Birth and childhood

In 94 BC, then Prince Fuling was born to a favourite concubine of Emperor Wu, Zhao Jieyu (赵婕妤), who carried the title Lady Gouyi. Emperor Wu was ecstatic in having a child at his advanced age (62), and because Consort Zhao purportedly had a pregnancy that lasted 14 months, the same length as the mythical Emperor Yao, he named Consort Zhao's palace gate "Gate of Yao's Mother." This led to speculation that the Emperor, in favouring Consort Zhao and Prince Fuling, wanted to make Prince Fuling crown prince instead of Crown Prince Liu Ju, the son of Empress Wei Zifu. That, in turn, led to conspiracies against Prince Ju and Empress Wei, eventually forcing Prince Ju to pre-emptively rise up in military self-defence in 91 BC. Being misunderstood as a revolt, Prince Ju was defeated and went into exile, and both he and Empress Wei committed suicide soon afterwards.

After Prince Ju's death, Emperor Wu was forced to consider who would make a good heir. Liu Dan, the Prince of Yan, was Emperor Wu's oldest surviving son, but Emperor Wu considered both he and his younger brother, Liu Xu, the Prince of Guangling, to be unsuitable, since neither respected the laws of the land. Liu Bo, Lady Li's son, had consort kin in the form of his uncle Li Guangli. In any case, before Emperor Wu's death, Li Guangli would surrender to the Xiongnu, while Liu Bo predeceased his father. Left with no other options, he decided on his youngest son, Prince Fuling, who was only six at that time. He therefore also chose a potential regent in Huo Guang, whom he considered to be capable and faithful. He also ordered Prince Fuling's mother, Lady Gouyi, arrested and executed, fearing that she would become an uncontrollable empress dowager, like Empress Dowager Lü. He entrusted Huo with the regency of Fuling. At Huo's suggestion, he also made ethnic Xiongnu official Jin Midi and general Shangguan Jie co-regents. He died on 29 March 87 BC, shortly after creating Prince Fuling crown prince two days earlier. Fuling then succeeded to the throne as Emperor Zhao at the age of 8.

Early reign and marriage

Early in Emperor Zhao's reign, Huo, Jin and Shangguan served as co-regents, with the key decisions being made by Huo. The palace was run by Princess Eyi, Emperor Wu's daughter and Emperor Zhao's older sister, who had moved back to the palace to serve as Emperor Zhao's caretaker.

Prince Dan of Yan was not happy about the turn in events that led to Emperor Zhao's ascension. In 86 BC, he secretly planned a rebellion, forming a conspiracy with two imperial clan members, Liu Zhang and Liu Ze. The plan was for them to accuse Emperor Zhao of being not actually Emperor Wu's son, and then for Liu Ze, a grandson of a former prince of Qi, to start a rebellion in Linzi (in modern Linzi District, Shandong), the former capital of the Principality of Qi, while Prince Dan would then start a rebellion from his Principality of Yan (roughly modern Beijing). The conspiracy was discovered, but Prince Dan was not punished, although the other conspirators were executed.

Later that year, Jin, a moderating influence in the co-regency, after being created a marquess on his sickbed, died. Huo and Shangguan were subsequently created marquesses as well. In the next few years, Shangguan, unhappy with his lesser role in the co-regency, tried to gain more power over Huo, even though the two had previously been great friends, and Huo had given his daughter in marriage to Shangguan's son Shangguan An (上官安). The young couple had a daughter, who was age five in 84 BC, when Shangguan Jie wanted to marry her to the emperor. Huo initially refused, believing her to be too young.

Shangguan Jie turned elsewhere for support of his plan. Shangguan An was a friend of Princess Eyi's lover, Ding Wairen (丁外人). He encouraged Ding to persuade the princess on the soundness of the marriage, reasoning that the Shangguans' power would be firmer with the marriage, and that they could then help Ding legitimize his relationship with Princess Eyi. Princess Eyi agreed, and later in 84 BC, the young Lady Shangguan was appointed as an imperial consort. In 83 BC, she was crowned empress.

Middle reign and the struggle between Shangguan and Huo

In 82 BC, a man whose appearance was similar to the former Crown Prince Ju suddenly appeared at the palace, claiming that he was in fact Prince Ju and that he was there to claim the throne. He was arrested and shown to be an imposter named Cheng Fangsui (成方遂), and then executed.

Later that year, Shangguan An was created a marquess, and he became extremely arrogant and wild in his behaviour.

In the same year, at the suggestion of Du Yannian (杜延年), Huo started considering terminating some of the policies of Emperor Wu intended to raise revenues for the war efforts. In 81 BC, after a major debate between proponents (the chief among whom was vice prime minister Sang Hongyang) and opponents of the state monopolies on salt, iron, and wine, the wine and iron monopolies were abolished, once again allowing the merchants to benefit from the profits of these essentials. The people started to recover from the heavy burdens that Emperor Wu's wars had left on them.

In 80 BC, the ongoing conflict between Huo and Shangguan Jie came to a head. The Shangguans, wanting to reward Ding for his role in setting up the marriage between Empress Shangguan and Emperor Zhao, sought to have him created a marquess, but were rebuffed by Huo, as were their subsequent efforts to have Ding made an important official. This caused Princess Eyi to resent Huo as well. The Shangguans, Princess Eyi, Prince Dan of Yan, and Sang (who was resentful that his monopoly system, which he felt to be the key to sound finances for the state, was being dismantled), formed an anti-Huo conspiracy. In 80 BC, Prince Dan sent a report to Emperor Zhao, accusing Huo of improperly exercising imperial authority. The conspirators' plan was that as soon as Emperor Zhao authorised an investigation, Shangguan Jie and Sang would arrest and immediately execute Huo. However, after the report was given to Emperor Zhao, the 14-year-old Emperor Zhao took no action on it. The next day, he summoned Huo to the palace and exonerated him, reasoning that the actions that Huo was accused of had happened so recently that Prince Dan, a long distance away, could not have possibly known about them, and therefore the report must have been a forgery. At this point, the anti-Huo conspiracy was not discovered, but many were impressed at the wisdom of the young emperor.

Later that year, the conspirators tried again. Their plan was for Princess Eyi to invite Huo to a feast, and then to ambush Huo and kill him, and then depose Emperor Zhao and make Prince Dan emperor. (However, the Shangguans allegedly conspired to instead to have Prince Dan killed once he arrived in the capital, and for Shangguan Jie to declare himself emperor.) The conspiracy was revealed by a servant of Princess Eyi, and the conspirators were arrested and executed with their entire clans. Princess Eyi and Prince Dan committed suicide. Empress Shangguan was spared, however, because of her young age and her status as Huo's granddaughter.

Late reign

After the incident, Huo stamped out anyone who could be considered to be a conspirator, gaining a reputation for autocracy and heavy-handedness. The victims included two ministers, Wang Ping (王平) and Xu Ren (徐仁). The relationship between Huo and Emperor Zhao remained a positive one, however.

In 77 BC, a controversial incident involving the Xiyu (modern Xinjiang and former-Soviet central Asia) kingdom of Loulan (on northeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert) would unfold itself, although whether Emperor Zhao played any role in the decision-making is unclear. A few years earlier, the King of Loulan had died, and with Xiongnu support, one of his sons, Angui (安归) succeeded him, and Angui started a policy of befriending Xiongnu and resisting Han, particularly because Luolan's geographical location meant that it was often ordered by Han to escort its imperial messengers, who were also rude to Luolan officials. Huo sent an imperial messenger, Fu Jiezi (傅介子) to assassinate Angui. Fu accomplished this by claiming that he was there to reward Xiyu kings with jewels and other precious items, and then, setting a private meeting up with Angui, he stabbed him in the heart, and then, warning that any further action would bring a large Chinese army, he got the Loulan nobles to submit and make a brother of Angui, Weituqi (尉屠耆), who was friendly to Han, king. Loulan was renamed Shanshan. (This incident was controversial in Chinese history in that many historians believed that this was one incident in which an assassination of a foreign king was thoroughly unjustified, particularly in the method it was carried out—using jewels as bait. Other historians believed that Angui should be punished for his failure to submit.)

In 74 BC, Emperor Zhao died without a son, and this would lead to a succession problem. After a short duration in which the unsuitable Prince He of Changyi became emperor, the throne was finally given to Emperor Zhao's grandnephew, former Crown Prince Ju's grandson, Liu Bingyi, who would ascend the throne as Emperor Xuan.

Era names

• Shiyuan (始元) 86 BC – 80 BC

• Yuanfeng (元凤) 80 BC – 75 BC

• Yuanping (元平) 74 BC

Family

Consorts:

• Empress Xiaozhao, of the Shangguan clan (孝昭皇后 上官氏; 89–37 BC)

Ancestry

生平

早年

据说钩弋夫人怀孕14个月才生下刘弗陵，大臣们都以为尧帝降生，纷纷恭祝武帝。武帝老年得子，更是爱不释手，常说像自己。巫蛊之祸兴起，征和二年（前91年），刘弗陵的长兄太子刘据兵败逃亡后自杀。

武帝驾崩前，准备立刘弗陵为太子，但是为了防止「子幼母壮」、外戚专权的事情发生，他藉故处死了钩弋夫人，然后请得力大将霍去病的异母弟霍光为首辅、匈奴人金日磾为次辅、上官桀为佐军以及桑弘羊为理财等四重臣来辅佐刘弗陵。武帝驾崩后，刘弗陵在重臣的拥立下登基继位。

皇帝生涯

一说为了便于臣民避讳，昭帝去掉名中的「陵」字，改名刘弗，并让臣民把弗写成不。但王先谦说因为汉朝先帝的坟墓称为「陵」所以昭帝朝不避讳「陵」字只避讳「弗」字，即昭帝不曾改名。

昭帝登基时才8岁，平时受到鄂邑公主照顾，并从蔡义和韦贤那里学习《诗经》。

汉昭帝和金日磾儿子金赏、金建关系十分友好，平时一起寝居，汉昭帝看到金赏继承金日磾的侯爵，想封金建为侯，却遭到霍光拒绝。

面对汉武帝时代的连年征战、增加徭役，昭帝听取重臣的建言，减少赋税3成，进一步深化武帝晚年重新施行汉初与民休息的政策。在首辅大臣霍光的主持下，昭帝朝的百姓生活比以前富裕，四夷来朝，使汉朝出现中兴稳定的局面。

霍光外孙女上官氏当上皇后，霍光想让皇后擅宠生子，于是不让汉昭帝亲近其他宫女。

前74年6月5日（四月癸未），昭帝于未央宫暴病而崩，年仅21岁，在位13年。7月24日（六月壬申），汉昭帝葬于今天咸阳市的平陵。

昭帝无子，其侄昌邑王刘贺被立为嗣。不久刘贺被废，刘据的孙子即昭帝的侄孙刘病已被选为昭帝嗣子继位。

佚闻

汉昭帝一次游览渭河，他的随行大臣钓上了一头白蛟，长三丈。汉昭帝饶有兴趣，让厨师将其腌制，味道鲜美，汉昭帝饭后回味无穷。之后却再也没钓到这种鱼。

始元元年（前86年），汉昭帝在太液池上看见黄鹄，于是创作了黄鹄歌。同年，淋池修建，后来汉昭帝在淋池中游乐，并让宫人唱《淋池歌》，很是愉快。

家庭

后妃

• 皇后上官氏

• 妃嫔周阳氏

• 宫人蒙，刘贺曾与蒙等人淫乱。

嗣子

• 汉废帝刘贺

• 汉宣帝刘询

评价

唐文宗曾后悔冤枉了宰相宋申锡，说如果是汉昭帝，就不会犯这样的错误。

影视作品

• 《大汉情缘之云中歌》由陆毅饰演。