Liu Chengyou

Liu Chengyou (劉承祐) (28 March 931 – 2 January 951), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Yin of Later Han (後漢隱帝), was the second and last emperor of the Later Han dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned from 948 until his death in 951.

He was only 16 years old when he succeeded his father Liu Zhiyuan (Emperor Gaozu), who died suddenly. His reign was marked by the arbitrary killing of his important ministers, which eventually led to his downfall.

When he killed the entire family of general Guo Wei, but without Guo himself, Guo's army attacked the capital, and Liu Chengyou was killed in the chaos.

An epitaph of Liu Zhiyuan, son of his cousin Liu Yun, refers to Liu Chengyou as "Liu Chenghan." Liu Chengyou may therefore have changed his name when he became emperor.

Background

Liu Chengyou was born in 931 in Yedu, in what is now Handan, Hebei, at the house of his father Liu Zhiyuan. His father was a trusted officer under the general Shi Jingtang, who was the son-in-law of Emperor Li Siyuan of Later Tang. His mother was Liu Zhiyuan's wife, Lady Li. He had two brothers. He also had an adoptive brother, Liu Yun, whose father was Liu Chong. Liu Zhiyuan favored Liu Yun and adopted him as a son.

In 941, after Shi Jingtang overthrew Later Tang and set up Later Jin, Liu Zhiyuan became military governor of the Hedong Circuit, with its headquarters in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi. The 10-year-old Liu Chengyou was given the title of overseer of the headquarters. In 947, after the Khitan Liao dynasty destroyed Later Jin, Liu Zhiyuan declared himself emperor of the new state, Later Han, and Liu Chengyou was given the title of General. In late 947, his older brother died, which greatly affected Liu Zhiyuan's health. By spring of 948, Liu Zhiyuan was close to death. He gathered the chancellor Su Fengji, the chief of staff (Shumishi) Yang Bin, the Imperial Guard commander Shi Hongzhao, and the deputy chief of staff Guo Wei. He told them that Liu Chengyou was still young, and he asked them to watch out for the retired general Du Chongwei. After Liu Zhiyuan died, the four men first issued an order in his name to put Du to death, and only then announced his death. Liu Chengyou took the throne at the age of 17 and honored his mother as empress dowager.

Reign

Liu Chengyou was only 16 when his father died, and his young government soon faced trouble. Military governors in the west, including Li Shouzhen, rose in rebellion near the border with Later Shu. The government army, led by Guo Wei, besieged the rebels, and by 949 the rebellions had been put down. Afterward, Liu became arrogant and quarreled with his senior officials, and he grew angry that he could not give powerful posts to his friends and relatives. In December 950, he had several of his top officials killed. Guo Wei, who was then guarding the north against Liao raids, rose against Liu and marched toward the capital.

On January 2, 951, Liu Chengyou was killed while trying to return to the palace. Guo Wei later seized the throne and founded Later Zhou. He had Liu mourned and buried with the honors due to an emperor.

Family

Liu Chengyou's father was Liu Zhiyuan, known as Emperor Gaozu of Later Han. His mother was Empress Li. He married Lady Zhang, the daughter of Zhang Yancheng. His major concubine was Consort Geng, who died around 950.

Ancestry