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| Emperors of the Tang dynasty | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tang dynasty |
| Native name | 唐朝 |
| Start | 618 |
| End | 907 |
| Capital | Chang'an |
| Founder | Li Yuan |
| Notable leaders | Li Shimin · Li Longji |
| Predecessor | Sui dynasty |
| Successor | Later Liang · Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period |
Emperors of the Tang dynasty were the sovereigns of one of China's most influential imperial houses, ruling from 618 to 907. Their reigns encompassed the consolidation under Li Yuan, the reformist rule of Li Shimin, the cosmopolitan florescence under Li Longji, and the fragmentation leading into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Tang emperors shaped relations with Tubo, Goguryeo, Nanzhao, and An Lushan, patronized figures such as Du Fu, Li Bai, and Wu Zetian, and presided over institutions including the imperial examinations and the Daliang-linked legal codes.
The Tang lineage emerged from the Sui dynasty collapse after uprisings including those led by Wang Shichong and Li Mi, with Li Yuan installing the Tang throne in Chang'an and establishing succession patterns influenced by palace coups, princely rivalries among members of the Li family, and precedents set by the Han and Jin. Early Tang succession combined hereditary claims, influence of Empress Dowager, military support from figures such as Li Yuanji and Li Shimin, and bureaucratic legitimation through the Tang Code and endorsements by officials like Wei Zheng. Dynastic stability depended on alliances with aristocratic clans including the Liang and interactions with religious institutions such as Buddhist monasteries and Daoist orders.
The principal sovereigns include Emperor Gaozu (618–626), Emperor Taizong (626–649), Emperor Gaozong (649–683), Wu Zetian (as empress regnant, establishing Zhou interregnum), Emperor Zhongzong (restored, 705–710), Emperor Ruizong (710–712), Emperor Xuanzong (712–756), Emperor Suzong (756–762), Emperor Daizong (762–779), Emperor Dezong (779–805), Emperor Shunzong (805), Emperor Xianzong (805–820), Emperor Muzong (820–824), Emperor Jingzong (824–827), Emperor Wenzong (827–840), Emperor Wuzong (840–846), Emperor Xuanzong (later), Emperor Yizong (859–873), Emperor Xizong (873–888), and Emperor Zhaozong (888–904), concluding with figures tied to the endgame such as Emperor Ai (904–907). Succession often reflected interventions by court eunuchs, regional governors like An Lushan and Li Maozhen, and commanders of jiedushi circuits.
Under Emperor Taizong of Tang, Tang consolidated control after campaigns against Xue Ju and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, implementing reforms promoted by chancellors including Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling. Emperor Gaozong of Tang presided with heavy influence from Empress Wu Zetian, whose later usurpation created the Zhou interlude and reforms affecting imperial examinations and Buddhist patronage. The apex under Emperor Xuanzong of Tang saw administrative peaks, patronage of Li Bai and Du Fu, and expansion involving Gokturk and Nanzhao contacts before the An Lushan Rebellion destabilized central power. Post-rebellion emperors like Emperor Suzong of Tang and Emperor Daizong of Tang contended with powerful jiedushi such as Guo Ziyi and An Lushan's successors, while later sovereigns like Emperor Dezong of Tang sought fiscal and military recalibration through measures debated by officials like Lu Zhi.
Tang court institutions included the Three Departments and Six Ministries, the imperial examinations, the Censorate, and ritual offices connected to Taizi ceremonies and Ancestral temple worship. Cultural patronage fostered ties with poets Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei, calligraphers such as Ouyang Xun, and painters influenced by Dunhuang and Chang'an ateliers. Religious syncretism involved temples of Buddhism, Nestorianism, and Manichaeism introduced via contacts with Silk Road polities, while ceremonial codification drew on the Tang legal code and precedents from Zhou ritual manuals. Court music and dance featured troupes from Goguryeo, Silla, and Yue performers.
Tang emperors negotiated power with aristocratic clans like the Zheng clan, influential court eunuchs including Liu Hongyi-era figures and later eunuchs who became kingmakers, and the scholar-official class exemplified by Wei Zheng, Li Yifu, and Yao Chong. Eunuch-controlled palace guard units and figures such as Zhang Yanshang affected succession outcomes and interventions in reigns like Emperor Wenzong of Tang's. The bureaucracy was staffed via imperial examinations producing jinshi such as Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, while regional militarized magnates—zhifu governors and jiedushi like Li Baochen—reshaped center–periphery relations, producing recurring conflicts illustrated by uprisings of An Lushan and the rise of warlords such as Zhu Quanzhong.
Campaigns under Tang emperors confronted entities like the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Tubo, Nanzhao, Goguryeo, and Khitan. Notable generals included Li Shiji, Li Jing, and Guo Ziyi who led expeditions restoring order after the An Lushan Rebellion. Frontier policy relied on the fubing militia system early on and later shifted to reliance on professional jiedushi forces and mercenaries, affecting responses to incursions by Tatar and Uighur groups and engagements in the Tarim Basin for control of Silk Road trade routes.
Decline accelerated after the mid-9th century with fiscal strain, peasant uprisings such as those led by Huang Chao, eunuch dominance, and the ascendancy of warlords including Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong), culminating in the abdication of Emperor Ai of Tang and the founding of Later Liang in 907. Tang emperors left a legacy visible in legal frameworks like the Tang Code, cultural achievements preserved in Dunhuang manuscripts, the diffusion of Buddhist art, and administrative models adopted by Koryo and Nara Japan. Their reigns influenced subsequent dynasties including the Song dynasty and served as templates for bureaucracy, ritual, and imperial ideology across East Asia.