the negotiation process carried out by Wang Nan and Xu Yi. This measure was probably undertaken as compensation for the humiliation of Jin confederate Wu Xi (吳曦), whose body was hung on displays in Xingzhou (興州, in modern Lueyang, Shaanxi) and Lin'an. On some accounts, the Jin dynasty provided Han with honorary burial, recognizing him as a loyal official.Cambridge History of China v.5.1:812

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Tuozhou 1152 births 1207 deaths Assassinated Chinese politicians Song dynasty chancellors People assassinated in the 13th century Assassinated chancellors