Jingkang incident

Lore & Background

The Jingkang Incident unfolded in 1127 when Jurchen-led Jin dynasty troops besieged and sacked Bianjing (modern Kaifeng, Henan), the capital of the Han-led Northern Song dynasty. The event is named after the Jingkang era of Emperor Qinzong’s reign. During the assault, Jin forces captured Emperor Qinzong, his retired father Emperor Huizong, numerous members of the imperial family descending from Emperor Taizong, nobles, and many court officials. Ordinary residents of Bianjing’s non-imperial quarters were generally spared death, but they were compelled to surrender vast quantities of valuables, and acts of violence occurred with some frequency. This catastrophe marked the collapse of the Northern Song dynasty, which had controlled most of China proper. Some imperial family members, notably Zhao Gou (later Emperor Gaozong), escaped to southern China and reestablished the Song dynasty, known as the Southern Song, with its capital at Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). The incident also shifted the imperial succession: because most of Emperor Taizong’s descendants were abducted and Emperor Gaozong failed to produce an heir, the descendants of Emperor Taizu returned to the line of succession. The background includes the earlier Alliance Conducted at Sea (1120), in which Jin and Song agreed to divide Liao territories. Song’s army, led by Tong Guan, cleared a defensive forest to reach the Liao border but was defeated by remaining Liao troops, exposing Song’s military weakness and court corruption. Jin ultimately took all former Liao lands, selling the Sixteen Prefectures to Song for 300,000 bolts of silk and 200,000 ounces of silver. A Jin general, Zhang Jue, defected to Song in 1123, prompting Jin attacks. Song eventually executed Zhang Jue, but Jin launched a full-scale invasion in 1125. During the first siege of Bianjing (1126), Emperor Huizong abdicated and fled; his son Qinzong sent Zhao Gou as a hostage for peace talks. After a ransom and the cession of Taiyuan, Jin withdrew. Following the retreat, lavish court life resumed until the second siege culminated in the 1127 sack.

Reader's Guide

The Jingkang Incident of 1127 was a catastrophic military defeat and atrocity during the Jin–Song wars. Jurchen-led Jin forces besieged and sacked the Northern Song capital, Bianjing (modern Kaifeng). They captured the reigning Emperor Qinzong, his retired father Emperor Huizong, and most members of the imperial family descended from Emperor Taizong, along with numerous nobles and officials. Ordinary civilians in non-imperial quarters were generally spared but forced to surrender immense valuables, with violence occurring. This collapse ended the Northern Song dynasty, which had controlled most of China proper. Some imperial members, notably Zhao Gou (later Emperor Gaozong), escaped south and reestablished the Song dynasty as the Southern Song, with its capital at Lin'an (modern Hangzhou). Because nearly all of Emperor Taizong’s line were abducted and Emperor Gaozong had no heir, the succession returned to the descendants of Emperor Taizu. The incident is named after the Jingkang era of Qinzong’s reign. Its background includes the failed Alliance Conducted at Sea with Jin against the Liao dynasty, where Song’s military weakness was exposed after its army could not breach Liao defenses and was defeated, leading Jin to take all former Liao territories. Later, the defection of a Jin general named Zhang Jue to Song, and Song’s mishandling of the situation, provoked a full-scale Jin invasion. During the first siege of Bianjing, the Jin northern army advanced quickly through a deforested border, while the western army stalled. Emperor Qinzong sent his brother Zhao Gou as a hostage for peace talks, eventually ransoming him and ceding Taiyuan. After the Jin withdrawal, court life resumed its lavish parties, but the second siege proved final.

Did You Know?

• The Jin forces captured Emperor Qinzong and his father, the retired Emperor Huizong, along with many imperial family members and officials.
• The event is also called the Humiliation of Jingkang and the Disorders of the Jingkang Period.
• Zhao Gou, who escaped to southern China, later became Emperor Gaozong and founded the Southern Song dynasty.
• The incident contributed to the return of Emperor Taizu's descendants to the line of succession because most of Emperor Taizong's descendants were abducted.