Shi Miyuan (; February 23, 1164 – November 27, 1233) was a Chinese politician during 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 ...

. He was instrumental in installing Emperor Lizong on the throne, despite the fact that Lizong was not in the line of succession. Under Lizong's rule, Shi was appointed Grand Chancellor. Shi hailed from a family of bureaucrats and was adept in politics. He took the

Imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

s at the age of only seventeen, and placed first in his class. After the dismissal of Han Tuozhou as Chief Councillor, Shi was appointed to the position in 1208 (a number of historians accuse Shi of orchestrating Han's murder). Once in power, he reversed many of Han's policies, making peace with the Jin and revoking proscriptions against the

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...

Zhu Xi Zhu Xi ( zh, c=朱熹; ; October 18, 1130April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese philosopher, historian, politician, poet, and calligrapher of the Southern Song dynasty. As a leading figure in the development of Neo-Confuci ...

, although he still did not allow adherents of Zhu Xi's theories any great political power. He generally promoted officials on merit and was able to restore a degree of stability to government.

Imperial succession

When the

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 ...

died in 1224, the succession wasn't known as Ningzong had not designated an heir. Ningzong's eldest son had died in 1197 and all of his other sons were dead too so the appointed heir was therefore adopted (the crown prince in 1224 was actually the third boy Ningzong had adopted for the role). Shi moved to place

Zhao Yun Zhao Yun ( ) (died 229), courtesy name Zilong (), was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the northern warlord Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun later came ...

(a minor imperial prince) on the throne ahead of the heir apparent. In some histories, it is suggested that Shi placed a lute-playing

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

in the crown prince's company, and through her learned of the heir apparent's plot to remove Shi from power after attaining the throne. In changing the order of succession, he had the unwilling support of Empress Yang, who was initially against the plot but was forced to assist after Shi threatened to exterminate her clan. She forged an edict appointing Zhao Yun as heir, and he was crowned as the Emperor Lizong. Shi Miyuan died in office in 1233 and was succeeded by Zheng Qingzhi.

References

{{Authority control 1164 births 1233 deaths Politicians from Ningbo Song dynasty chancellors