Quick Facts about Emperor Andi
- Emperor Andi was born in 94 CE.
- His name at birth was Liu Yu.
- He was a grandson of the Eastern Han dynasty emperor, Zhangdi, and nephew to the Eastern Han dynasty emperor, Hedi.
- His mother is unknown.
- After his cousin, the emperor, Shangdi’s death in 106 CE, Liu Yu became the sixth emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty.
- Andi means “Peaceful Emperor.”
China under Emperor Andi
Andi became emperor at the age of twelve. His wife was Empress Yan. Her family ruled the court and government in Andi’s place.
Emperor Andi’s rule was dominated by external and internal strife. The Qiang people were overrunning the areas of Central Asia. His armies were sent to subdue these people and to incorporate more land into his empire. The only thing these tactics were successful in doing was to remove more money from the treasury.
Natural disasters continued to plague the region, which led to more issues with the Chinese people.
Emperor Andi’s Death
Empress Yan lacked children by Emperor Andi and used her power to remove his concubine’s children as heirs and succeeded in poisoning one concubine.
Emperor Andi had at least one concubine. At least one child survived Empress Yan’s attempts to control power. Upon Andi’s death in 125 CE, his son, Shundi, succeeded him as emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty.
Quick Facts about Emperor Shundi
- Emperor Shundi was born in 115 CE.
- His name at birth was Liu Bao.
- He was a son of the Eastern Han dynasty emperor, Andi.
- His mother was Emperor Andi’s concubine, Li.
- After his father’s death in 126 CE, Liu Bao became the seventh emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty.
- Shundi means “Submissive Emperor.”
China under Emperor Shundi
Emperor Shundi was another young emperor. At the age of eleven, eunuchs, pulling off a coup, killed a sham emperor put into place by Emperor Andi’s wife, Empress Yan. The eunuchs restored the empire to the heir of Emperor Andi.
Emperor Shundi’s wife was from a northern clan. This shifted the running of the government and the political ideology from the south to north, as it was during the Western Han dynasty.
Shundi had that one wife, Liang Na, and at least one concubine. He had at least one child. Upon his death in 144 CE, his son, Chongdi, succeeded him as emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty.
