NORTHERN SUNG DYNASTY, AD 960 to 1127

The Sung Dynasty, established in AD 960, saw relative stability in China, although conflict with the Tartars and Mongols continued. In AD 1127 the northern provinces were lost to them and the capital had to be moved from K'ai-feng Fu (Pien-liang) in the north to Lin-an Fu (Hangchou) in the south. We now refer to the period before the move as the Northern Sung and after the move as Southern Sung.

This is a complex series, with nine Emperors using dozens of reign titles and many inscription and calligraphy variations which defined dates and mints. If all the variations were catalogued, they would number in the thousands. Unfortunately the key to understanding them no longer exists.

EMPERORS OF THE NORTHERN SUNG

Emperor CHAO K'UANG YIN, AD 960 to 976
Reign title: T'AI TSU, AD 960 to 968
Reign title: KAI-PAO, AD 968 to 975

Emperor T'AI TSUNG, AD 976 to 997
Reign title: T'AI-P'ING, AD 976 to 984
Reign title: ??, AD 985 to 989
Reign title: SHUN-HUA, AD 990 to 994
Reign title : CHIH-TAO, AD 995 to 998

Emperor CHEN TSUNG, AD 998 to 1022
Reign title : HSIEN-P'ING, AD 998 to 1004
Reign title: CHING-TE, AD 1004 to 1007
Reign title: HSIANG-FU, AD 1008 to 1016
Reign title: T'IEN-HSI, AD 1017 to 1021
Reign title: CH'IEN-HSING, AD 1022

Emperor JEN TSUNG, AD 1023 to 1063
Reign title: T'IEN-SHENG, AD 1023 to 1031
Reign title: MING-TAO, AD 1032 to 1032
Reign title: CHING-YU, AD 1034 to 1037
Reign title: PAO-YUAN, AD 1038 to 1039
Reign title: K'ANG-TING, AD 1040
Reign title: CH'ING-LI, AD 1041 to 1048
Reign title: HUANG-YU, AD 1049 to 1053
Reign title: CHIH-HO, AD 1054 to 1055
Reign title: CHIA-YU, AD 1056 to 1063

Emperor YING TSUNG, AD 1064 to 1067
Reign title: CHIH-P'ING, AD 1064 to 1067

Emperor SHEN TSUNG, AD 1068 to 1085
Reign title: HSI-NING, AD 1068 to 1077
Reign title: YUAN-FENG, AD 1078 to 1085

Emperor CHE TSUNG, AD 1086 to 1100
Reign title: YUAN-YU, AD 1086 to 1093
Reign title: SHAO-SHENG, AD 1094 to 1097
Reign title: YUAN-FU, AD 1098 to 1100

Emperor HUI TSUNG, AD 1101 to 1125
Reign title: CHIEN-CHUNG CHING-KUO, AD 1101
Reign title: CH'UNG-NING, AD 1102 to 1106
Reign title : TA KUAN, AD 1107 to 1110
Reign title: CHENG-HO, AD 1111 to 1117
Reign title: CHUNG-HO, AD 1118
Reign title: HSUAN-HO, AD 1119 to 1125

Emperor CH'IN TSUNG, AD 1126
Reign title: CHING-K'ANG, AD 1126

For more information on the coinage of the Northern Sung Dynasty, please check our Reference Guide.

SOUTHERN SUNG DYNASTY, AD 1127 to 1280

The Northern and Southern Sung Dynasties are really two parts of one dynasty. The division between then is traditionally placed where the Capital was moved from K'ai-feng Fu to Lin-an (modern Hangchou) following the lose of the Northern territories to Mongol invaders. Kao Tsung, first Emperor of Southern Sung, actually ruled from the Northern capital of K'ai-feng Fu for his first two years and could also be considered the last Emperor of Northern Sung.

EMPERORS OF THE SOUTHERN SUNG

Emperor KAO TSUNG, AD 1127 to 1162
Reign title: CHIEN-YEN, AD 1127 to 1131
Reign title: SHAO-HSING, AD 1131 to 1162

Emperor HSIAO TSUNG, AD 1163 to 1189
Reign title: LUNG-HSING, AD 1163 to 1164
Reign title: CH'IEN TAO, AD 1165 to 1173
Reign title: SHUN HSI, AD 1174 to 1189

Emperor KUANG TSUNG, AD 1190 to 1194
Reign title: SHAO-HSI, AD 1190 to 1194

Emperor NING TSUNG, AD 1195 to 1224
Reign title: CH'ING-YUAN, AD 1195 to 1200
Reign title: CHIA-T'AI, AD 1201 to 1204
Reign title: K'AI-HSI, AD 1205 to 1207
Reign title: CHIA-TING, AD 1208 to 1224

Emperor LI TSUNG, AD 1225 to 1264
Reign title: PAO-CH'ING, AD 1225 to 1227
Reign title: SHAO-TING, AD 1228 to 1233
Reign title: TUAN-P'ING, AD 1234 to 1236
Reign title: CHIA HSI, AD 1237 to 1240
Reign title: SHUN-YU, AD 1241 to 1252
Reign title: PAO-YU, AD 1253 to 1258
Reign title: K'AI-CHING, AD 1259
Reign title: CHING-TING, AD 1260 to 1264

Emperor TU TSUNG, AD 1265 to 1274
Reign title: HSIEN-SHUN, AD 1265 to 1274

For more information on the coinage of the Southern Sung Dynasty, please check our Reference Guide.

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