The Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song ruled from 1225-1264. He was born in 1205 with the name of Zhao Yuju and was given the title Prince Gui Cheng in 1224. He succeeded the previous Emperor, Ningzong, as a result of the intervention of the previous emperor's wife Yang. Ningzong's reign was marked by his own ineptitude and reliance upon a coterie of women, from his mother and grandmother to the female relatives of at least some of his various wives. Ningzong managed to produce nine sons but unfortunately they all died in infancy. He was obliged therefore to arrange for another relative to be nominated as future emperor. He chose Zhao Hong, an adoptive son of his brother. However, Zhao Hong had an independent mind and was not approved of by Shi Miyuan, the chancellor who received his position through the intervention of Empress Yang. Shi Miyuan took the opportunity of Ningzong's terminal illness to arrange for Lizong to succeed.
Lizong's rule was characterized by the increasing sophistication of his court and of its administration. The arrival of a Korean envoy required the observance of 1,500 regulations, for example. This was possible because the external economy was still growing strongly. However, Lizong failed to recognize the threat of the Mongols and even allied with them against the Jia. This was a fatal mistake for all of China.
In his final years, Lizong dedicated himself to private pleasures of wine, women and song. Before then, he brought to prominence the works of the philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200), who had died in disgrace but was rehabilitated by Lizong. Zhu Xi's greatest achievement was to synthesize the neo-Confucianist ideas that are still present in East Asia today. Zhu Xi's ideas involved the importance of morality, expressed through family relationships and the relationship between people and the state. The ideal form of government was benevolent paternalism, since heaven grants power to the ruler who in turn has a responsibility to heaven. To assist the ruler, a talented and diligent civil service administration was required and nurtured through the examination system.
The name Lizong was the formal or temple name taken by the emperor and it means "Logical Ancestor."
