Han Dynasty

Reign of Xuan of Han
Reign of Xuan of Han ©Image Attribution forthcoming. Image belongs to the respective owner(s).
74 BCE Sep 10 - 48 BCE Jan

Reign of Xuan of Han

Chang'An, Xi'An, Shaanxi, Chin

Emperor Xuan of Han was the tenth emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty, reigning from 74 to 48 BCE. During his reign, the Han dynasty prospered economically and militarily became the regional superpower, and was considered by many to be the peak period of the entire Han history. He was succeeded by his son Emperor Yuan after his death in 48 BCE.


Emperor Xuan has been considered a hardworking and brilliant ruler by historians. Because he grew up among commoners, he thoroughly understood the suffering of the grassroot population, and lowered taxes, liberalized the government and employed capable ministers to the government. He was said by Liu Xiang to have been fond of reading the works of Shen Buhai, using Xing-Ming to control his subordinates and devoting much time to legal cases. Emperor Xuan was open to suggestions, was a good judge of character, and consolidated his power by eliminating corrupt officials, including the Huo family who had exerted considerable power since the death of Emperor Wu, after Huo Guang's death.

Last Updated: Wed Jan 31 2024

HistoryMaps Shop

Shop Now

There are several ways to support the HistoryMaps Project.
Shop Now
Donate
Support Page

What's New

New Features

Timelines
Articles

Fixed/Updated

Herodotus
Today

New HistoryMaps

History of Afghanistan
History of Georgia
History of Azerbaijan
History of Albania