Han Dynasty Emperors Timeline: Complete Ruler List

The Han Dynasty emperors timeline is easiest to read as a ruler order table first. The difficult part is not remembering Liu Bang, Emperor Wu, Liu Xiu, or Emperor Xian. The difficult part is placing short-ruling figures such as Liu Gong, Liu Hong, Liu He, Ruzi Ying, Liu Yi, and Liu Bian without overstating their real power.

This English guide lists 29 Western Han and Eastern Han emperors or short-ruling rulers. It treats Wang Mang separately because he founded the Xin dynasty rather than ruling as a Han emperor.

Key Facts

Main Keyword

Han Dynasty emperors timeline

Total Count Used Here

29 Han emperors and short-ruling rulers

Main Sections

Western Han, Wang Mang's Xin interruption, and Eastern Han

Not Counted as Han

Wang Mang, because he founded the Xin dynasty

Best For

Readers who want the emperor order before reading individual biographies

Quick Answer

Using the full ruler-order convention in this guide, the Han Dynasty has 29 emperors or short-ruling rulers: 15 in the Western Han sequence and 14 in the Eastern Han sequence. That count includes brief, deposed, infant, or controlled rulers, but the table marks them carefully.

Wang Mang is not counted among the 29 because his regime was the Xin dynasty. He still belongs in the historical timeline because Xin interrupted Western Han before Liu Xiu restored Han rule as Eastern Han.

Complete Han Dynasty Emperors Table

How Many Han Emperors Were There?

The answer depends on counting rules. If a list includes only rulers with substantial independent power, the number can be smaller. If it follows the full throne order and includes short-ruling or controlled figures, the list reaches 29.

This page uses the fuller count because it is more helpful for reading succession. It also avoids a common mistake: listing every name as if every ruler governed in the same way. A child ruler, a deposed emperor, and a strong adult emperor do not represent the same kind of power.

Western Han Emperors

Western Han begins with Liu Bang, the founder of Han, and ends with Ruzi Ying, the child ruler controlled by Wang Mang. Its story moves from founding and recovery to expansion, regency politics, court-family dominance, and final usurpation.

Why Wang Mang Is Separate

Wang Mang is essential to the Han timeline but not counted as one of the Han emperors in this list. In 9 CE he replaced Han with the Xin dynasty. That made him the ruler of an interruption regime, not a Han emperor.

The distinction matters for SEO and for history. If Wang Mang is counted inside the Han emperor list, the sequence becomes confusing. If he is ignored, the jump from Ruzi Ying to Liu Xiu becomes impossible to understand.

Eastern Han Emperors

Eastern Han begins with Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu, who restored Han rule after Wang Mang's collapse. It ends with Emperor Xian, whose abdication to Cao Pi in 220 CE formally ended the Han Dynasty.

Which Han Emperors Matter Most for Beginners?

For a first reading path, start with five rulers: Liu Bang, Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Xiu, and Emperor Xian of Han. They mark founding, recovery, expansion, restoration, and collapse.

The shorter reigns still matter because they explain succession pressure. Without them, the list looks cleaner, but Han history becomes less accurate.

Major Succession Turning Points

Timeline

202 BCE

Liu Bang founded the imperial Han order

180 BCE

Emperor Wen took the throne after the Lu clan crisis

141-87 BCE

Emperor Wu pushed Western Han toward expansion and stronger central power

74 BCE

Liu He was deposed and Emperor Xuan was chosen

9 CE

Wang Mang founded Xin and interrupted Han rule

25 CE

Liu Xiu restored Han as Eastern Han

106-146 CE

Repeated child emperors increased regency politics

189 CE

Dong Zhuo deposed Liu Bian and installed Emperor Xian

220 CE

Cao Pi replaced Han and founded Cao Wei

Sources and Counting Method

For Western Han, this guide relies on the traditional framework of the Shiji and the Book of Han. For Eastern Han, it relies mainly on the Book of the Later Han. These works preserve the standard dynastic sequence, but they also carry court judgments and later historical interpretation.

That is why the table uses cautious labels for short-ruling figures. Liu Gong, Liu Hong, Liu He, Ruzi Ying, Liu Yi, and Liu Bian are included because they belong to common ruler-order lists, but they should not be treated as fully independent emperors with long personal reigns.

Simple Summary

• This page uses a 29-ruler Han emperor order.
• Western Han contributes 15 names; Eastern Han contributes 14 names.
• Wang Mang is explained as the Xin interruption, not counted as a Han emperor.
• The table links both common titles and personal names to the English person pages.

FAQ

How many Han Dynasty emperors were there?

Using the full ruler-order convention here, there were 29 Han emperors or short-ruling rulers: 15 in Western Han and 14 in Eastern Han.

Is Wang Mang counted as a Han emperor?

No. Wang Mang founded the Xin dynasty, so this page treats him as an interruption between Western Han and Eastern Han rather than as a Han emperor.

Why include short-ruling rulers such as Liu He or Liu Bian?

They are included because they occupied the throne or are normally placed in the ruler order, but the page marks their short or controlled status clearly.

Who was the first and last Han emperor?

The first was Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han. The last was Liu Xie, Emperor Xian of Han, whose abdication in 220 CE ended the dynasty.