Early life

During his childhood, Guangzong either suffered from bipolar or severe neurosis. Despite this, Guangzong was reportedly filial to his father albeit his father kept on delaying the succession.

In 1194, was promoted from the ruler of a Zhou to Fu.

Emperor Xiaozong abdicated in favor of Emperor Guangzong in 1194 which Emperor Guangzong later described his crowning as king and then Emperor Guangzong as a "double celebration" which gave the city of Chongqing its present-day name in honour of Guangzong.

Reign

Upon the succession of Emperor Guangzong in 1189, it was actually suggested that Empress Dowager Wu would act as his regent, because of his bad health. However, during his reign, it was the spouse of Guangzong who de facto ruled the Song Empire.

Guangzong constantly accompanied his father in tours and banquets. This changed due to the enormous influence of his wife Empress Li Fengniang became notorious in Chinese history for being ruthless and shrewd, and for ruling the state through her husband, who became known a "henpecked weakling" dominated by his wife. Eventually, Guangzong made up excuses in order to avoid his father.

According to Xu Wei, the Nanxi style of theatre began in Emperor Guangzong's reign. Guangzong listened to some treacherous officials and dismissed the popular military leader Xin Qiji. Furthermore, Guangzong gave into drinking in his middle years which deteriorated his mental state.

When the Retired Emperor Xiaozong became sick, Guangzong refused to visit him upsetting Xiaozong and furthermore, making Xiaozong's illness worse.

He was forced to give up his throne to Zhao Kuo, his only surviving son and child in 1194 by his officials and his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Wu under the reason that he was "too ill" to perform the mourning rites. In reality, they had forced him to abdicate because he refused to attend the funeral procession of his father, Emperor Xiaozong due to the influence of his wife Empress Li Fengniang, and that he refused to wear mourning clothes making the officials angry about his lack of filial piety. He died in 1200 near Shaoxing, Zhejiang possibly from melancholy as he was mentally ill or he became sick and died.

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Ciyi, of the Li clan (慈懿皇后 李氏; 1144–1200), personal name Fengniang (凤娘)

　• Zhao Ting (赵挺), first son

　• Zhao Kuo, Ningzong (宁宗 赵扩; 1168–1224), second son

• Unknown

　• Princess Wen'an (文安公主), first daughter

　• Princess Hezheng (和政公主), second daughter

　• Princess Qi'an (齐安公主), third daughter

Ancestry

生平

绍兴十七年（1147年）九月乙丑生于藩邸，孝宗与郭皇后三子。二十年（1150年）二月，赐名敦，授右监门卫率府副率。三十年（1160年）五月，转荣州刺史。三十二年（1162年）六月，高宗内禅，孝宗即位。九月，拜镇洮军节度使、开府仪同三司、封恭王。

乾道七年（1171年）二月，立为皇太子。四月，领临安府尹。当时孝宗因赵敦性格与自己相似，故立为太子，与此同时，孝宗也担忧太子的政治能力，但是淳熙十六年（1189年）二月，孝宗依然禅位予光宗，自称「寿皇」，以明年为绍熙元年。

光宗是宋朝皇帝中比较平庸的一位。他登基时42岁，并不算年老，却体弱多病。心理上，也没有安邦治国之才，听取奸臣谗言，罢免辛弃疾等主战派大臣，又让当时著名的妒妇、心狠手辣的皇后李凤娘干政，自己对朝政的掌握力不断下降。

绍熙四年，光宗将两浙东路马步军副都总管姜特立召至杭州行在，遭到丞相留正的强烈反对，留正随后出走，直到当年十一月，光宗将姜特立遣回本官，留正方才回朝。但光宗在位的五年时间，基本延续了高宗、孝宗两朝赈济灾民的政策，也能对一些官吏渎职的现象予以打击，如文思院监常良孙因贪污，不仅自身受到贬黜，荐举其人的宰相周必大也遭到了降爵处分。经济方面，淮河一带在光宗朝继续严格实行纸钞第一政策，一切银钱都不得进入两淮地区。湖北一部份地区在绍熙后期开放了铁钱。

光宗由于皇后李凤娘的挑拨，素来与孝宗不和，宋孝宗退位后，自称「寿皇」，闲居宫中，皇后李凤娘教唆光宗，光宗长期不去探望。李皇后谋杀了有孕在身的黄贵妃，光宗知道之后，又生病了，寿皇送来了药丸，但李皇后却造谣说那是毒药，离间光宗与寿皇父子关系。有一次，光宗宴请大臣，大臣请光宗探望寿皇，李皇后知道了以后立即阻止。绍熙五年（1194年），寿皇得病，宋光宗不去探望寿皇，也不让他人探望，最终朝臣拒绝见光宗，集体前往朝见寿皇，光宗才被迫妥协。

寿皇病逝时，光宗不服丧。寿皇的丧礼需要身为长子的宋光宗主持，光宗也不主持，大臣们都极为不满。枢密使赵汝愚则联合赵彦逾、叶适、徐谊、郭杲、韩仛胄等人策画政变，由隆慈太皇太后（宪圣慈烈皇后）的外甥韩仛胄请隆慈太皇太后垂帘听政，又以防不测，命殿帅郭杲，步帅阎仲连夜带兵控制南皇宫南北，傅昌朝暗中制造黄袍，赵汝愚兵谏逼迫光宗退位。使得尚未成为太子的赵扩，就受禅称帝，是为宋宁宗，光宗闲居临安行在寿康宫，自称「太上皇」。

庆元六年八月初八（1200年9月17日），忧郁而崩于寿康宫寿康殿，年五十四。十一月，上谥号曰『宪仁圣哲慈孝皇帝』（圣能法天曰宪 施仁服义曰仁 通达先知曰圣 能官贤才曰哲 视民如子曰慈 继先述事曰孝），庙号『光宗』。十一月，太庙酌献乐名《大和》。十二月，葬于永崇陵（今浙江绍兴东南35里处宝山）。嘉泰三年（1203年）七月，加谥号曰『循道宪仁明功茂德温文顺武圣哲慈孝皇帝』。

轶事

• 宋光宗在太子位已经很长时间，却仍不见宋孝宗传位给他。一次他前往重华宫侍奉孝宗，顺便向孝宗试探道：「有人给儿臣送来了染胡须的药，儿臣却不敢用。」孝宗清楚儿子的用意，就说：「我正要向天下显示你的老成，要染胡须的药干甚么呢？」

• 一次，光宗的黄贵妃病了，御医用了许多药也不见效果。光宗无奈只好张榜求医。一位江湖郎中揭榜进宫，建议以山楂和冰糖煎熬服用。贵妃按照郎中的方法服用，果然就如期痊愈了。此后，该方法传入民间，逐渐演变成今天的冰糖葫芦。

家庭

祖先

妻妾

皇后

• 慈懿皇后李凤娘（1144－1200），父庆远军节度使李道，生赵挺、宋宁宗赵扩。李凤娘17岁时，道士皇甫坦言其「面相大贵，当母仪天下。」宋高宗即命其皇孙赵敦聘李凤娘为妻，封荣国夫人，后封定国夫人、恭王妃。立为太子妃后工于心计，刁蛮善妒，挑拨三宫是非。为皇后后，更加飞扬跋扈，逐步控制了光宗。李凤娘性情妒悍，曾剁下宫女双手、杀害有孕的黄贵妃、令光宗妃嫔出嫁民间，甚至逼迫光宗不去见父亲孝宗临终最后一面，并肆意加封家人官爵、呵斥朝臣引发不满，直接引发了光宗被逼退位。光宗内禅，立宁宗，尊为太上皇后，上尊号曰寿仁。庆元六年崩，年五十六。

妃嫔

• 黄贵妃（？－1191），原宋孝宗后宫和义郡夫人，光宗为太子时别无姬妾，孝宗便将黄氏赐予儿子为妾，有专宠。孝宗即位后封贵妃。两年后贵妃有孕，被皇后李凤娘趁孝宗离宫郊祭时杀害，谎称暴薨，光宗从此一病不起。

• 张贵妃，光宗为太子姬妾，被皇后李凤娘出嫁民间。

• 符婕妤，被皇后李凤娘出嫁民间。

子

• 长子：长保宁军节度使赵挺（早亡），母慈懿皇后李凤娘。

• 次子：宋宁宗赵扩，母慈懿皇后李凤娘。

女

• 文安公主，长女。

• 和政公主，次女。

• 齐安公主，三女皆早亡，绍熙元年，并追赠公主。

宰相

• 周必大

• 留正

• 葛邲

• 赵汝愚

• 王蔺

评价

• 元朝官修正史《宋史》脱脱等的评价是：「光宗幼有令闻，向用儒雅。逮其即位，总权纲，屏嬖幸，薄赋缓刑，见于绍熙初政，宜若可取。及夫宫闱妒悍，内不能制，惊忧致疾。自是政治日昏，孝养日怠，而乾、淳之业衰焉。」

注释

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