Accession of Emperor Lizong of Song

Timeline

1. 1224Lin'an imperial palace · Lin'anEmperor Ningzong Zhao Kuo died in the ninth month of Jiading 17. By ritual, the imperial prince Prince Fu Zhao Hong should have succeeded, but Zhao Hong and the powerful chancellor Shi Miyuan had long been at odds, and Shi Miyuan had already secretly arranged to install another member of the imperial clan; the succession immediately became the focus of Lin'an politics.
2. 1224Lin'an · Lin'anShi Miyuan sent trusted men to seize the palace gates and cut off communication between inside and outside, blocking Zhao Hong from entering the palace to succeed, and ordered the guards to execute opponents. Prince Fu Zhao Hong was deposed as Prince of Ji and later forced to commit suicide. Shi Miyuan then brought Prince Yi Zhao Yun into the palace, completing a palace-coup-style transfer of power.
3. 1224Lin'an · Lin'anZhao Yun ascended the throne in the ninth month, changing the era name to Baoding, becoming Emperor Lizong of Song. At the start of his reign Lizong was young and dependent on Shi Miyuan, who in practice held the reins of government. Thereafter the Southern Song entered a period of powerful-chancellor rule, with foreign policy wavering between alliance with Jin and alliance with the Mongols, until the Duanping reforms brought a turning point.