Jiaqing    1796 - 1820  

The Jiaqing  Emperor was the fifth son of the Qianlong Emperor and on the death of his father 1799, he acted swiftly against  the powerful and feared Heshen, his father’s prime-minister, who still controlled the government.  Heshen was imprisoned and allowed the small grace of committing suicide quietly in his cell, his fabulous wealth being confiscated by the Emperor.

The Jiaqing Emperor was healthy, intelligent and conscientious, rising early and working hard, but Heshen‘s depredations had fatally weakened the Empire: the treasury was empty, sheer hunger was causing widespread rebellion and the banner men (the Manchu army), corrupted by luxury, could no longer maintain order. He barely avoided assassination when rebels, aided by palace eunuchs, attacked in Beijing. His Confucian upbringing and that of his son, the Daoguang Emperor, was useful in settled times but left them ill-equipped to deal with problems demanding radical initiatives.  The Jiaqing Emperor‘s attempt to regain authority by moral example and ruthless economies alienated family and officials, and he was forced, eventually, to raise money by selling official posts. He died from heat stroke, having secretly named his second son as heir.