Qin and Han · Ruler

Emperor Guangwu of Han 漢光武帝

Hàn Guāngwǔ dì

Died AD 57

Passages
126
Chapters
28
Histories
7

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Guangwu of Han as a named individual and ruler. This record brings together 126 passages from 28 chapters across 7 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Emperor Guangwu of Han 漢光武帝 Hàn Guāngwǔ dì
Title emperor 皇帝
Title Emperor 皇帝 huangdi
Title Emperor
Temple name Emperor Guangwu 光武 Guāngwǔ
Temple Emperor Guangwu 世祖 Shizu
Regnal Emperor Guangwu 光武 Guangwu
Posthumous Emperor Guangwu 光武 Guāngwǔ
Temple name Emperor Guangwu 世祖 Shizu
Title Emperor Guangwu 世祖
Temple name Emperor Guangwu 光武 Guangwu
Title Emperor Guangwu 光武
Regnal Emperor Guangwu 光武皇帝 Guangwu
Temple Emperor Guangwu 光武 Guangwu
Title Emperor Guangwu
Personal name Emperor Guangwu 光武 Guangwu
Title Emperor Guangwu 光武帝 Guangwu Di
Title Emperor Guangwu 光武帝 Guāngwǔ dì
Title Emperor Guangwu 光武皇帝
Regnal Emperor Guangwu 光武帝
Title Emperor Guangwu 光武帝 Guāngwǔdì
Temple Emperor Guangwu
Title Emperor Guangwu 光武帝
Temple name Emperor Guangwu 光武
Temple Emperor Guangwu 光武 Guāngwǔ
Title Emperor Guangwu of Han 漢光武
Temple name Founding Ancestor 世祖
Title Founding Ancestor 世祖 Shizu
Epithet Founding Ancestor 世祖 Shìzǔ
Alternate name Founding Emperor 世祖
Temple name Guangwu 光武 Guāngwǔ
Alternate name Guangwu 光武 Guangwu
Temple name Guangwu 光武 Guangwu
Personal name Guangwu 光武 Guāngwǔ
Title Guangwu 光武 Guāngwǔ
Personal name Guangwu
Alternate name Guangwu
Personal Guangwu
Temple Guangwu 光武 Guāngwǔ
Surname Liu 劉 Liu
Personal name Liu Xiu 世祖
Personal name Liu Xiu 劉秀 Liu Xiu
Epithet sage emperor 圣帝
Epithet sage ruler 圣主
Temple Shizu 世祖 Shizu
Temple name Shizu 世祖 Shizu
Temple name Shizu 世祖 Shìzǔ
Temple Shizu 世祖 Shìzǔ
Alternate name the emperor 帝
Title World Exemplar 世祖
Given Xiu 秀 Xiu

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Named Individual
  • Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Age

  • Age: 28 · Reckoning: sui · Context: raised troops
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0122
  • Age: 62 · Reckoning: sui · Context: at feng-shan; thirty-second year on throne
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0129

Attested activity

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

  • Descendant of Marquis Jieling of Chunling (舂陵节侯)
    Kinship Term: up to the Jieling marquis / 以上至舂陵节侯 · Generation Distance: 4 · Line: paternal
  • Sibling of Brother of Emperor Guangwu (漢光武兄)
    Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: uncertain
  • Spouse of Empress Guo (郭皇后)
    Kinship Term: empress / 皇后 · Union Category: primary-marriage · Subject Role: empress · Object Role: emperor · Relationship State: divorced
  • Child of Lord of Nandun (南顿君)
    Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
  • Kin of Fan Hong (樊宏)
    Kinship Term: maternal uncle / 舅 · Subject Role: nephew · Object Role: maternal-uncle
    Kinship Term: maternal uncle / 舅 · Subject Role: maternal-uncle · Object Role: nephew
  • Parent of Emperor Ming (顯宗)
    Kinship Term: succeeded / 即位 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Works and attributed material

Events and relationships

  • Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: abolished-left-right-cao · Label: abolished left and right Cao / 世祖省 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 世祖中兴 · Western Interval: Start: AD 25 · End: AD 57
    Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0148
  • Kind: administrative · Role: actor · Action: abolished-office · Label: abolished left and right household captains of the heir / 建武以来省之 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武以来 · Western Interval: Start: AD 25 · End: AD 56
    Explicit · houhanshu:128:s0091
  • Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: abolished-water-balances-commandant · Label: abolished the chief commandant of waters and balances and merged its duties into the Privy Treasurer / 省之，并其职于少府
    Explicit · houhanshu:127:s0180
  • Kind: administrative · Role: abolisher · Action: abolished · Event: abolition of the twenty-six capital-office prisons at restoration / 世祖中兴皆省 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 世祖中兴 · Western Interval: Start: AD 25 · End: AD 57
    Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0206
  • Kind: ritual · Role: recipient · Action: announced-sacrifice-as-Shizu · Place: Bright Hall / 明堂 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 癸酉 · Western Year: AD 85
    Explicit · houhanshu:109:s0051
  • Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: appointed-zhuo-mao-grand-tutor
    Explicit · houhanshu:125:s0016
  • Kind: ritual · Role: ruler · Action: approved-temple-settlement · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武十九年 · Western Year: AD 43
    Explicit · houhanshu:110:s0018
  • Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: ascended-throne · Place: central plain / Luoyang / 土中
    Explicit · houhanshu:131:s0017
  • Kind: military · Role: victor · Action: captured-treasure-carriage · Other Person Id: Gongsun Shu (公孫述)
    Explicit · nanqishu:017:s0005
  • Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: defeated · Other Person Id: Wang Yi (王邑) · Place: Kunyang / 昆陽
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0013
  • Kind: ritual · Role: founder · Action: established-Gao-temple · Place: Luoyang / 雒阳 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武二年正月 · Western Year: AD 26
    Explicit · houhanshu:110:s0003
  • Kind: ritual · Role: founder · Action: established-private-ancestral-shrines · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武三年正月 · Western Year: AD 27
    Explicit · houhanshu:110:s0006
  • Kind: ritual · Role: officiant · Action: expanded-suburban-cult-with-gaodi
    Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:108:s0043
  • Kind: ritual · Role: officiant · Action: feng-and-shan-on-mount-tai · Place: Mount Tai / 泰山 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武三十二年二月 · Western Year: AD 56
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0101, houhanshu:108:s0131, houhanshu:108:s0132, houhanshu:108:s0139, houhanshu:108:s0087
  • Kind: ritual · Role: performer · Action: feng-sacrifice-following-Wu
    Explicit · houhanshu:110:s0104, houhanshu:110:s0106
  • Kind: diplomatic · Role: grantor · Action: granted-clothing · Other Person Id: Southern Chanyu (南單於)
    Explicit · houhanshu:131:s0073
  • Kind: ritual · Role: officiant · Action: laid-out-suburban-altar · Place: Luoyang / 雒陽 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武二年正月 · Western Year: AD 26
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0018
  • Kind: encounter · Role: participant · Action: met-recluses · Other Person Id: Elder of Yewang · Place: Yewang / 野王
    Explicit · houhanshu:094:s0029, houhanshu:094:s0038
  • Kind: ritual · Role: correlative-recipient · Action: paired-at-Wen-Bright-Hall · Place: Bright Hall above the Wen / 汶上明堂 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 壬申 · Western Year: AD 85 · Other Person Id: Emperor Zhang (孝章皇帝)
    Explicit · houhanshu:109:s0050
  • Kind: ritual · Role: correlative-recipient · Action: paired-with-five-thearchs-in-bright-hall · Place: Bright Hall / 明堂 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 永平二年正月辛未 · Western Year: AD 59
    Explicit · houhanshu:109:s0018, houhanshu:109:s0021
  • Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: put-down · Other Person Id: Wang Lang (王郎)
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0013
  • Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: reassigned-revenues-and-offices · Label: reassigned forbidden-cash revenues to the Minister of Finance, transferred the works of artificers to the grand coachman, and devolved capital waterworks to commanderies and kingdoms / 改属司农，考工转属太仆，都水属郡国
    Explicit · houhanshu:127:s0179
  • Kind: ritual · Role: dedicatee · Action: received-Shizu-temple
    Explicit · houhanshu:110:s0048
  • Kind: administrative · Role: principal · Action: renamed-era-to-zhongyuan · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武三十二年四月己卯 · Western Year: AD 56
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0088
  • Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: renamed-grand-marshal-to-grand-commandant · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武二十七年 · Regnal Year: 27 · Western Year: AD 51
    Explicit · houhanshu:125:s0025
  • Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: renamed-remonstrating-grandees · Label: made them remonstrating grandees / 以为谏议大夫 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 世祖中兴 · Western Interval: Start: AD 25 · End: AD 57
    Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0243
  • Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: reorganized-secretariat-bureaus · Label: inherited the prior structure, then split the two-thousand-picul bureau and divided the guest bureau into southern and northern guest affairs, yielding six bureaus / 承遵，后分二千石曹，又分客曹为南主客曹、北主客曹，凡六曹
    Explicit · houhanshu:127:s0146
  • Kind: ritual · Role: patron · Action: repaired-three-Yong-and-seven-suburban-altars
    Explicit · houhanshu:131:s0017
  • Kind: ritual · Role: officiant · Action: reported-accession-to-heaven-and-earth · Place: Hao / 鄗 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武元年 · Western Year: AD 25
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0007, houhanshu:108:s0008, houhanshu:108:s0011
  • Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: restored-Han-with-austerity
    Explicit · houhanshu:125:s0006
  • Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: restored-Han
    Explicit · houhanshu:089:s0106, houhanshu:089:s0108, houhanshu:089:s0116
  • Kind: administrative · Role: actor · Action: restored-office · Label: restored the colonel director of retainers and added authority over one province / 建武中复置，并领一州 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 25 · End: AD 56
    Explicit · houhanshu:128:s0157
  • Kind: ritual · Role: recipient · Action: return-report-sacrifice · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 庚申 · Western Year: AD 85
    Explicit · houhanshu:109:s0055
  • Kind: honor · Role: emperor · Action: sought and granted grain to descendants of Kong Xiu and Cai Xun · Other Person Ids: Kong Xiu (孔休), Cai Xun (蔡勛) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 光武即位 · Western Year: AD 25
    Explicit · houhanshu:028:s0309
  • Kind: political · Role: emperor · Action: sought Zhuo Mao and received him in audience at Heyang · Other Person Id: Zhuo Mao (卓茂)
    Explicit · houhanshu:028:s0046
  • Kind: ritual · Role: founder · Action: southern-altar-at-Mount-Tai-restored · Place: Mount Tai / 泰山 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 元和二年 · Western Year: AD 85
    Explicit · houhanshu:109:s0048
  • Kind: travel · Role: principal · Action: visited-lu-and-mount-tai · Place: Mount Tai / 泰山 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武三十年三月 · Western Year: AD 54
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0097
  • Kind: ritual · Role: actor · Action: western-inspection-tour · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建武十八年 · Western Year: AD 42
    Explicit · houhanshu:089:s0023, houhanshu:089:s0025, houhanshu:089:s0030, houhanshu:089:s0031

Assessments and attributes

Source notes

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 28Volume 28 Biographies 20: Yuan Tan (Eastern Wei); Yuan Bin; Yuan Xiaoyou; Yuan Huiye; Yuan Bi; Yuan Shao (Eastern Wei) · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 27Volume 24b: Treatise on Trade 2 · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 105Volume 93: Flatterers · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 28Volume 25: Biography of Zhuo, Lu, Wei, Liu · 4 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 13 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 32Volume 28b: Biography of Feng Yan · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 34Volume 30a: Biographies of Su Jing; Yang Hou · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 37Volume 32: Biographies of Fan Hong; Yin Shi · 7 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 89Volume 80a: Biographies of Writers 1 · 5 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 94Volume 83: Biographies of Hermits · 13 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 108Volume 97: Rituals and Worship Part One · 21 passages
Open chapter
咸曰王莽篡弑竊位，秀發憤興義兵，破王邑百萬眾於昆陽，誅王郎、銅馬、赤眉、青犢賊，平定天下，海内蒙恩，上當天心，下爲元元所歸。 They declared that Wang Mang had seized the throne by murder and usurpation; that Xiu, roused to action, had raised a loyal army, shattered Wang Yi’s host of a million at Kunyang, put down Wang Lang and the Bronze Horse, Red Eyebrows, and Green Calf rebels, restored peace to the realm, and won the gratitude of every shore—that Heaven above approved him and the people below rallied to him.
尚書令奉玉牒檢，皇帝以寸二分璽亲封之，訖，太常命人发壇上石，尚書令藏玉牒已，复石覆讫，尚書令以五寸印封石檢。 The Director of the Masters of Writing bore the jade slip and cover-plate; the emperor personally sealed it with the one-cun-two-fen seal; when finished, the Grand Master of Ceremonies ordered men to open the stone on the mound; after the Director of the Masters of Writing stored the jade slip, the stone was covered again; the Director of the Masters of Writing sealed the stone cover-plate with the five-cun seal.
Book of Later Han, Chapter 109Volume 98: Rituals and Worship Part Two · 7 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 110Volume 99: Rituals and Worship Part Three · 11 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 117Volume 106: Five Elements Part Four · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 118Volume 107: Five Elements Part Five · 2 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 119Volume 108: Five Elements Part Six · 9 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 125Volume 114: Officials Part One · 8 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 126Volume 115: Officials Part Two · 4 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 127Volume 116: Officials Part Three · 3 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 128Volume 117: Officials Part Four · 2 passages
Open chapter
Book of Later Han, Chapter 131Volume 120: Treatise on Carriages and Dress, Part Two · 3 passages
Open chapter
Book of Liang, Chapter 24Volume 24: Xiao Jing; Xiao Chang; Xiao Ang; Xiao Yu · 1 passage
Open chapter
昔漢光武兄子章、興二人，並有名宗室，就欲習吏事，不過章爲平陰令，興爲緱氏宰，政事有能，方遷郡守，非直政績見稱，卽是光武猶子。 In the past, Emperor Guangwu of Han's nephews Zhang and Xing were both eminent members of the imperial clan. When they wished to learn administration, Zhang was made only magistrate of Pingyin and Xing magistrate of Gou. Only when their governance showed ability were they promoted to commandery administrators. It was not merely that their achievements were praised—they were the emperor's own nephews.
History of Liao, Chapter 73Volume 73 Biographies 3: Yelu Helu, Xiao Dilu, Yelu Xieniechi, Yelu Yuwen, Yelu Haili · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 2Volume 2 Annals 2: Emperor Gao of Southern Qi 2 · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 16Volume 16 Treatises 8: Official Posts · 1 passage
Open chapter
魏、晉世州牧隆重，刺史任重者爲使持節都督，輕者爲持節督，起漢從帝時，御史中丞馮赦討九江賊，督揚、徐二州軍事，而何、徐《宋志》云起魏武遣諸州將督軍，王珪之《職儀》云起光武，竝非也。 Under Wei and Jin, provincial governors were honored posts; inspectors with heavy responsibility became commissioners bearing the staff of authority and military overseers, lighter ones commissioners bearing the staff and supervisors. The office began under Emperor Shun of Han, when Censor-in-chief Feng She campaigned against Jiujiang bandits and directed Yang and Xu military affairs; but He and Xu's Song Treatise dates it to Cao Cao's dispatch of provincial generals to oversee troops, and Wang Guizhi's Protocol of Offices dates it to Emperor Guangwu—all are mistaken.
Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 17Volume 17 Treatises 9: Caraiges and Dress · 1 passage
Open chapter
History of Song, Chapter 359Volume 359 Biographies 118: Li Gang 2 · 2 passages
Open chapter