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China: Emperor Zhezong (Zhao Xu), 7th ruler of the (Northern) Song Dynasty (r. 1085-1100).

Zhezong was the son of Emperor Shenzong. He ascended the throne at age 9 under the supervision of Empress Dowager Gao. Under Empress Gao's regency she appointed conservatives such as Sima Guang as Chancellor and Sima Guang immediately halted socio-economic improvements set forth by Wang Anshi. Zhezong was powerless and it was not until Empress Dowager Gao's death in 1093 that Zhezong was able to reinstate Wang Anshi's reform and remove Sima Guang. Zhezong lowered taxes, stopped all negotiations with the Tangut Empire and resumed armed conflict which eventually forced the Xixia to enter a more peaceful stance with the Song. Overall, Zhezong's reign gave the Song dynasty a breathe of fresh air but Zhezong was not able stop fighting between conservative members in his government and the more liberal members catering to Wang Anshi's reforms. This eventually led to the northern Song's demise in the 12th century.

The Song Dynasty (960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960) and preceded the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), which conquered the Song in 1279. Its conventional division into the Northern Song (960–1127) and Southern Song (1127–1279) periods marks the conquest of northern China by the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) in 1127. It also distinguishes the subsequent shift of the Song's capital city from Bianjing (modern Kaifeng) in the north to Lin'an (modern Hangzhou) in the south.