Qin Shi Huang (260-210 BC), born Ying Zheng, was King of Qin from 247 to 220 BC, succeeding Zhuangxiang of Qin and preceding Qin Er Shi.
Biography[]
Qin Shi Huangdi in his carriage.
Ying Zheng was the son of King Zhuangxiang of Qin and Lady Zhao, and in 247 BC he succeeded his father as king of Qin. He came to the throne at the age of thirteen and was guided by a circle of legalist advisers, launching a series of wars of conquest. After defeating the last of his rivals in 221 BC, the State of Chu (ending the Warring States Period), he proclaimed himself as Emperor of the Qin dynasty rather than using the Shang dynasty and Zhou dynasty regnal title of "king".
During his reign, he was convinced by his legalist prime minister Li Si that the Confucian scholars were subverting the goals of the regime, so he burnt Confucian texts and brutally executed scholars. Another concern that Shi Huangdi had was the threat of the Xiongnu confederation beyond the northwest frontier of China, so he sent generals to drive the nomads far north. They extended Chinese territory to the Yellow River in the north and built the Great Wall of China to help defend the Qin.
Meng Tian was particularly successful in his 215 BC campaign, which pushed the Xiongnu to the Ordos and defeated Touman, the Xiongnu king. He died after consuming mercury tablets, believing that they would give him immortality.
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