--- title: Duzong Emperor (r. 1264–1274), Song Dynasty url: https://realrareantiques.com/song-dynasty-emperors/duzong-emperor/ language: en description: The Duzong Emperor, Zhao Qi, ruled the Southern Song from 1264 to 1274. He left power to Jia Sidao while the Mongols besieged and took Xiangyang. alternates: zh-Hant: https://realrareantiques.com/zh-hant/song-dynasty-emperors/duzong-emperor/ zh-Hans: https://realrareantiques.com/zh-hans/song-dynasty-emperors/duzong-emperor/ --- *Portrait: public domain, via [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%E5%AE%8B%E5%BA%A6%E5%AE%97%E7%9A%87%E5%B8%9D.jpg)* Southern Song1264–1274 # Duzong Emperor 咸淳 **Reign facts** **Reigned:** 1264–1274 (10 years) **Lived:** 1240–1274 **Personal name:** Zhao Qi 趙禥 **Temple name:** Duzong 度宗 **Era name:** Xianchun 咸淳 1265–1274 [Song Dynasty Emperors](https://realrareantiques.com/song-dynasty-emperors/) Zhao Qi (趙禥), known by his temple name Duzong, was the fifteenth emperor of the Song Dynasty and the sixth of the Southern Song. He reigned for ten years, from 1264 to 1274, using the era name Xianchun (咸淳) from 1265. According to the official history of the Song, his mother, Huang Dingxi, was a concubine of low rank who feared for her position when she became pregnant, and took drugs in an attempt to end the pregnancy. The attempt failed, but the history records that the child was born weak in body and mind. His hands and feet were feeble and he moved awkwardly, he did not speak until he was seven, and he was never thought capable of ruling on his own. ## How the Duzong Emperor Came to the Throne Zhao Qi was born in 1240, the son of Zhao Yurui, a younger brother of [Emperor Lizong](https://realrareantiques.com/song-dynasty-emperors/emperor-lizong/). Lizong had no surviving son, and in 1253 he adopted his nephew as his heir, naming him crown prince in 1260. When Lizong died in 1264, Zhao Qi succeeded him. ## A Reign of War and Neglect Duzong's reign was dominated by the war with the Mongols and by his chancellor, Jia Sidao, whom many officials accused of corruption and of hiding the truth about the war. The emperor nonetheless trusted Jia completely. He addressed him as his teacher, and when Jia threatened to resign, Duzong is said to have begged him to stay. In practice Duzong left all affairs of state and of the army to Jia Sidao. He sometimes called on his officials to speak frankly about the problems of the empire, but little came of it. The histories describe him as devoted to wine and to the women of the palace. By a palace custom, a woman who had spent the night with the emperor gave thanks at the palace gate the next morning, and a well-known anecdote claims that on one occasion more than thirty did so. ## The Siege of Xiangyang The Mongols had been attacking the Song for decades. Under Kublai Khan they concentrated on Xiangyang and its twin city Fancheng, which guarded the Han River, the main route south to the Yangtze. The siege began in 1268 and lasted five years. The Song commander, Lü Wenhuan, held out while relief expeditions failed to break through. Jia Sidao is said to have kept the true state of the siege from the emperor. The end came when the Mongols brought in engineers from the Islamic world, who built counterweight trebuchets able to throw heavy stones against the walls. Fancheng fell, and early in 1273 Lü Wenhuan surrendered Xiangyang. With Xiangyang in their hands, the Mongols controlled the Han River and could move down it onto the Yangtze, the natural barrier on which the defence of the Southern Song depended. The capital, Lin'an, fell in 1276, and the last Song resistance was destroyed at the Battle of Yamen in 1279. ## End of Duzong's Reign Duzong died in 1274, at the age of thirty-four. The traditional histories blame his early death on drink and excess. *Museum exampleGuan ware incense burner from Hangzhou, 1200s, with a densely crackled grey glaze, an official ware made near the capital in the last century of the Southern Song.[Cleveland Museum of Art, 1957.63. Public domain (CC0).](https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1957.63)* See [Song Dynasty Porcelain](https://realrareantiques.com/product-category/antique-chinese-porcelain/song-dynasty-porcelain/) in our collection, or ask us about a piece. [Ask about a piece](https://realrareantiques.com/contact-us/) His three young sons were placed on the throne in turn by the dwindling Song court: [Emperor Gong](https://realrareantiques.com/song-dynasty-emperors/emperor-gong/), who succeeded him in 1274, and later Duanzong and Bing. His reign falls within the last great period of the Southern Song kilns, when celadons from Longquan and the official wares made near Hangzhou were at their finest. You can see examples in our [Song dynasty porcelain](https://realrareantiques.com/product-category/antique-chinese-porcelain/song-dynasty-porcelain/) collection. ## From the Song Dynasty - Song Dynasty Porcelain [Celadon Jar with a Fluted Melon-Shaped Body, Song Dynasty](https://realrareantiques.com/shop/antique-chinese-song-dynasty-celadon-jar/)Song DynastyPrice on request - Song Dynasty Porcelain [Ewer with a Pale Glaze and a Ridged Shoulder, Song Dynasty](https://realrareantiques.com/shop/song-dynasty-ewer-with-a-pale-glaze/)Song DynastyPrice on request - Song Dynasty Porcelain [Celadon Vase with Carved Peony Medallions, Song to Yuan Dynasty](https://realrareantiques.com/shop/v-rare-antique-chinese-porcelain-vase-song-yuan-dynasty/)Song to YuanPrice on request - Song Dynasty Porcelain [Celadon Vase with Two Loop Handles and Carved Lotus, Song Dynasty](https://realrareantiques.com/shop/antique-song-dynasty-celadon-vase-elephant-shaped-handles/)Song DynastyPrice on request [View all Song Dynasty Porcelain](https://realrareantiques.com/product-category/antique-chinese-porcelain/song-dynasty-porcelain/)[Ask about a piece](https://realrareantiques.com/contact-us/) Be the first to see new pieces Join our collectors' list for new arrivals, rare finds and private offers.