Zhao Zhen

Timeline

1. 1010–1022Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture · KaifengZhao Zhen was the sixth son of Emperor Zhenzong, born in the palace with the childhood name Zhao Shouyi, later renamed Zhao Zhen; Zhenzong died in the first year of Qianxing (1022) and thirteen-year-old Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, with Empress Dowager Liu ruling behind the screen.
2. 1022–1045Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture · KaifengAfter Empress Dowager Liu died in 1033, Renzong ruled in person and pursued lenient governance; from 1043 to 1045 he employed Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi and others to carry out the Qingli New Policies, reforming officialdom and frontier defense, but ultimately abandoned them due to too much resistance.
3. 1051–1054Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture · KaifengThe lack of an heir became a worry for the foundation of the state; Fan Zhongyan died in 1052, depriving the court of an important minister; Crown Prince Zhao Xin died prematurely in 1054, and Renzong issued an edict seeking frank remonstrance; Han Qi and others entered the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the succession issue grew ever more pressing.
4. 1055–1060Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture · KaifengIn 1055 Han Qi and Fu Bi were jointly appointed chancellors to direct court affairs; in 1059 Renzong brought clan member Zhao Shu (later Emperor Yingzong) into the palace to raise and establish as crown prince, settling the foundation of the state; around 1056 he suspended court audiences due to illness, and in the later 1050s relied on Han Qi, Fu Bi, Bao Zheng and other ministers.
5. 1063Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture · KaifengIn the third month of the eighth year of Jiayou (1063), Renzong died in the Funing Hall at the age of fifty-three, with the temple name Renzong; crown prince Zhao Shu succeeded him as Emperor Yingzong.