Research On The Procreative Management Of The Emperors Of The Han Dynasty

Procreation is necessary for the continuation of a race in some sense and it is vital to a family even a clan.Although procreation is a privacy between couples,it not only concerns about the consideration of reproductive system of a couple but also involves in productive expectations from outer factors that generally refer to imperial power or authority and successors of emperors.As the supreme ruler of the Han Empire,the emperor's fertility status not only had an impact on the Han dynasty's ancestral festival,but also had a major influence on the political influence of the Han dynasty(202BC-220AD).Based on this,it was more symbolic to the stability of the Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD)society.Thus,after analyses of some historical materials,the author studies the procreative management of emperors of the Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD)from the following four aspects:The first chapter mainly introduces the procreative institutions of emperors of Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD).In this chapter,the author firstly shows the basic information of crown princes of successive emperors with a table.Then,he draws a conclusion that the first marriage age of emperors is around or at “two eight”(sweet sixteen years old)through collecting information of marriage,first marriage age,childbearing age of successive emperors and the number of their sons.The chapter two mainly discusses factors influencing emperors' procreation in the Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD).The first factor is influence from the first marriage age and childbearing age.Different from above-mentioned the first marriage age of emperors,the first marriage age of queen and imperial concubines is floating around theirphysiological age-“two seven”(fourteen years old).The second one is the thought of “bearing many sons and respecting forefathers” in this dynasty.Under influence of this idea,a series of royal praying sons activities are held including activities of sacrificial rites and praying for children in Gao Mei Ancestral Hall,queens and imperial concubines taking Chinese medicine to pray sons and expanding the number of queens and concubines.However,these activities have not got a good effect as emperors and their wives expected.The third chapter analyzes reasons of young death of emperors' sons in the Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD).After analyzing it,the author finds three reasons: early marriage and childbearing,consanguineous marriage and kill the princes.Given development of physiological function of human,premature marriage will make a serious and significant impact on physiological development of a young couple;Consanguineous marriage is more common in the Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD)because of the concept of“valuing kinship” and consideration of certain political factors.However,from the perspectives on the biology,ethics and genetics,such marriage is easy to get abnormal children and to cause shortage of decent successors;Queens and imperial concubines always play conspiracies like witchcraft,curse and bewitching witchery to obtain perennial imperial favor,which will involve in princes and lead them to die young.As a result,protective raising methods for princes come into being.The fourth chapter analyzes the relationship between procreative situations of emperors and politics in the Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD).The throne inheritance is the most direct influence of princes to the politics.The throne can be acceded no matter how many princes in the court.However,if there is no existing princes,the succession will be disordered and the successor has to be selected from sons of imperial clans,which will induce these clans to pretending to the throne and launching a rebellion.In addition,having no successor to the throne also makes a serious impact on the political affairs,for example,dictatorship of high-ranking minister in the Western Han Dynasty(202BC-8AD),queen mother holding court,relatives of emperor's wives governing the authority and eunuchs interfering regime in the Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220).And these officials often serve as the emperor to intervene the selection of throne candidates.In the Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220),queen mother and relatives of emperors' wives tend to hold the regime total over 100 years through choosing a young prince as the emperor,becoming a political moth of the whole dynasty.