biography
| name: |
Gaozu (Han dynasty)
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| |
also spelled Kao-tsu, originally Liu Bang
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pronunciation:
[gow tsoo]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (247–195 BC)
|
| biography:
| First Han dynasty emperor of China. A bandit leader and former prison guard from eastern peasant stock, he seized the throne from the Qin by conquest (202 BC, but he backdated it to 206). He consolidated Qin achievements, building a new capital at Chang-an (modern Xian), re-established suzerainty over the S, and reorganized the empire into 13 provinces. One of only two commoners in Chinese history to found a major dynasty, he showed contempt for the scholar-aristocracy by urinating in their hats. Dying of septicaemia because he despised doctors, he was succeeded by his widow, Empress Lü. |
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