born 45 BC, China
died Oct 6, AD 23, Chang'an
Founder of the short-lived Xin dynasty (AD 9–25), an interlude between the two halves of the Han dynasty in China.
Wang's family was well connected to the Han imperial family, and in 8 BC Wang was appointed regent, only to lose the position when the emperor died. When the new emperor died in 1 BC, Wang was reappointed regent and married his daughter to the subsequent emperor, Ping, who died in AD 6. Wang picked the youngest of more than 50 eligible heirs to follow Ping and was named acting emperor. In AD 9 he ascended the throne and proclaimed the Xin dynasty. His dynasty might have endured had the Huang He (Yellow River) not changed course twice before AD 11, causing massive devastation and attendant famines, epidemics, and social unrest. Peasants banded together in ever larger units. One such group, the Red Eyebrows , set the capital, Chang'an (modern Xi'an), on fire, forced their way into the palace, and killed him.