Wanyan Yongji, courtesy nameXingsheng, was the seventh emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, which ruled northern China between the 12th and 13th centuries. He reigned for about five years from 1208 until 1213, when he was assassinated by the general Heshilie Zhizhong. Despite having ruled as an emperor, Wanyan Yongji was not posthumously honoured as an emperor. Instead, in 1216, his successor, Emperor Xuanzong, reverted his status back to "Prince of Wei" – the title Wanyan Yongji held before he became emperor – and gave him the posthumous name "Shao", hence Wanyan Yongji is historically referred to as "Prince Shao of Wei".
Life
Wanyan Yongji's birth name was "Wanyan Yunji" ; his given name was changed to "Yongji" later to avoidnaming taboo because Emperor Zhangzong's father was Wanyan Yungong. He was the seventh son of Wanyan Yong and an uncle of Wanyan Jing. His mother was Lady Li, a concubine of Emperor Shizong. In 1171, he was given the title "Prince of Xue" but was later changed to "Prince of Sui". His princely title had subsequently been changed to "Prince of Lu", then "Prince of Han", and finally "Prince of Wei". When Emperor Zhangzong died without a male heir in 1208, Wanyan Yongji was selected to be the new emperor. During Wanyan Yongji's reign, the Mongols, under the leadership of Genghis Khan, had been planning to attack the Jin dynasty. The Mongols first attacked Western Xia, a vassal state under the Jin dynasty. When Western Xia requested aid from the Jin dynasty, Wanyan Yongji ignored them; Western Xia eventually surrendered to the Mongols. In 1211, the Mongols launcheda full-scale invasion of the Jin dynasty and defeated the Jin armies in some small battles. In the ninth month, the Mongols besieged the Jin central capital, Zhongdu, but were forced to retreat because of Zhongdu's strong defences. In 1212, the Mongols attacked the Jin dynasty and besieged the Jin western capital, Datong Prefecture. In the same year, Yelü Liuge, a Khitan, led a rebellion against the Jin dynasty in Jilin Province. The rebel movement gained thousands of followers within months. Yelü Liuge submitted to the Mongols and led the rebels to defeat a 600,000-strong Jin army in Dijinao'er. Wanyan Yongji was known for being indecisive, undiscerning, and generally ineffective and weak as a ruler. In the eighth month of 1213, when the Mongols attacked Zhongdu again, the general Heshilie Zhizhong rebelled against Wanyan Yongji and assassinated him. In the following month, Hushahu installed Wanyan Xun on the throne to replace Wanyan Yongji. He also gathered about 300 officials to support him and openly urged Emperor Xuanzong to posthumously demote Wanyan Yongji to the status of a commoner. Eventually, as a compromise between Hushahu's faction and another opposing faction, Emperor Xuanzong agreed to posthumously demote Wanyan Yongji to the position of "Marquis of Donghai Commandery". One month later, Hushahu was assassinated by another general, Zhuhu Gaoqi. In 1216, Emperor Xuanzong posthumously restored Wanyan Yongji to the status of "Prince of Wei" – the title Wanyan Yongji held before he became emperor – and gave him the posthumous name "Shao", hence Wanyan Yongji is historically referred to as "Prince Shao of Wei" even though he ruled as an emperor in his lifetime.
