Emperor Zhongzong of Tang

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Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (唐中宗)
Birth and death:Nov. 26, 656–July 3, 710
Family name:Li (李),
later Wu (changed 700),
later back to Li (changed 705)
Given name:Xian (顯), later Zhe (哲),[1]
then later back to Xian (顯)[2]
Dates of reign (first time):Jan. 3, 684–Feb. 26, 684[3]
Dates of reign (second time):Feb. 23, 705[4]–July 3, 710
Dynasty:Tang (唐)
Temple name:Zhōngzōng (中宗)
Posthumous name:
(short)
Never used short
Posthumous name:
(full)
Emperor Dahe Dasheng
Dazhao Xiao[5]
大和大聖大昭孝皇帝

Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (唐中宗) (November 26, 656 – July 3, 710), personal name Lǐ Xiǎn (李顯), at times during his life Li Zhe (李哲) and Wu Xian (武顯), was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.

Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian). He succeeded his father in 684. His mother, however, deposed him less than two months later in favor of his younger brother Emperor Ruizong. The former emperor, demoted to a princely rank, was sent in exile in the provinces and placed under house arrest. Six years later, Emperor Ruizong in turn relinquished the throne to his mother and Empress Dowager Wu officially proclaimed herself "Emperor", while Emperor Ruizong was made crown prince.

By 698 the court was caught in the middle of a bitter power struggle. In an attempt to decrease the power struggle, Empress Wu liberated the former emperor from his 14 years of seclusion and recalled him to the capital in April 698. He was reinstated as crown prince in October 698, taking the place of his brother. On February 20, 705, a palace coup deposed Wu Zetian and Emperor Zhongzong was restored as emperor three days later. Emperor Zhongzong reigned for five years but was a rather weak and easily influenced ruler. Real power was in the hands of his empress consort, Empress Wei and her lover Wu Sansi (Wu Zetian's nephew).

In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died, allegedly poisoned by Empress Wei, who then installed Emperor Zhongzong's son, Li Chongmao, as emperor. Empress Wei, who had failed to install her daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle, as heir to Emperor Zhongzong, thought that Li Chongmao (known posthumously as Emperor Shang), born of Zhongzong and a low ranking concubine and who was only 16 years old, would be easy to control and allow her to preserve her power. The scheme failed, however, when Princess Taiping, the sister of Emperor Zhongzong, launched a coup two weeks later with her nephew Li Longji (later Emperor Xuanzong), son of the abdicated Emperor Ruizong, and overthrew Empress Wei and the young emperor. Emperor Ruizong, the father of Li Longji and the older brother of Princess Taiping, was restored as emperor.

Contents

[edit] Background

Li Xiǎn[6] was born in 656, as the seventh son of his father Emperor Gaozong and the third son of his mother, Emperor Gaozong's second wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian). In 657, he was created the Prince of Zhou and nominally made the prefect of the eastern capital prefecture Luo Prefecture (洛州, roughly modern Luoyang, Henan). In 661, when his older brother Li Xián the Prince of Pei had the literarily-talented official Wang Bo on staff, the princes were apparently often engaged in cockfighting. Wang Bo wrote a playful piece entitled the Declaration Against the Prince of Zhou's Cock (檄周王雞文), which, however, when Emperor Gaozong read it, caused Emperor Gaozong to be angry, as he believed this would cause discord between his sons, and therefore expelled Wang from the Pei mansion. However, in 674, a similar incident happened by Emperor Gaozong's own instigation -- as, at an imperial feast, he divided the imperial musicians into two teams and had Li Xián and Li Xiǎn lead the two teams in competition -- although he stopped when the chancellor Hao Chujun pointed out the potential for rivalry.

Meanwhile, during the years that Li Xiǎn was the Prince of Zhou, he had married a daughter of his grandaunt the Princess Changle and her husband, the general Zhao Gui (趙瓌), as his wife and princess. Emperor Gaozong had often shown favors to Princess Changle, and this displeased Empress Wu. In 675, on account of this, she had Princess Zhao accused of crimes and put into solitary confinement at the bureau of eunuchs. She was given raw vegetables and raw meat for her to cook them herself. However, some time later, the kitchen stopped to have smoke and steam come out of it, and when Empress Wu had her confinement house opened, Princess Zhao was seen dead inside, having starved to death. Empress Wu also demoted Zhao Gui to be the prefect of Kuo Prefecture (括州, roughly modern Lishui, Zhejiang) and ordered Princess Changle to accompany her husband to Kuo Prefecture, and further ordered that neither Zhao Gui nor Princess Changle would be allowed to enter the palace.

In 676, when Tufan attacked Tang's western prefectures, Li Xiǎn and his younger brother Li Lun the Prince of Xiang were nominally put in charge of the two armies that were actually commanded by the generals Liu Shenli (劉審禮) and Qibi Heli (契苾何力), but neither Li Xiǎn nor Li Lun actually set out with the troops.

In 677, Li Xiǎn had his title changed to Prince of Ying. His name was also changed to Li Zhe. He was also made the prefect of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi).

By 680, Li Xián, who was then crown prince, had lost Empress Wu's favor. After she suspected him of having had her trusted sorcerer Ming Chongyan (明崇儼) assassinated, she had him investigated for treason, and subsequently, he was found guilty. He was reduced to commoner rank and exiled, and Li Zhe was created crown prince to replace him. Hao Chujun and another chancellor, Liu Rengui, were made his senior advisors. Emperor Gaozong also recruited the famed hermit scholar Tian Youyan (田遊巖) to serve as an advisor, although Tian would later draw criticism from others for not having any actual good advice for the crown prince.

[edit] First stint as crown prince

In 681, after Emperor Gaozong had become ill after consuming pills made by alchemists, he had Li Zhe briefly exercise imperial powers.

In 682, Li Zhe's second wife, Crown Princess Wei, gave birth to a son, Li Chongzhao. Emperor Gaozong was pleased, and he created Li Chongzhao the unprecedented title of "Deputy Crown Prince" (皇太孫, Huang Taisun). Later that year, due to a famine in the Guanzhong region (i.e., the region around the capital Chang'an), Emperor Gaozong took up residence at the eastern capital Luoyang, leaving Li Zhe in charge of Chang'an, assisted by the chancellors Liu Rengui, Pei Yan, and Xue Yuanchao. it was said that while Li Zhe was in charge of Chang'an, he often spent his time on games and hunting, and Xue often advised him against spending time in this manner. When Emperor Gaozong heard this, he rewarded Xue and summoned Xue to Luoyang.

In 683, Emperor Gaozong became ill at Luoyang, and he summoned Li Zhe to Luoyang, leaving Li Chongrun nominally in charge of Chang'an, assisted by Liu.[7] After Li Zhe arrived at Luoyang, Emperor Gaozong transferred imperial powers to him, and soon died. Li Zhe took the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong), but actual powers were mostly in the hands of Empress Wu, now empress dowager.

[edit] First reign

Emperor Zhongzong, in spring 684, created his wife Crown Princess Wei empress, and he wanted to make his father-in-law, Wei Xuanzhen (韋玄貞) Shizhong (侍中) -- the head of the examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor. He also wanted to make the son of his wet nurse an official of the fifth rank. Pei Yan resisted both commissions. As they argued, Emperor Zhongzong, in anger, remarked:

What would be wrong even if I gave the empire to Wei Xuanzhen? Why do you care about Shizhong so much?

Pei, in fear, informed this to Empress Dowager Wu. Just less than two months after Emperor Zhongzong had taken the throne, Empress Dowager Wu summoned the officials and generals and issued an edict deposing Emperor Zhongzong and reducing to the title of Prince of Luling. As generals loyal to her physically removed Emperor Zhongzong from the throne, he struggled and asked, "What crime have I committed?" Empress Dowager Wu responded, "You wanted to give the empire to Wei Xuanzhen. How can that not be a crime?" She had him put under arrest, and she made Li Lun (now named Li Dan) the Prince of Yu the new emperor (as Emperor Ruizong). Li Chongzhao was reduced to commoner rank.

[edit] In exile

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[edit] Second stint as crown prince

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[edit] Second reign

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[edit] Death

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[edit] Era names

[edit] First reign

  • Sisheng (嗣聖 sì shèng) 684

[edit] Second reign

  • Shenlong (神龍 shén lóng) 705-707 (inherited from Wu Zetian)
  • Jinglong (景龍 jǐng lóng) 707-710

[edit] Chancellors during reign

[edit] First reign

[edit] Second reign

[edit] Personal information

  • Father
  • Mother
  • Wives
    • Princess Zhao, daughter of Zhao Gui (趙瓌) and Princess Changle (starved 675), posthumously honored Empress Gong (honored 705) and then Empress Hesi (honored 710)
    • Empress Wei (created and deposed 684, recreated 705), mother of Crown Prince Chongrun and Princesses Yongtai, Yongshou, Changning, and Anle
  • Major Concubines
  • Children
    • Li Chongrun (李重潤), né Li Chongzhao (李重照) (changed 684?) (b. 682), initially the Deputy Crown Prince (created 682), later reduced to commoner rank (deposed 684), later the Prince of Shao (created 699, executed 701), posthumously honored Crown Prince Yide
    • Li Chongfu (李重福) (b. 680[8]), initially the Prince of Tangchang (created 683), later the Prince of Ping'en (created 700), later the Prince of Qiao (created 704, killed in battle 710)
    • Li Chongjun (李重俊), initially the Prince of Yixing (created 700), later the Prince of Wei (created 705), later the Crown Prince (created 706, killed in battle 707), posthumously honored Crown Prince Jiemin
    • Li Chongmao (李重茂) (b. 698), initially the Prince of Beihai (created 700), later the Prince of Wen (created 705), later Emperor Shang of Tang
    • Princess Xindu
    • Princess Yicheng
    • Princess Ding'an
    • Princess Changning
    • Princess Yongshou (title posthumously awarded)
    • Li Xianhui (李仙蕙), Lady Yongtai (executed 701), posthumously honored as Princess Yongtai
    • Li Guo'er (李裹兒), Princess Anle (killed in battle 710)
    • Princess Cheng'an, courtesy name Jijiang (季姜)

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ His name was changed into Zhe in 677.
  2. ^ His name reverted to Xian when he was reinstated as crown prince in October 698. This name became his taboo name when he reascended the throne in 705.
  3. ^ Deposed by his mother Empress Wu.
  4. ^ Restored as Emperor three days after the coup that put an end to his mother's power.
  5. ^ Final version of his posthumous name as given in 754.
  6. ^ Tonal signs for his original name are used in this section only to disambiguate between him and his brother Li Xián.
  7. ^ The Zizhi Tongjian indicated that the son of Li Zhe left nominally in charge of Chang'an was Li Chongfu the Prince of Tangchang. See Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 203. However, both the Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang indicated that it was Li Chongzhao who was left in charge, and as Li Chongzhao's position was higher than Li Chongfu's, it appeared more likely that Li Chongzhao was in charge. See Book of Tang, vol. 84,[1] and New Book of Tang, vol. 180. The Book of Tang did, elsewhere, indicate that Li Chongfu, not Li Chongzhao, was nominally in charge. See Book of Tang, vol. 5.[2]
  8. ^ Li Chongfu's birthdate is per his death age of 30, according to his biographies in the Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang. See Book of Tang, vol. 86[3] and New Book of Tang, vol. 81.[4] However, the Book of Tang, in the same volume, also indicated that Li Chongfu was younger than Li Chongrun.
Preceded by
Emperor Gaozong of Tang 		Emperor of Tang Dynasty
684 		Succeeded by
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Preceded by
None (dynasty interrupted) 		Emperor of Tang Dynasty
705-710 		Succeeded by
Emperor Shang of Tang
Preceded by
Wu Zetian 		Emperor of China
705-710
 Image:P1070661.JPG This Chinese royalty-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
ko:당 중종

it:Zhong Zong (imperatore Tang) ja:中宗 (唐) no:Keiser Zhongzong av Tang zh:唐中宗

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