Emperor Ruizong of Tang

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"Li Dan" redirects here. For the 17th century trader in Japan, see Li Dan (trader).
Emperor Ruizong of Tang (唐睿宗)
Birth and death:June 22, 662–July 13, 716
Family name:Li (李), later Wu (武),[1]
then later back to Li (李)[2]
Given name:Xulun (旭輪),[3] later Lun (輪),[4]
then later Dan (旦),[5] then
back to Lun,[6] and
eventually back to Dan[7]
Dates of reign (1st time):Feb. 27, 684–Oct. 19, 690[8]
Dates of reign (2nd time):July 25, 710–Sept. 8, 712[9]
Dynasty:Tang (唐)
Temple name:Ruì zōng (睿宗)
Posthumous name:
(short)
Never used short
Posthumous name:
(full)
Emperor Xuanzhen Dasheng
Daxing Xiao[10]
玄真大聖大興孝皇帝

Emperor Ruizong of Tang (唐睿宗) (June 22, 662[11] – July 13, 716), personal name Lǐ Dàn (李旦), known at times during his life as Li Xulun (李旭輪), Li Lun (李輪), Wu Lun (武輪), and Wu Dan (武旦), was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty. He was the eighth son of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian).

In February 684, Li Dan's mother Empress Wu demoted his older brother Emperor Zhongzong (Li Xian) who had attempted to rule free of his mother, and named him emperor (as Emperor Ruizong). Emperor Ruizong, however, was under control of his mother and did not have any real power. In October 690 he ceded the imperial throne to his mother, who installed herself as "emperor" -- the only woman in Chinese history ever to rule as emperor.[12] Emperor Ruizong was reduced to the position of crown prince, with the unconventional title of Huangsi (皇嗣, literally "imperial heir"). In the following years, Empress Wu's nephews Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi tried to have one of them named heir to the throne, but Wu Zetian resisted these calls. Eventually, in October 698, faced with foreign invasion and dissatisfaction at home, Empress Wu accepted the suggestion of the chancellor Di Renjie and recalled the exiled Li Xian to the capital Luoyang. Soon, Li Dan offered to yield the position of crown prince to his brother, and Li Xian became crown prince instead.

In 705, a coup overthrew Wu Zetian and restored Emperor Zhongzong to the throne. The five years of Emperor Zhongzong's reign were dominated by Zhongzong's empress consort, Empress Wei. In the beginning of July 710, Emperor Zhongzong died, allegedly poisoned by Empress Wei who then named Zhongzong's youngest son Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen emperor (as Emperor Shang). A mere two weeks later, Li Dan's sister Princess Taiping and Li Dan's son Li Longji the Prince of Linzi launched a coup which resulted in the death of Empress Wei. Princess Taiping, Li Longji, and Li Longji's brother Li Chengqi the Prince of Song then persuaded Li Dan to take the throne himself, and he agreed, returning the throne in Emperor Shang's stead. Li Longji, although not the oldest son, was made crown prince on account of his accomplishments.

Soon, however, tensions between Princess Taiping, who had many supporters, and Li Longji mounted. Eventually, in September 712, Emperor Ruizong, believing that astrological signs called for a change of emperors, abdicated in favor of Li Longji (as Emperor Xuanzong). However, at Princess Taiping's suggestion, Emperor Ruizong, now carrying the title of Taishang Huang (retired emperor), continued to wield actual power. However, in 713, suspecting Princess Taiping of planning a coup, Emperor Xuanzong acted first, killing her associates and forcing her to commit suicide. After the death of Princess Taiping, Emperor Ruizong himself yielded imperial powers to Emperor Xuanzong and left the governmental scene. He died in 716.

Contents

[edit] Background

Li Xulun was born in 662, as the youngest son of Emperor Gaozong and his second wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian). Later that year, he was created the Prince of Yin. In 664, he was nominally made the commandant at Ji Prefecture (冀州, roughly modern Hengshui, Hebei) and the Chanyu Protectorate General (headquarters in modern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia). It was said that, as he grew, he became known for humility, the love for his siblings, and talent in calligraphy. In 666, his title was changed to Prince of Yu. In 669, his title was changed to Prince of Ji, and his name was changed from Xulun to Lun. In 675, his title was changed to Prince of Xiang. In 678, his title was changed back to Prince of Yu, and his name was further changed to Li Dan. He was also made the prefect of Luo Prefecture (洛州), the prefecture containing the eastern capital Luoyang. Sometime between 676 and 679, he married his wife Princess Liu.

Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by Li Dan's older brother Li Zhe the Crown Prince (as Emperor Zhongzong), but Empress Wu retained power as empress dowager and regent. In 684, when Emperor Zhongzong displayed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with Li Dan (as Emperor Ruizong), but wielded power even more firmly. Indeed, she housed Emperor Ruizong in a different palace and did not let him meet the imperial officials or give input on affairs of state. Emperor Ruizong's wife Princess Liu was created empress, while her son Li Chengqi was created crown prince.

[edit] First reign

Soon after Emperor Ruizong took the throne, Empress Dowager Wu carried out a major renaming of governmental offices and banners. She, who disliked the capital Chang'an, also elevated Luoyang's status, making it a co-equal capital with Chang'an. She further, at the suggestion of her nephew Wu Chengsi, built an ancestral temple for five generations of her ancestors and had Emperor Ruizong posthumously create them princes.

In fall 684, Li Jingye the Duke of Ying (the grandson of the deceased general Li Ji), started a rebellion against Empress Dowager Wu at Yang Prefecture, seeking the restoration of Emperor Zhongzong. Empress Dowager Wu, in response, sent the general Li Xiaoyi (李孝逸), assisted by the generals Li Zhishi (李知十) and Ma Jingchen (馬敬臣) to suppress Li Jianye's rebellion, and Li Xiaoyi quickly did so. Meanwhile, believing the chancellor Pei Yan to be undermining her authority, she executed Pei under accusation of treason and demoted a large number of officials and generals who dared to speak in Pei's defense, later executing some of them.

In 686, Empress Dowager created a number of bronze boxes designed to encourage secret reports of crimes. She also began to retain a group of secret police officials to carry out torture and interrogation of people suspected of opposing her rule, including Suo Yuanli, Zhou Xing, and Lai Junchen. On one occasion, she offered to return imperial authorities to Emperor Ruizong, but Emperor Ruizong knew that she was not actually intending to do so, and therefore declined. She thereafter resumed exercising imperial powers.

Emperor Ruizong had largely stayed out of political matters during these years, but he made an exception in 687, when Empress Dowager Wu believed the chancellor Liu Yizhi, who had previously served on his staff when he was a prince, whom she had trusted and promoted, to have turned against her in favoring that she return imperial authorities to Emperor Ruizong. She had Liu accused of corruption and arrested, and Emperor Ruizong personally wrote a petition to request her to spare Liu -- which, however, as Liu observed, had the opposite effect, and she ordered Liu to commit suicide.

In 688, fearing that Empress Dowager Wu was using a ceremony to worship the god of the Luo River (洛水, flowing near Luoyang) as an excuse to summon them to Luoyang to slaughter them, the imperial princes considered rebellion, and one was launched by Emperor Ruizong's uncle Li Zhen the Prince of Yue and Li Zhen's son Li Chong the Prince of Langye, claiming that Emperor Ruizong was under arrest and needed to be rescued. However, both Li Zhen and Li Chong were quickly defeated; Li Chong was killed in battle, while Li Zhen committed suicide. Empress Dowager Wu used this opportunity to carry out a major purge of senior imperial Li clan members, including Emperor Ruizong's granduncles Li Yuanjia (李元嘉) the Prince of Han and Li Lingkui (李靈夔) the Prince of Lu.

In 690, Empress Dowager Wu received a number of petitions that she take the throne herself, and Emperor Ruizong also submitted such a petition. She accepted, and she took the throne as "emperor," establishing a new Zhou Dynasty and interrupting Tang Dynasty. She demoted Emperor Ruizong to the position of crown prince (with the unusual title Huangsi (皇嗣)), and changed his name back to Lun. She further had him take her family name of Wu.

[edit] During Wu Zetian's reign

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[edit] During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign

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[edit] Second reign

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[edit] As retired emperor

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[edit] Era names

[edit] First reign

  • Wenming (文明 wén míng) 684
  • Guangzhai (光宅 guāng zhái) 684
  • Chuigong (垂拱 chúi gǒng) 685-689
  • Yongchang (永昌 yǒng chāng) 689
  • Zaichu (載初 zǎi chū) 690

[edit] Second reign

  • Jingyun (景雲 jǐng yún) 710-712
  • Taiji (太極 tài jí) 712
  • Yanhe (延和 yán hé) 712

[edit] Chancellors during reign

[edit] First reign

[edit] Second reign

[edit] Personal information

  • Father
  • Mother
  • Wife
    • Empress Liu (created 684, demoted to crown princess 690, killed by Wu Zetian 693), mother of Prince Xian and Princesses Shouchang and Dai
  • Major Concubines
    • Consort Dou (killed by Wu Zetian 693), mother of Crown Prince Longji and Princesses Jinxian and Yuzhen, posthumously honored Empress Zhaochengshunsheng
    • Consort Liu, mother of Prince Hui
    • Consort Cui, mother of Prince Fan (may be the same as the mother of Princess Xi)
    • Consort Wang, mother of Prince Ye
    • Consort Cui, mother of Princess Xi (may be the same as the mother of Prince Fan)
  • Children
    • Li Xian (李憲), né Li Chengqi (李成器) (changed 716) (b. 679), initially the Prince of Yongping, later Crown Prince (created 684), later Imperial Grandson (created 690), later Prince of Shouchun (created 693), later Prince of Song (created 710), later Prince of Ning (created 716, d. 741), posthumously honored Emperor Rang
    • Li Hui (李撝), né Li Chengyi (李成義) (changed 716), initially the Prince of Heng (created 687), later the Prince of Hengyang (created 693), later the Prince of Shen (created 710, d. 724), posthumously honored Crown Prince Huizhuang
    • Li Longji (李隆基), initially the Prince of Chu (created 687), later the Prince of Linzi (created 693), later the Prince of Ping (created 710), later Crown Prince (created 710), later Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
    • Li Fan (李範), né Li Longfan (李隆範) (changed 712?), initially the Prince of Zheng, later the Prince of Wei (created 687), later the Prince of Baling (created 693), later the Prince of Qi (created 710, d. 726), posthumously honored Crown Prince Huiwen
    • Li Ye (李業), né Li Longye (李隆業) (changed 712?), initially the Prince of Zhao (created 687), later the Prince of Zhongshan (created 693), later the Prince of Pengcheng, later the Prince of Xue (created 710, d. 734), posthumously honored Crown Prince Huixuan
    • Li Longti (李隆悌), initially the Prince of Ru'nan, died early, posthumously honored the Prince of Sui
    • Princess Shouchang
    • Princess Zhaohuai of Anxing
    • Princess Jingshan
    • Princess Huaiyang
    • Li Hua (李華), the Princess Dai
    • Princess Liang, courtesy name Huazhuang (華莊)
    • Princess Xue
    • Princess Xi
    • Princess Jinxian
    • Princess Yuzhen, courtesy name Chiying (持盈)
    • Princess Huo

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ In October 690, when he ceded the imperial throne to his mother Empress Wu and was made heir to the throne, his family name was changed into Wu which was the family name of his mother.
  2. ^ His original family name Li, the family name of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, was restored at a date not indicated by ancient Chinese historical books, perhaps in 705 at the fall of Empress Wu.
  3. ^ This is the original given name of Emperor Ruizong. The literal meaning is "disk of the sun appearing above the horizon at daybreak."
  4. ^ Had his name shortened into Lun ("disk") in December 669.
  5. ^ Had his name changed into Dan (literal meaning: "dawn") in August 683.
  6. ^ Had his name changed back to Lun when he ceded the imperial throne to his mother Empress Wu in October 690 and was made heir to the throne.
  7. ^ Had his name changed back to Dan after he was reduced to a princely rank in 698 when his older brother Zhongzong replaced him as heir to the throne. This name became his taboo name when he was restored as emperor in 710.
  8. ^ eded the imperial throne to his mother Empress Wu who became "emperor" while Ruizong was made heir to the throne.
  9. ^ Abdicated in favor of his son Emperor Xuanzong and received the title Taishang Huang (retired emperor). In practice, he continued to issue imperial edicts that carried greater authority than Emperor Xuanzong's until the palace coup of July 29, 713. He officially ceded full power to his son on July 30.
  10. ^ Final version of his posthumous name as given in 754.
  11. ^ General note: Dates given here are in the Julian calendar.
    They are not in the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
  12. ^ Decades earlier, in 653, a minor female agrarian rebel leader, Chen Shuozhen (陳碩真), had claimed the title of "Emperor Wenjia" (文佳皇帝), during her rebellion. However, because her rebellion was very limited in scope and was quickly crushed, she is not typically regarded as a true "female emperor." See Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 199.
  13. ^ The office that Li Chengqi held, Shangshu Pushe (尚書僕射), was ordinarily not considered an office for a chancellor by this point. However, the table of chancellors in the New Book of Tang listed Li Chengqi as a chancellor, albeit only briefly. See New Book of Tang, vol. 61.[1]
Preceded by
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang 		Emperor of Tang Dynasty
684-690 		Succeeded by
None (dynasty interrupted)
Emperor of China
684-690 		Succeeded by
Wu Zetian
Preceded by
Emperor Shang of Tang 		Emperor of Tang Dynasty
710-712 		Succeeded by
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
ko:당 예종

it:Rui Zong (imperatore Tang) ja:睿宗 (唐) no:Keiser Ruizong av Tang zh:唐睿宗

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