Liu Min () ( 895 – 954), named Liu Chong () before 951,, also known by his

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

as the Emperor Shizu of Northern Han, was the founding

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

of the Northern Han dynasty of China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He was an ethnic

Shatuo The Shatuo, or the Shatuo Turks (; also transcribed as Sha-t'o, Sanskrit SartZuev Yu.A., ''"Horse Tamgas from Vassal Princedoms (Translation of Chinese composition "Tanghuyao" of 8-10th centuries)"'', Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, I ...

and the younger brother of the Later Han dynasty's founder

Liu Zhiyuan Liu Zhiyuan () (March 4, 895 – March 10, 948), later changed to Liu Gao (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Gaozu of Later Han (), was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Shatuo-led Chinese Later Han (Five Dynasties), Lat ...

(Emperor Gaozu). Liu Chong created Northern Han in the Shatuo base in modern

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

after his eldest son was killed in 951 by general Guo Wei, who overthrew Later Han dynasty to establish the Later Zhou dynasty. In 954, Liu Chong was defeated by Guo's successor Chai Rong in the Battle of Gaoping and died soon afterwards.

Early life

The young Liu Chong drank and gambled and was once sentenced to join the military with his face tattooed.

During Later Jin

When Liu Zhiyuan became the military governor of Hedong (河東; roughly modern

), he named Liu Chong his chief director (都指揮使).

Formation of the Northern Han

Liu Min was the brother of

, the founder of the Later Han state, which was the last of three successive Shatuo Turk dynasties. The Later Han fell in 950 with the rise of the

Later Zhou 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 ...

. Liu Min declared himself the legitimate successor of the Later Han and formed the

Northern Han The Northern Han ( zh, t=北漢, s=北汉, p=Běi Hàn) was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by Liu Min (Emperor Shizu) as a continuation of the Later Ha ...

(sometimes called Eastern Han) kingdom in

, the traditional power base of the Shatuo Turks.

Relations with neighbouring states

The kingdom was wedged between its two larger, more powerful neighbors, the

to the south, and the Liao dynasty to the north. Liu Min restored traditional ties with the Liao, who served as protectors to the

, allowing it to last later than any of the other kingdoms traditionally listed as one of the Ten Kingdoms.

Family

* Father ** Liu Dian (劉琠), posthumously honored Emperor Zhangsheng with the temple name of Xianzu * Mother ** Lady An, Lady Dowager of Wu, posthumously honored Empress Zhangyi * Wife ** Empress (name unknown) * Concubine ** Consort Wang (915-971) * Children ** Liu Chengyun or Liu Yun, the Duke of Xiangyin (created 951, killed by Guo Wei 951) ** Liu Chengjun (Liu Jun) (劉承鈞), later Emperor Ruizong ** Liu Hao (劉鎬), killed by Liu Jiyuan ~968 ** Liu Kai (劉鍇), killed by Liu Jiyuan ~968 ** Liu Qi (劉錡), killed by Liu Jiyuan ~968 ** Liu Xí (劉錫, note different tone than his brother), killed by Liu Jiyuan ~968 ** Liu Xǐ (劉銑, note different tone than his brother) ** At least three more sons ** Princess, mother of Liu Ji'en and Liu Jiyuan

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Chong 890s births 954 deaths Year of birth uncertain Northern Han emperors 10th-century Asian people Jin (Later Tang precursor) people Later Tang people Later Jin (Five Dynasties) people Hedong jiedushi Later Han (Five Dynasties) jiedushi Later Zhou jiedushi People from North China Founders of Imperial Chinese dynasties