Qin Er Shi (229 BC-October 207 BC) was Emperor of Qin China from 210 to 207 BC, succeeding Qin Shi Huang and preceding Ziying.
Biography[]
Ying Huhai was born in 229 BC, the eighteenth son of Qin Shi Huang. He was tutored by the eunuch Zhao Gao, but he was never expected to take the throne; instead, he always accompanied his father on his tours of the empire.
However, when Qin Shi Huang died in 211 BC, Zhao Gao and Li Si had the heir apparent Fusu commit suicide in order to prevent the accession of the ally of their court rival Meng Tian to the throne.
Instead, Qin Er Shi rose to the throne, and Zhao Gao and Li Si manipulated Qin Er Shi to have Meng Tian executed. Qin Er Shi was manipulated by his advisors and presided over a cruel reign, and he punished people for petty crimes and became highly unpopular.
In 209 BC, the former state of Chu rebelled against Qin, and many other revolts soon followed. In 207 BC, Zhao Gao - fearing that the emperor might punish him for the defeat at the Battle of Julu - launched a coup and forced the 24-year-old emperor to commit suicide, denying him a royal burial.