Early life

Emperor Gaozong was the ninth son of Emperor Huizong and a younger half-brother of Emperor Qinzong. His mother, whose maiden family name was Wei (韋), was a concubine of Emperor Huizong. She was honoured as Empress Xianren (顯仁皇后; 1080–1159) after his ascension to the throne.

Emperor Gaozong was originally a prince named Zhao Gou during the reigns of his father and brother. After Emperor Huizong abdicated, his older brother Emperor Qinzong became emperor. During this time, the capital of Bianjing was under siege by the Jurchens. He was ordered to the Jurchen camp to negotiate peace by Qinzong in an effort to end the siege early but Zhao Gou was held for ransom. He later came back after being ransomed due to the Jurchens' doubts of his identity. After his brother and father and the capital of Bianjing were captured by forces of the Jurchen-led Jin Empire in the Jingkang Incident in 1127 along with majority of the imperial clan members due to his predecessors' incompetence and the imperial court's corruption, he escaped to Southern China due to being in Cizhou for a diplomatic mission and therefore, not in Bianjing. In order to escape, Zhao Gou had to move province to province in order to escape the Jin troops. The Jurchens tried to lure him back to Bianjing where they could finally capture him, but did not succeed. Zhao Gou finally arrived in the Song Southern Capital at Jiankang, the first of many temporary capitals.

Reign

Enthronement

After proving himself to be a more competent administrator than his predecessors, he won support from imperial court's remnants of his ascension to the throne; he reestablished the Song Empire (historically known as the Southern Song dynasty) and was proclaimed as Emperor Gaozong with the era name Jianyan in Jiankang (present Nanjing) which at the time was a temporary residence for the remnants of the Song. He would later move to Yingtianfu (; modern Shangqiu) due to the historical significance to Emperor Taizu of Song.

From 1127 to 1129, the Song sent thirteen embassies to the Jin to discuss peace terms and to negotiate the release of Gaozong's mother and Huizong, but the Jin court ignored them. The Da Chu, a puppet state established by the Jin Empire, was abolished in 1127 when Zhang Bangchang and the regent of Da Chu, the former Empress Meng, submitted to Emperor Gaozong, who then ordered Zhang's execution under pressure from Li Gang.

Emperor Gaozong's early reign was filled with Jurchen raids and attacks on his realm. This can be traced to Zhang's execution and the submission of Da Chuto Song, which ultimately caused the Jin to renew their attacks and quickly conquer Northern China. Initially, he employed military leaders such as Li Gang, Zong Ze, Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and Yu Yunwen to lead the Song forces to hold off the Jurchens, as well as to improve his public image through his declaration to restore the Song Empire to its former glory. However, when one of Li Gang's guerrilla forces, the Red Scarf Army, scored a major victory against the Jin troops and almost captured their commander-in-chief, the emperor dismissed the minister on a trumped-up charge, implying that he did not want to win this battle, because if Song won, Emperor Qinzong might be restored.

Owing to the vulnerability of Yingtianfu, Emperor Gaozong moved to Yangzhou in late 1127 or early 1128. However, Yangzhou proved to be no safe haven for the Song either, as barely a year later the Jurchens advanced to the point were they were threatening to capture Yangzhou. When the Jurchens advanced to the Huai River, the court was partially evacuated to Lin'an (modern Hangzhou) in 1129. Days later, Gaozong narrowly escaped on horseback, just a few hours ahead of Jurchen vanguard troops.

Mutiny & First Abdication

On March 26, 1129, Gaozong lost his throne to a mutiny that was instigated by the palace guards led by Miao Fu (苗傅) and Liu Zhengyan. They were unsatisfied with Gaozong's decision to appoint their adversary Wang Yuan to an important imperial post hence would outrank them. Banding together with at least ten thousand palace guards under the pretense that Wang and the court eunuchs were plotting, Miao and Liu mutinied and murdered Wang. They then forced Gaozong to abdicate in favor of his two-year-old son, Zhao Fu. The plot came to an abrupt end less than a month later on April 20, 1129, when Miao and Liu were defeated by Gaozong's loyal army, led by Han Shizhong, and were both executed for treason. Gaozong's son later died from illness after an unofficial reign of three months. After being restored to the throne, Gaozong himself was pursued by Jin forces and was not in full control of southern China until the late 1130s. The mutiny would cause Emperor Gaozong to move his capital to Jiankang.

In 1130, Wuzhu, a Jurchen general, crossed the Yangtze southwest of Jiankang and then captured the city. Wuzhu set out from Jiankang and advanced rapidly to try to capture Gaozong. The Jin seized Hangzhou on January 22 and then Shaoxing further south on February 4 where Emperor Gaozong was almost captured by Wuzhu at Mingzhou near Lin'an but Zhang Jun, another general who briefly halted the Jin advance, giving Emperor Gaozong the chance to flee the city by ship. Soon, the Jurchens gave up the pursuit and retreated north. After they plundered the undefended cities of Hangzhou and Suzhou, they finally started to face resistance from Song armies led by Yue Fei and Han Shizhong.

In 1130, during the Battle of Huangtiandang, when fleeing to the south, he had the newly appointed commander-in-chief, Yue Fei, who was only 27 years old at the time, to help with the defense, and Yue scored a major victory against the Jin armies neared Nanjing. After the Song forces defeated the Jin, they stayed north of the Yangzi River, and Emperor Gaozong declared the city of Lin'an as the dynasty's new temporary capital, replacing Kaifeng in 1133.

Having no surviving sons of his own, he adopted two boys in 1133: one of them became the foster son of the future Empress Wu in 1140, and the other one in 1142.

Invasion from Da Qi

Reluctant to let the war drag on, the Jin decided to create Da Qi (the "Great Qi") in 1130, their second attempt at a puppet state in Northern China. The Jurchens believed that this state, nominally ruled by someone of Han Chinese descent, would be able to attract the allegiance of disaffected members of the insurgency. The Jurchens also suffered from a shortage of skilled manpower, and controlling the entirety of northern China was not administratively feasible. In the final months of 1129, Liu Yu (; 1073–1143) won the favor of the Jin Emperor Taizong. Da Qi had more autonomy than the previous Da Chu although Liu Yu was obligated to obey the orders of the Jurchen generals. With Jin support, Da Qi invaded the Song in November 1133. Li Cheng, a Song turncoat who had joined the Qi, led the campaign. They initially had success as Xiangyang and nearby prefectures fell to his army. The capture of Xiangyang on the Han River gave the Jurchens a passage into the central valley of the Yangtze River. However, their southward push was halted by the general Yue Fei. In 1134, Yue Fei defeated Li and retook Xiangyang and its surrounding prefectures. But later that year, Qi and Jin initiated a new offensive further east along the Huai River. For the first time, Emperor Gaozong issued an edict officially condemning Da Qi. The armies of Qi and Jin won a series of victories in the Huai Valley, but were repelled by Han Shizhong near Yangzhou and by Yue Fei at Luzhou (, modern Hefei). In 1135, the Jin Emperor Taizong died. This caused the Da Qi to suddenly withdraw, giving the Song time to regroup. The Da Qi lost a battle at Outang, in modern Anhui, against a Song army led by Yang Qizhong. The victory boosted Song morale, and the military commissioner Zhang Jun convinced Emperor Gaozong to begin plans for a counterattack. Emperor Gaozong initially agreed, but he quickly abandoned the counteroffensive when an officer named Li Qiong killed his superior official and defected to the Jin with tens of thousands of soldiers.

Steps towards Peace

Meanwhile, Emperor Xizong inherited the Jin throne from Taizong, and pushed for peace. He and his generals were disappointed with Liu Yu's military failures and believed that Liu was secretly conspiring with Yue Fei. These conditions caused the Jin to officially abolish Da Qi in late 1137 and the Jin and Song began negotiations towards peace.

When Emperor Gaozong was eventually told of the death of Huizong and Empress Zheng in 1137, he reportedly reacted quite severely, ordering an extended period of mourning.

In 1138, Gaozong officially declared Lin'an the capital of the dynasty, but the label of temporary capital would still be in place. Despite this, Lin'an would remain the capital of the Southern Song for the next 150 years, growing into a major commercial and cultural center.

Gaozong promoted Qin Hui in 1138 and put him in charge of deliberations with the Jin. Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and a large number of officials at court criticized the peace overtures. Aided by his control of the Censorate, Qin purged his enemies and continued negotiations.

Treaty of Shaoxing

After years of fighting and significant military success, Emperor Gaozong settled on a pacifist stance. One of the major reasons behind this was that Emperor Gaozong and the chancellor Qin Hui did not want the Song army to defeat the Jurchens and destroy the Jin Dynasty, as this might result in Gaozong's half-brother - the last emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Qinzong, who was living in Jin-imposed exile in Manchuria - being recalled to the throne. If this happened, Gaozong would lose power. At the time, Yue Fei and Han Shizhong were preparing to attack Kaifeng and recapture it. Fearing that a victory at Kaifeng might cause the Jurchens to release Emperor Qinzong, Emperor Gaozong followed their advice, sending 12 orders back in the form of 12 gold plaques to Yue Fei, recalling him to the capital. There, Yue Fei said, in tears, "Thirty years of effort now is wasted." Emperor Gaozong also recalled every soldier under threats to kill their families. After Yue Fei's return to the capital, Emperor Gaozong and Qin Hui imprisoned him on a trumped-up charge under "groundless" (莫須有 mò xū yǒu) and had him put to death. Han Shizhong was also dismissed from his military duties. On October 11, 1142, the Song and Jin empires signed the Treaty of Shaoxing, which recognised the Jurchens' claims to the former Song territories they had already conquered. This meant that Emperor Gaozong had to give up all land north of the Huai River, in exchange for peace between the two empires. Aside from two incidents, this peace would last for seventy years. The Song also had to pay a yearly tribute of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 packs of silk to the Jin.

The negotiation allowed the emperor's mother and other selected members of the imperial clan (including a woman claimed to be his half-sister Princess Roufu (Zhao Duofu), whom he later sentenced to death under suspicion of impersonating an imperial princess) to return to Song; Empress Wei was then named Empress Dowager in Southern Song. However, the treaty designated the Song as the "insignificant state", while the Jin was recognized as the "superior state". People would later blame the emperor for Yue Fei's death and vilify him as a hypocritical tyrant. However, although the treaty's terms resulted in Song becoming a vassal state to the Jin, it saved Song's economy: since the dynasty's founding, the regime had lost more capital on military defenses than on annual payments to their neighbors, about three-quarters of state revenue. Thus, even if Gaozong wanted to recover the lost territories, he couldn't afford it financially; the cost of rebuilding the Song's northern territories would have risked bankrupting the south. In addition, with the southern part of China remaining under Song control, the transport of goods became more cost-effective by boat via the streams and canels criss-crossing the region. It also eliminated obstacles to trades, allowing traders to import goods between Song and Jin territories. Qin Hui, in a reply to Gaozong's gratitude for the success of the peace negotiations, told the emperor that "the decision to make peace was entirely Your Majesty's. Your servant only carried it out; what achievement was there in this for me?"

Emperor Gaozong was also a notable poet and had significant influence on other Chinese poets. Among his surviving works is the Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain.

In 1161, the ruler of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Liang, wishing to unify China under his regime, declared war on the Song in the Battle of Tangdao and the Battle of Caishi. The Jin lost the war. An important consequence of this was to remove Song's status as a vassal state, although it still had to pay tribute. Wanyan Liang was assassinated shortly afterwards, when many Jin officers rebelled as a result of the Jin defeat.

Second Abdication

In 1162, after reigning for more than 35 years, Emperor Gaozong abdicated. Because his only son, Zhao Fu, had died of illness around the age of two, Emperor Gaozong passed the throne to his adopted son and distant cousin Zhao Shen, who then became Emperor Xiaozong. Emperor Gaozong's handling of the Battle of Caishi with Wanyan Liang may also have contributed to his decision to retire. In retirement he assumed the title of Taishang Huang ("Retired Emperor") and retained some power until his death in 1187.

His death saddened Emperor Xiaozong and caused him to abdicate only two years after Gaozong's death.

One of his era names, Shaoxing is a name for a city, Shaoxing.

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Xianjie, of the Xing clan (憲節皇后 邢氏; 1106–1139), personal name Bingyi (秉懿)

• Empress Xiansheng, of the Wu clan (憲聖皇后 吳氏; 1115–1197)

• Xianfei, of the Pan clan (賢妃 潘氏; d. 1148)

　• Zhao Fu, Crown Prince Yuanyi (元懿皇太子 趙旉; 1127–1129), first son

• Unknown

　• First Princess Kang (康大宗姬; 1124–1127), personal name Fuyou (佛佑), first daughter

　• Second Princess Kang (康二宗姬; b. 1124), personal name Shenyou (神佑), second daughter

　• Third Princess Kang (康三宗姬; b. 1125)

　• Fourth Princess Kang (康四宗姬; b. 1126)

　• Fifth Princess Kang (康五宗姬; b. 1126)

Ancestry

生平

早年經歷

大觀元年（1107年）五月乙巳（20日），生於東京大內宮中，為徽宗第九子。八月，賜名構，拜定武軍節度使、檢校太尉、封蜀國公。二年（1108年）正月，遷鎮海軍節度使、開府儀同三司、進封廣平郡王。政和三年（1113年）正月，授檢校太保。宣和三年（1121年）十二月，拜太保、改遂安慶源軍兩鎮節度使、進封康王。靖康元年（1126年）二月，拜太傅、改靜江奉寧軍兩鎮節度使、桂州牧兼鄭州牧。三月，改集慶建雄軍兩鎮節度使、亳州牧兼平陽府牧。十一月，特授安國安武軍兩鎮節度使、信德府牧兼冀州牧。

出使金營與招兵勤王

靖康元年春（1126年），金兵圍困汴京，並要求宋以親王、宰相各一人為人質，才肯與宋和談，宋欽宗派趙構以親王身份在金營中為人質，後因金人懷疑其宗室身份，要求更換，故得以回宋。正當趙構獲釋返汴京途中，金兵再次南侵，最初宋欽宗命他往河北召集兵馬勤王，後來金人發現趙構原來是真正親王，忿怒不已，要求宋朝安排趙構為使，才肯再議和，欽宗於是改派他出使金營求和。趙構前往金營時途經河北磁州（今屬河北），被守將宗澤勸阻留下，得以免遭金兵俘虜。此時金兵已跟蹤到康王所在，知相州汪伯彥請康王入相州。

靖康元年閏十一月，欽宗命康王為河北兵馬大元帥。閏十一月丙辰日（1127年1月9日），金兵攻破汴京開封府，造成「靖康之難」。北宋滅亡。十二月初一壬戌日（1127年1月15日）康王趙構在河北相州開河北兵馬大元帥幕府。趙構自己為河北兵馬大元帥，陳亨伯為元帥，汪伯彥、宗澤為副元帥。有兵萬人，分為五軍南下。渡河，次大名府。宗澤請直取汴梁。康王從耿南仲及伯彥意見，欲移軍東平。十二月乙亥，康王到魏博，庚寅至東平府。

靖康二年（1127年）二月庚辰，康王入濟州。時兵已八萬。黃潛善時歸之。四月庚辰，康王發濟州，趣應天（今河南商丘），劉光世以所部來會。癸未至南京。

此間有過一段插曲：趙構在磁州時，曾由宗澤陪同拜謁了城北崔府君廟，當地稱之為「應王祠」。該廟位於通往邢、洺州的驛道側旁，當時此處「民如山擁」，眾多百姓因為擔心康王取道繼續北行，而聚集在廟宇周圍，號呼勸諫。進入祠廟後，康王抽籤詩，卜得「吉」之籤，廟吏抬應王神輿、擁廟中神馬，請康王乘歸館舍。紛亂中，力主使金的王雲被殺，趙構則留了下來，並於次日返回相州。此事件後卻成為南宋官私記載中極力渲染的「崔府君顯聖」、「泥馬渡康王」故事的緣起；此亦為趙構將來引作為應天登基即位正統性之證明。）

靖康二年三、四月間，徽、欽二帝被金軍虜掠北去，趙構的妻妾女兒也被俘，但懷孕的潘氏得以倖免，後來生子趙旉。

登基稱帝

靖康二年五月初一庚寅日（1127年6月12日），趙構在南京應天府（今河南商丘）登基為帝，改元「建炎」。建炎改元後，宋高宗遙尊被擄到金國的其母親韋氏為「宣和皇后」，封自己的外祖父韋安道為郡王，親屬三十人均任官職。並且從此不斷派遣使者到金國求和要迎韋氏回南宋。

建炎元年十月丁巳初一日，宋高宗離南京南下揚州。癸未到達揚州；金人聽聞後，決計大舉南伐。建炎三年一月韓世忠在沭陽潰軍，金軍快速南下。至金數百騎兵到揚州西北之天長。壬子，金人破天長軍。趙構得內侍探報，即穿盔甲乘馬出門，出走揚州，而百官宰相不知。高宗渡江至京口。再次鎮江；至甲寅再次長州；乙卯次無錫；丙辰次平江府；壬戌至杭州。而次月金兵並未過江。

建炎三年三月，因禁軍將領對人事安排等不滿，發生苗劉兵變，宋高宗被迫禪讓皇位于皇子趙旉。四月，高宗在勤王大軍的進發下，複闢。複闢後舉行仁宗法度，錄用元祐黨人，多所改易政策。四月，丁卯，趙構發杭州前往江寧（建康），以謀恢復。

宋高宗被金兵追殺，一度在海上飄泊，至紹興八年（1138年）正式定都於臨安（今浙江杭州），建炎南渡完成。

紹興七年（1137年），高宗生父宋徽宗的死訊傳到南宋。『帝號慟，諭輔臣曰：「宣和皇后春秋高，朕思之不遑甯處，屈己請和，正為此耳。」（高宗號哭，對大臣說：「我母親宣和皇后年歲已經大了，我思念她到了坐不安的地步，我委屈自己向金國求和，正是為了這事。」）翰林學士朱震引用唐德宗李適的事，請高宗遙尊韋氏為皇太后，宋高宗聽從。

宋金議和

紹興八年（1138年），在宋使王倫的成功外交下，金朝撤銷偽齊，把包含東京開封等三京（東京、西京、南京）之地的河南、陝西歸還給南宋，但高宗生母韋太后尚未歸還。

紹興十年（1140年），金朝撕毀協約，重新攻佔陝西、河南之地。金軍主帥完顏宗弼（兀朮）先在開封正南的順昌敗於劉錡所部的「八字軍」，再於開封西南的郾城和穎昌，在女真精銳部隊所拿手的騎兵對陣中兩次敗於岳飛的岳家軍，只在開封東南面的淮西亳州、宿州一帶戰勝了宋軍中最弱的張俊一軍，在宋高宗以「十二道金牌」召回岳家軍前，金軍已被壓縮到開封東部和北部。

紹興十一年（1141年）二月，金熙宗對南宋示好，將死去的宋徽宗追封為天水郡王，將在押的宋欽宗封為天水郡公。第一提高了級別，原來封徽宗為二品昏德公，追封郡王升為一品，原來封欽宗為三品重昏侯，現封公爵升為二品。第二是去掉了原封號中的污侮含義。第三是以趙姓天水族望之郡作為封號，以示尊重。同時，在宋軍中最強大的岳家軍根本未參戰的情況下，完顏宗弼的金國最精銳的部隊又在淮西柘皋先敗於張俊部下楊沂中和劉錡的聯軍，後來雖然因為張俊搶功調走劉錡，完顏宗弼在濠州勝宋軍中最弱的張俊一軍，但由於韓世忠軍和岳家軍趕到，完顏宗弼不得不退軍北上。

四月下旬，宋高宗解除了岳飛、韓世忠、劉錡、楊沂中、張俊等大將的兵權，為《紹興和議》做好了準備。十月，南宋派魏良臣赴金，提出要議和。

十一月，金國派蕭毅、邢具瞻為審議使，隨魏良臣回南宋，提出議和條件。此時高宗生母韋氏託人將一封信送到趙構手裏。「洪皓在燕，求得（韋）後書，遣李微持歸。帝大喜曰：「遣使百輩，不如一書。」遂加（李）微官。金人遣蕭毅、邢具瞻來議和，帝曰：『朕有天下，而養不及親。徽宗無及矣！今立誓信，當明言歸我（韋）太后，朕不恥和。不然，朕不憚用兵！』（『我擁有天下，但卻不能贍養親人，我父親徽宗已經死了！現在我發誓，我要公開要求金國歸還我母親韋太后，我不以議和為恥。不然的話，我不怕向金國用兵！』），蕭毅等還，帝又語之曰：『（韋）太后果還，自當謹守誓約。如其未也，雖有誓約，徒為虛文。』」（「如果我母親韋太后果然能回南宋，自當謹守我們訂的和議誓約。如果回不來，有和議誓約也是一紙空文。」）當月，《紹興和議》最後的書面內容即達成。

十二月末除夕夜（1142年1月27日），宋高宗殺害岳飛與其子岳雲、部將張憲於臨安（今杭州），據《宋史》載這是為了滿足完顏宗弼為《紹興和議》所設的前提以防止岳飛的十萬岳家軍攻入黃河以北。

至此，高宗以稱臣賠款，割讓從前被岳飛收復的唐州、鄧州以及商州、秦州的大半為代價，簽定紹興和議。宋金東以淮河，西以大散關為界，南宋正式放棄上次和約所獲得的陝西、河南領土。宋高宗也立刻成功地迎回生母韋氏。《宋史·高宗本紀》記載：紹興十二年（1142年）夏四月丁卯（5月1日），「（韋）皇太后偕梓宮（徽宗靈柩）發五國城，金遣完顏宗賢護送梓宮，高居安護送皇太后」。按照當時信息的傳遞方式，岳飛於紹興十一年除夕夜（1142年1月27日）被殺，南宋使節立刻於紹興十二年（1142年）正月帶著正式照函從岳飛被殺的臨安（今杭州）去金國禁錮宋欽宗和韋氏的五國城（今黑龍江省哈爾濱市依蘭縣依蘭鎮五國城村）接人，韋氏四月丁卯（5月1日）即啟程回宋，八月壬午（9月13日），韋氏到達宋都臨安。從正月初一到八月壬午，除了用時在行程腳力上，沒有絲毫拖延。韋氏離開五國城前，曾答應欽宗回南方後努力營救欽宗回去；高宗也提出讓欽宗和母后及徽宗梓宮一同南歸，並讓臨安府修為欽宗修宮殿，但金朝在政局變動後反悔了，于是欽宗南歸作罷。

《紹興和議》約定南宋「不得以無罪去輔弼」，導致秦檜專權弄政長達十五年，高宗一方面對秦檜放任，另一方面，處處對秦檜提防。秦檜將死時，秦檜嗣子秦熺請求繼任宰相，高宗拒絕，並將秦檜一族調為閒職，秦檜死後，高宗始打擊秦檜餘黨，任用曾被秦檜打擊的大臣，但其中仍然不乏與秦檜持相近主張的投降派。

晚年生活

紹興三十一年（1161年），《紹興和議》被金朝皇帝完顏亮撕毀，金兵再次南侵，是為採石之戰，宋軍以少勝多擊退金兵。

紹興三十二年六月十一日（1162年7月24日），高宗以「倦勤」想多休養為由，禪讓於養子建王趙眘，是為宋孝宗，終結了宋太宗一脈自976年起長達186年的統治，回歸宋太祖一脈，直至南宋滅亡。

宋高宗本有一子趙旉，但因苗劉兵變受到驚嚇而病逝，得年僅兩歲。而據說高宗建炎南渡後也因為兵亂而驚嚇過度，患有陽痿，不能人道，之後未能再生下任何子女，故須在宋室子姪中選出皇位繼任人。身為宋太宗後裔的宋高宗，之所以立宋太祖的後裔趙眘為繼承人，一來宋太宗的近支後裔大多在靖康之難被金人虜去，如欽宗父子都可能被金人擁立挑戰高宗皇統，而南渡的太宗遠支後裔仍然很多（齊安郡王趙士㒟曾以「闔門百口」保岳飛沒有二心），高宗幻想自己將來還能生子，也基于宋英宗追尊生父之爭濮議的教訓，不願選擇本生家族勢力太大的儲君；另外根據《宋史》的記載，傳說是因為宋太祖顯靈託夢給高宗，野史記載高宗被宋太祖託夢稱「自從你的祖先攝用計謀，佔據我的位置很久了，以至於如今天下寥落的局面，是時候把位置還給我了。」故宋高宗過繼已經淪為平民的太祖八世孫作為養子，並立為太子；宋史中也有相似的記載，但稱孟太后被託夢。雖然是禪讓，主要決定權還是在高宗，尤其在議和問題上。宋孝宗趙眘登基後馬上為岳飛平反和肅清秦檜餘黨，身為太上皇的高宗並未阻撓，而且退位後的高宗，與君臨天下的孝宗關係相當好，父慈子孝。但宋高宗也有幹政，如反對孝宗北伐。一次孝宗去問安，高宗問最近大臣有何議論，孝宗說在議論鄭藻娶寡嫂，高宗發怒了，說這些大臣不看媒人面子，並說自己就是媒人，孝宗無言以對，並將議論鄭藻的官員貶職。

淳熙十四年十月初八日（1187年11月9日），宋高宗去世，享壽八十歲（虛齡八十一），孝宗悲痛不已，持續守喪三年後，也自行退位。

特長

宋高宗同其父宋徽宗一樣，頗有藝術天份，是傑出的書法家；自言「……凡五十年間，非大利害相仿，未始一日舍筆墨」，初學黃庭堅，後改學米芾，至終以追摹魏晉法度和王羲之、王獻之父子，流傳有《賜岳飛手敕》及《真草嵇康養生論書卷》。元朝書法家趙孟頫早年即以宋高宗書法為榜樣。

評價

正面評價

宋高宗與金朝議和，穩固南宋對中國南方的統治，議和一說在於經濟因素，所謂三軍未動，糧草先行；野蠻民族是以燒殺擄掠為錢糧來源，文明國家卻是打仗燒錢。宋高宗若不先安內，只怕民變四起，連半壁江山都沒了；歲幣議和，可緩和兩國關係，讓國家有喘息的機會；另一方面，宋高宗可以掌握軍權，壓制將領對軍隊的影響力。

《續資治通鑒》中：「康王入，毅然請行，曰：「敵必欲親王出質，臣為宗社大計，豈應辭避！」欽宗立，改元靖康，人拆其字，謂「十二月立康王」也。資性郎悟，好學強記，日誦千餘言，挽弓至一石五斗。」其他含有關於宋高宗節儉、不迷信祥瑞、不好女色、潛心治國、文才武德具備等描述。

負面評價

宋高宗為保住皇位，在位初期不惜創造傳說，使天下人相信其正當正統地位，以掩飾自己「銜命出和，已作潛身之計；提師入衛，反為護己之資。忍視父兄甘為俘虜」。因金兵追擊而貪生怕死地逃命，故被後世戲稱為「逃跑皇帝」。及後他定都臨安後，為求偏安，保持半壁江山的統治，不惜把岳飛等主戰派大臣殺害，以與金朝達成和議，成為後世評價的重要污點。

• 當時詩人林升在宿新住宿徐公店，在牆上提詩《題臨安邸》諷刺當朝的統治者曰：

:: 山外青山樓外樓，西湖歌舞幾時休？

:: 暖風熏得遊人醉，直把杭州作汴州！

• 元朝官修正史《宋史》脫脫等的評價是：「昔夏后氏傳五世而后羿篡，少康複立而祀夏；周傳九世而厲王死于彘，宣王複立而繼周；漢傳十有一世而新莽竊位，光武複立而興漢；晉傳四世有懷、愍之禍，元帝正位于建鄴；唐傳六世有安、史之難，肅宗即位于靈武；宋傳九世而徽、欽陷于金，高宗纘圖于南京：六君者，史皆稱為中興，而有異同焉。夏經羿、浞，周曆共和，漢間新室、更始，晉、唐、宋則歲月相續者也。蕭王、琅琊皆出疏屬，少康、宣王、肅宗、高宗則父子相承者也。至于克複舊物，則晉元與宋高宗視四君者有餘責焉。高宗恭儉仁厚，以之繼體守文則有餘，以之撥亂反正則非其才也。況時危勢逼，兵弱財匱，而事之難處又有甚于數君者乎？君子于此，蓋亦有憫高宗之心，而重傷其所遭之不幸也。然當其初立，因四方勤王之師，內相李綱，外任宗澤，天下之事宜無不可為者。顧乃播遷窮僻，重以苗、劉群盜之亂，權宜立國，確虖艱哉。其始惑于汪、黃，其終制于奸檜，恬墮猥懦，坐失事機。甚而趙鼎、張浚相繼竄斥，岳飛父子竟死于大功垂成之秋。一時有志之士，為之扼腕切齒。帝方偷安忍恥，匿怨忘親，卒不免于來世之誚，悲夫！」

• 明末清初儒者王夫之在《宋論》一書中如此評價高宗：「高宗之畏女真也，竄身而不恥，屈膝而無慚，直不可謂有生人之氣矣。乃考其言動，察其志趣，固非周赧、晉惠之比也。何以如是其餒也？李綱之言，非不知信也；宗澤之忠，非不知任也；韓世忠、岳飛之功，非不知賞也；吳敏、李棁、耿南仲、李邦彥主和以誤欽宗之罪，非不知貶也。而忘親釋怨，包羞喪節，乃至陳東、歐陽澈拂眾怒而駢誅于市，視李綱如仇仇，以釋女直之恨。是豈汪、黃二豎子之能取必于高宗哉？且高宗亦終見其奸而斥之矣。抑主張屈辱者，非但汪、黃也。張浚、趙鼎力主戰者，而首施兩端，前卻無定，抑不敢昌言和議之非。則自李綱、宗澤而外，能不以避寇求和為必不可者，一二冗散敢言之士而止。以時勢度之，于斯時也，誠有旦夕不保之勢，遲回葸畏，固有不足深責者焉。苟非漢光武之識量，足以屢敗而不撓，則外競者中必枵，況其不足以競者乎？高宗為質于虜廷，熏灼于剽悍凶疾之氣，俯身自顧，固非其敵。已而追帝者，濱海而至明州，追隆祐太后者，薄嶺而至皂口，去之不速，則相胥為俘而已。君不自保，臣不能保其君，震懾無聊，中人之恆也。亢言者惡足以振之哉？ 」

• 清高宗乾隆帝于乾隆五十五年得玄孫載錫，為慶賀五代同堂，特地御製詩一首：「八旬開袤春秋永，五代同堂今古稀。古稀六帝三登八，所鄙宋梁所慕元。惟至元稱一代傑，遜乾隆看五世孫。」，意即自古以來年過古稀（70歲）的皇帝只有6個（包括漢武帝、唐玄宗、明太祖），其中只有三個活過了80歲(即梁武帝、宋高宗、元世祖)，但這之中我只敬仰元世祖忽必烈，而鄙夷梁武帝和宋高宗。雖然元世祖也是一代豪傑，但也比不上我五代同堂的乾隆皇。梁武帝和宋高宗皆是只求偏安南方的開國皇帝，乾隆皇認為這兩人不值得與任內在邊疆地區建立的十大武功的自己相提並論。

• 現代王曾瑜批評宋高宗，違反宋太祖「不誅大臣、言官」之誓約，殺上書言事之陳東與歐陽澈，以鉗制天下異議之口，卻竊取了「中興之主」之美譽，另外也將岳飛等主戰派大臣殺害，是宋朝歷代皇帝中，唯一一位違反宋太祖祖訓的皇帝，為後人所唾罵。

軼事

建炎二年（1128年）冬，宋高宗為躲避金軍的追擊，自建康府南渡，逃到浙東一帶。剛渡過錢塘江，來到蕭山，就有人在路旁依次叩拜迎駕，並告知隊伍的前鋒說：「宗室趙不衰以下起居。」宋高宗聽聞後，甚是高興，對身旁的侍從說：「符兆如是，吾無慮焉。」隨後下詔升趙不衰官三等。並認為此行雖然乘船渡海往返，然而國家從現在起就安定了。趙不衰即是後來的龍圖閣直學士趙善俊之父。此事與宋太宗征討河東時，宋軍大捷的祥瑞之兆是一樣的。當時，宋太宗所挑選駕船的船工裡，有兩位船工分別名叫趙立跟畢勝，正好應驗了此戰趙家存活，宋朝必勝。

家庭

祖先

父

• 宋徽宗

兄

• 宋欽宗

妻妾

• 憲節皇后邢秉懿，康王妃，封嘉國夫人，靖康之難時北遷，金太宗封為「建炎宋國夫人」。高宗遙冊為皇后，紹興九年崩，後韋太后歸國，方知皇后早崩，時中宮已虛位達十六年。

• 憲聖慈烈皇后吳氏，自和義郡夫人、才人、婉儀、進貴妃。紹興十三年，立為皇后。高宗內禪，手詔後稱太上皇后，遷居德壽宮。孝宗即位，上尊號壽聖太上皇后，光宗即位更號壽聖皇太后。孝宗崩，始正太皇太后之號，慶元三年崩，年八十三。

• 潘賢妃，侍奉高宗於康王府，生元懿太子趙旉，紹興十八年薨。

• 張賢妃，初為才人，後晉婕妤、婉儀。死後追為賢妃。孝宗養母。

• 劉賢妃，入宮為紅霞帔，遷才人，累遷婕妤、婉容，紹興二十四年進賢妃。

• 劉婉儀，初入宮，封宜春郡夫人。尋進才人，與劉賢妃俱被寵，進婉儀。

• 張貴妃，開封祥符人。初入宮，封永嘉郡夫人。乾道六年，進婉容。淳熙七年，封太上皇淑妃。十六年，進貴妃。紹熙元年薨。

• 馮美人

• 韓才人，和美人馮氏，才人吳氏、李氏、王氏都被高宗寵幸，後都被廢。

• 吳才人，吳皇后族人

• 李才人，相貌明艷，淳熙末年，被太上皇寵愛。高宗駕崩，憲聖皇后見到二才人就生氣，宋孝宗即追回告命，許其自便。這並非常制。

• 王才人，相貌明艷，淳熙末年，被太上皇寵愛。高宗駕崩，憲聖皇后見到二才人就生氣，宋孝宗即追回告命，許其自便。這並非常制。

• 郡君田春羅，高宗為康王時側室，靖康之難時死於北遷途中。

• 郡君姜醉媚，高宗為康王時側室，靖康之難時北遷，金太宗封為「紹興郡夫人」。

子

• 元懿太子趙旉，生母潘賢妃，宋高宗唯一親生之子，早夭。

• 養子趙伯琮，即宋孝宗，養母張賢妃。

• 養子趙伯玖，更名趙璩，養母吳皇后。

女

高宗為康王時，曾育有五女，後皆被擄。

• 康大宗姬趙佛祐，北遷時四歲，死於途中。

• 康二宗姬趙神祐，北遷時四歲，後入洗衣院。

• 康三宗姬，北遷時三歲。

• 康四宗姬，北遷時二歲。

• 康五宗姬，北遷時二歲

正史中宋高宗三、四、五女皆死於北遷途中，但根據一些地方記載，有三名被視為宋高宗女兒的女性流落民間並長大成人，並以民女身份嫁人，後來才恢復皇族身份。

《新安縣誌》載高宗其中一女於建炎三年被江西縣令鄧元亮於起兵勤王時於道上收養，長大後嫁給鄧元亮之子鄧自明。其女兒名趙玉女 (1159-1242年)，至宋光宗即位，趙氏帶長子面見光宗，光宗稱趙氏為皇姑，封為郡主，並把鄧自明追贈為「稅院郡馬」，並賜地於東莞。後人散居到香港龍躍頭、錦田、廈村、大埔頭及東莞等地。

宋高宗可能還有一女趙氏嫁南海人程原甫，程原甫，程明道之曾孫，程昂之子，其妻趙氏五十郡主，程原甫被封為季院郡馬，封號又和稅院郡馬相似。由於當地人稱，趙氏五十郡主的父親是當朝皇帝，南海的確有趙氏五十郡主之墓，而她嫁人時皇帝父親去世。當地人說，趙氏稱郡主又稱公主，郡主兒子思妙等三子稱宋國甥，因此這趙氏五十郡主可能是宋高宗女兒，這還有待考證。

宋高宗時尚有一位名叫葉荂的駙馬，乃南海葉顒之子，他居住在廣東，但這趙氏宗室女到底是宋高宗的女兒，還是一般宗室女兒但被破例封為公主，就不得而知了。

任用官員

宰相

• 李綱

• 黃潛善

• 汪伯彥

• 呂頤浩

• 朱勝非

• 杜充

• 范宗尹

• 秦檜

• 趙鼎

• 張浚

• 沈該

• 湯思退

• 陳康伯

• 朱倬

• 權邦彥

• 韓肖冑

• 王倫

名將

• 李綱

• 宗澤

• 韓世忠

• 岳飛

• 岳雲

• 梁紅玉

• 張浚

• 張俊

• 曲端

• 吳玠

• 吳璘

• 劉光世

• 劉錡

女官

• 劉娘子 (尚食)

影視形象

• 1986年《盜日英雄傳》，新加坡製作30集電視劇（黃世南飾）

• 1988年《八千里路雲和月》，台灣中華電視公司製作40集電視劇 （范鴻軒飾）

• 1989年《決戰皇城》，香港無綫電視製作20集電視劇( 李國麟飾)

• 1989年《泥馬渡康王》，台灣台視電視歌仔戲( 楊麗花飾)

• 1994年《岳飛傳》，香港亞洲電視製作20集電視劇（黃允材飾）

• 2013年《精忠岳飛》，中國電影集團公司製作69集電視劇（丁子峻飾）

• 2015年《驚天岳雷》，山東影視有限公司製作48集電視劇 (馬浚偉飾)