Houshao of Han
4th emperor of the Han Dynasty
Years: 210BCE - 180BCE
Emperor Houshao of Han (died 180 BCE), personal name Liu Hong, is the fourth emperor of the Han Dynasty in China.
He is a son of Emperor Hui, likely by a concubine -- although there is some controversy on the subject—and adopted by Emperor Hui's wife, Empress Zhang Yan.
At the instigation of his grandmother, Empress Dowager Lü, Empress Zhang has Emperor Houshao's mother put to death.
Very little about Emperor Houshao's life and personality is known.
There are only a few major important events in his life that are documented (which does not even include the year of his birth).
In 188 BC, his father Emperor Hui dies, and his brother Liu Gong succeeds to the throne as Emperor Qianshao.
In 187 BCE, he is created the Marquess of Xiangcheng.
In 186 BC, after his brother Liu Buyi, the Prince of Hengshan, dies, he is created the Prince of Hengshan, and his name is changed to Liu Yi, likely because it was considered inappropriate to have one's name (or one's male ancestors' names) share characters with one's titles.
