Early life

Then-Prince Long was born in autumn 105 to Emperor He and a concubine whose identity is unknown. Because Emperor He had, during his reign, frequently lost sons due to illnesses in childhood, according to the superstitions of the time, both Prince Long and his older brother Prince Sheng were given to foster parents outside the palace to nurture.

When Emperor He died early 106, his wife, Empress Deng Sui, retrieved the young princes back to the palace. Prince Sheng was older but regarded as frequently ill and unfit for the throne, for Empress Deng first created the infant Prince Long crown prince. The same night, he was proclaimed emperor with Empress Deng as Empress Dowager.

Reign

After Emperor Shang was proclaimed emperor, his brother Prince Sheng was created the Prince of Pingyuan.

Concerned that Emperor Shang might not live long, Empress Dowager Deng also kept Liu Hu, the twelve-year old cousin of Emperor Shang and the future Emperor An of Han in the capital Luoyang as insurance against the infant emperor's death. (Prince Hu was the son of Prince Qing of Qinghe—who was once a crown prince under Emperor He's father Emperor Zhang but was deposed due to machinations of Emperor Zhang's wife Empress Dou. Therefore, he was viewed by some as the rightful heir.)

As Emperor Shang was an infant, actual and formal power were in Empress Deng's hands. Her brother Deng Zhi (鄧騭) became the most powerful official in the imperial government. She issued a general pardon, which benefitted the people who had had rights stripped from them for associating with the family of Empress Dou.

Death

Late in 106, Emperor Shang died. The officials had by this time realized that Prince Sheng, his older brother, was not as ill as originally thought, and wanted to make him emperor. However, Empress Dowager Deng was concerned that he might bear a grudge at not being made emperor before his brother, and therefore insisted on making Emperor Shang's cousin Prince Hu emperor instead, and he took the throne as Emperor An.

Emperor Shang, having died as a toddler, was not given a separate tomb, as is customary for emperors. Rather, in order to avoid unnecessary expenses, he was buried in the same tomb complex as his father Emperor He.

Era name

• Yanping (延平) 106

Ancestry

生平

和帝在世的時候，生了許多皇子，大都夭折。和帝以為宦官、外戚在謀害他的兒子，便將剩餘的皇子留在民間扶養。元興元年乙巳年十二月廿二日辛未（106年2月13日），漢和帝死，鄧皇后因長子劉勝有絕症，將劉隆迎回皇宮做皇帝，將劉勝封為平原王。劉隆登基時候才出生一百多天，是為百日皇帝，改元「延平」。朝政由外戚鄧騭掌權。

仍在襁褓之中的漢殤帝，于延平元年八月辛亥（西元106年9月21日）生病夭折，駕崩，在位只有短短八個月。根據史書記載來看的話，他應是中國歷史上即位年紀最小的皇帝和壽命最短的皇帝，在位期間也是排名倒數的。

政治

劉隆年幼，鄧太后以女主臨政，期間政事多委以宦官。自漢明帝至延平年間，宦官的人數逐漸增多，中常侍達到十名，小黃門有二十名。

家世