Family background and accession to the throne

Then-Prince Hu was born in 94, to Prince Liu Qing of Qinghe and his concubine, Consort Zuo Xiao E (左小娥). Prince Qing was the older brother of Emperor He, and had once been crown prince under their father, Emperor Zhang, until the machinations of Emperor Zhang's wife, Empress Dou, led to his removal and his mother Consort Song's death. During Emperor He's reign, however, he was a trusted advisor to the emperor, and he had a major role in Emperor He's coup d'état against Empress Dou's domineering brother, Dou Xian, in 92.

When they were young, consort Zuo and her older sister Da E (左大娥) were both confiscated and made court servant girls because their uncle, Zuo Sheng (左聖), had been executed for making defamatory remarks against the emperor or imperial administration. As they grew older, they became known for beauty and talent and became ladies in waiting in Emperor He's palace; Xiao E was particularly known for her knowledge in history and poetry. At Prince Qing's request, Emperor He rewarded him with the two consorts. Both died sometime before Emperor He's death in 106 and were buried in the capital Luoyang. After Consort Zuo's death, Prince Hu was raised by Prince Qing's wife, Consort Geng (耿姬).

When Emperor He died in 106, his infant son, Emperor Shang, ascended the throne. Most of Emperor He's brothers, including Prince Qing, remained in the palace at Luoyang but were ordered to report to their principalities. As an insurance measure, Emperor He's wife, Empress Dowager Deng, kept Prince Qing's wife and 12-year-old son (Prince Hu). When Emperor Shang died later in 106, the officials largely wanted to make Emperor Shang's brother, Prince Sheng of Pingyuan, emperor. However, Empress Deng had initially denied Prince Sheng the throne because she believed him to be frequently ill; she was concerned that he would bear a grudge against her. At her insistence, Prince Hu ascended the throne as Emperor An.

Early reign: regency by Empress Dowager Deng

After Emperor An ascended the throne, however, the real power remained in Empress Dowager Deng's hands. She sent Consort Geng to join her husband in the Principality of Qinghe (in modern central Hebei) so that Emperor An had no real influence on the administration.

Empress Dowager Deng was generally a capable ruler. While there were natural disasters and wars with Qiang and South Xiongnu, she generally coped with those emergencies well. She also carried out many criminal law reforms. During her regency, Emperor An appeared to have minimal input into the affairs of state. Meanwhile, he became heavily personally influenced by the eunuchs Jiang Jing (江京) and Li Run (李閏), and even more so by his wet nurse Wang Sheng (王聖). He also was heavily influenced by his favorite consorts, Yan Ji (閻姬). He made Yan Ji empress in 115, even though she had poisoned one of his other consorts, Consort Li, who had given birth to his only son Liu Bao earlier that year. While these people lacked real power as long as Empress Dowager Deng lived, they were planning to take power as soon as she was no longer be on the scene. Empress Dowager Deng was somewhat aware of these plans and was offended; she was also disappointed that Emperor An, who was considered a precocious and intelligent child, had neglected his studies and became only interested in drinking and women. It is suspected that at some point, she even considered replacing the emperor with his cousin Liu Yi, the Prince of Pingyuan. However, she eventually decided against it.

In 120, Emperor An named his only son, Prince Bao, crown prince.

Late reign

Empress Dowager Deng died in 121. At the age of 27, Emperor An finally had the reins of the imperial administration. He posthumously honored his father Prince Qing as Emperor Xiaode and his mother Consort Zuo as Empress Xiaode; his paternal grandmother Consort Song as Empress Jingyin; and his stepmother Consort Geng with the unique title of "Grand Consort of Gānlíng" (甘陵大貴人, Ganling being Prince Qing's tomb), a title inferior to his mother's, even though Consort Geng was his father's wife. He, however, was close to her and her brother Geng Bao (耿寶), and he quickly made his step-uncle a powerful official in his administration.

Initially, Emperor An continued to follow Empress Dowager Deng's policies, including leaving members of her clan in important advisory positions. However, his own close circle of associates, including Jiang, Li, Wang, and Empress Yan, were ready to act. Late in 121, he stripped members of the Deng clan of their posts and fiefs, and many of them committed suicide, probably under duress. Later, he relented and allowed some of the survivors to return, but by that time the Deng clan had been decimated.

In the place of the Dengs, the Song clan of Emperor An's grandmother became honored, but wielding much more actual power were the clan of the empress, the Yans—in particular Empress Yan's brothers Yan Xian (閻顯), Yan Jing (閻景), and Yan Yao (閻耀). Also powerful were the eunuchs Jiang and Li, who had been made marquesses. They, along with several other eunuchs, as well as Wang and her daughter Bo Rong (伯榮), became extremely corrupt in their ways. Emperor An ignored criticism of these people and failed to punish them for their corruption. He often listened to their suggestions while ignoring the advice of his key officials. One of the most outspoken ones, Yang Zhen, the commander of the armed forces, was eventually removed from his post in 124 and committed suicide in protest.

In 121, there were again Qiang and Xianbei rebellions, which would continue to plague Emperor An for the rest of his reign. The only border where there were Han accomplishments during Emperor An's reign was on the northwestern front—the Xiyu (modern Xinjiang and former Soviet central Asia)—where Ban Chao's son Ban Yong (班勇) was able to reestablish Han dominance over a number of kingdoms.

In 124, Wang Sheng, Jiang Jing, and another eunuch Fan Feng (樊豐) falsely accused Crown Prince Bao's wet nurse Wang Nan (王男) and chef Bing Ji (邴吉, not to be confused with Emperor Xuan's prime minister of the same name), and Wang and Bing were executed. Crown Prince Bao was greatly saddened. Jiang and Fan, fearful of reprisals later, entered into a conspiracy with Empress Yan (who had always hated Crown Prince Bao as not born of herself) to falsely accuse Crown Prince Bao and his servants of crimes. Emperor An believed these charges, and demoted Crown Prince Bao to Prince of Jiyin.

In 125, Emperor An was on a trip to Wancheng (宛城, in modern Nanyang, Henan) when he suddenly felt ill and decided to return to Luoyang. Before he could, however, he died. Empress Yan did not want to allow his son Prince Bao to be emperor. Instead, she made Liu Yi emperor; Liu Yi had been the Marquess of Beixiang and was both a grandson of Emperor Zhang and Emperor An's cousin. He is generally believed to have been far younger than Prince Bao, who was ten years old at the time, though his actual age is not recorded in history. The young emperor, however, died later that year, and a number of eunuchs loyal to Prince Bao, led by Sun Cheng, carried out a coup d'état and made Prince Bao emperor (as Emperor Shun). The Yans were slaughtered, except for Empress Dowager Yan.

Era names

• Yongchu (永初) 107–113

• Yuanchu (元初) 114–120

• Yongning (永寧) 120–121

• Jianguang (建光) 121–122

• Yanguang (延光) 122–125

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Ansi, of the Yan clan (安思皇后 閻氏; d. 126)

• Empress Gongmin, of the Li clan (恭愍皇后 李氏; d. 115)

　• Liu Bao, Emperor Xiaoshun (孝順皇帝 劉保; 115–144), first son

Ancestry

生平

他是漢章帝的孫子、當年被廢太子清河王劉慶的兒子，母左小娥。

延平元年八月辛亥（106年9月21日），是漢殤帝崩，12歲的他被外戚鄧氏擁立為帝，承嗣漢和帝劉肇，改元永初。

漢安帝即位後，仍由鄧太后聽政。外戚鄧氏吸取竇氏滅亡的教訓，聯合宦官，袒護族人。永寧元年（120年），立李氏之子劉保為皇太子。

永寧二年（121年），鄧太后去世，安帝才親政。當初漢安帝號稱聰明，鄧太后才立他為帝，後來對漢安帝不滿意，漢安帝乳母王聖得知內情，又看到鄧太后遲遲不歸政，擔心鄧太后會廢除漢安帝。鄧太后去世後，向漢安帝告發鄧太后兄弟鄧悝等曾經想立平原王劉勝。安帝大怒，下令滅了鄧氏一族。

安帝雖滅鄧氏，但未制止外戚幹政的局面。再加上安帝不理朝政，沉湎于酒色，昏庸不堪，且在掖庭挑選一位美女封為貴人，非常寵愛，未滿一年，便立即封她為皇后，而這個皇后即為閻姬，導致當時東漢朝政腐敗，社會黑暗，奸佞當道，社會矛盾日益尖銳，邊患也十分嚴重。全國多地震，水旱蝗災頻繁不斷，外有西羌等入侵邊境，內有杜琦等領導的長達十多年民變，社會危機日益加深。東漢王朝衰落。

延光三年（124年），安帝乳母王聖與樊豐、江京共同構陷太子，太子劉保被廢為濟陰王。

延光四年三月庚申（125年4月23日），漢安帝在外巡遊途中在宛出現身體不適。三月丁卯（125年4月30日），漢安帝在葉死在乘輿上，享年32歲。當時閻姬、閻顯等人隨同漢安帝出遊，而前太子在洛陽，閻姬等害怕大臣立前太子為帝，於是詐稱安帝重病，秘不發喪，一路星夜兼程。庚午（5月3日），巡遊車隊回到皇宮。辛未（5月4日）晚上安帝駕崩消息才被公佈。四月己酉（6月11日），安帝葬于恭陵。謚號孝安皇帝，廟號恭宗（後於漢獻帝初平元年因其無功德故除去廟號）。後閻皇后迎立劉壽子劉懿為帝。劉懿死後，漢安帝獨子劉保（漢順帝）才在宦官的擁戴下登基。

家庭

后妃

• 皇后閻姬

• 宮人李氏，由其子漢順帝追尊為恭愍皇后。

子女

• 漢順帝劉保