China: Emperor Duzong (2 May 1240 - 12 August 1274), 15th ruler of the Song Dynasty and 6th ruler of the Southern Song (r. 1264-1274). Hanging scroll painting, c. 1264-1274. Emperor Duzong, personal name Zhao Qi and originally known as Zhao Mengqi and Zhao Zi, was the sixth emperor of the Southern Song and the nephew of Emperor Lizong. Duzong's reign was plagued with rebellions, warfare and upheaval. The Mongols had spent decades harassing the borders of the Southern Song and were on the verge of conquering the whole of China. Meanwhile, Duzong wasted his time with drinking and women.
Emperor Duzong (1240–1274) was the 15th emperor of the Song Dynasty of China, and the sixth emperor of the Southern Song. His personal name was Zhao Mengqi. He was the nephew of Emperor Lizong and reigned from 1264 to 1274. Duzong's reign was plagued with rebellions, warfare and upheaval. The Mongols had spent decades harassing the borders of the Southern Song and were on the verge of conquering the whole of China. Duzong totally ignored his duties and instead delegated all state and military affairs to the hands of his incompetent minister Jia Sidao; the emperor instead indulged in drinking and women and lived in opulence. At first, he told the officials to be straightforward and tell him the problems in the country, but this was all an act. Soon, he completely neglected his duties. Furthermore, he had a very high sexual appetite. Under the Song's law, any female who had a sexual relation with the emperor needs to come pay respect to the emperor in the morning. At one point, there were as many as 30 females one morning paying respect. The last decisive battle was fought in Xiangyang (in today's Hubei province) in 1274 when the Mongols succeeded in capturing and destroying the last Song stronghold. The defeat and the loss of Xiangyang sealed the fate of the Song Dynasty and the news of its capture was deliberately hidden from Duzong by Jia. Duzong died shortly thereafter and was succeeded by his four year old son. Although technically not the last emperor of the Song Dynasty, Duzong was considered the last emperor of the Song Dynasty that could have made a difference in changing the outcome or perhaps even averting the fall of the dynasty. The Song Dynasty (960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960) and preceded the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), which conquered the Song in 1279. Its conventional division into the Northern Song (960–1127) and Southern Song (1127–
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