Li Rong (prince)

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Li Rong (李溶) (812-February 12, 840), [1] [2] formally the Prince of An (安王), was an imperial prince of the Chinese Tang dynasty, being a son of Emperor Muzong.

History of China Account of past events in the Chinese civilisation

The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty, during the king Wu Ding's reign, who was recorded as the twenty-first Shang king by the written records of Shang dynasty unearthed. Ancient historical texts such as the Records of the Grand Historian and the Bamboo Annals describe a Xia dynasty before the Shang, but no writing is known from the period, and Shang writings do not indicate the existence of the Xia. The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River. These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations, and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

Tang dynasty State in Chinese history

The Tang dynasty or the Tang Empire was an imperial dynasty of China spanning the 7th to 10th centuries. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. The Tang capital at Chang'an was the most populous city in the world in its day.

Emperor Muzong of Tang emperor of the Tang Dynasty

Emperor Muzong of Tang, personal name Li Heng, né Li You (李宥), was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 820 to 824. Emperor Muzong was the son of Emperor Xianzong. He was created crown prince in 812 during the reign of Emperor Xianzong and, after Emperor Xianzong was allegedly assassinated by a eunuch, Li Heng was proclaimed emperor in 820.

Contents

Background

Li Rong was born on 812 or 813. He was the eighth son of Emperor Muzong, while his mother was an imperial consort surnamed Yang that outlived his father. [2] [3] [4] In 821, when Emperor Muzong created his sons, as well as a number of younger brothers who had not been created titles, imperial princes, Li Rong was created the Prince of An. [5] In 834, by which time another older brother, Emperor Wenzong was emperor, Li Rong was given the honorific title Kaifu Yitong Sansi (開府儀同三司). Early in Emperor Wenzong's Kaicheng era (836-840), Emperor Wenzong ordered that monthly stipends be given to both Li Rong and Li Chan (who was then the Prince of Ying), [6] and it was said that Emperor Wenzong often treated both him and Li Chan well and more special than other imperial princes. [7]

Emperor Wenzong of Tang emperor of the Tang Dynasty

Emperor Wenzong of Tang (809–840), personal name Li Ang, né Li Han (李涵), was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 827 to 840. Emperor Wenzong was the second son of Emperor Muzong and younger brother of Emperor Jingzong. A rare occurrence in Chinese history, Emperor Wenzong, along with his elder brother Emperor Jingzong and younger brother Emperor Wuzong, reigned in succession.

Consideration as Emperor Wenzong's successor

In 838, Emperor Wenzong's only son and crown prince Li Yong died [7] — probably murdered by household servants. [8] After Li Yong's death, in 839, Emperor Wenzong's concubine Consort Yang recommended Li Rong as crown prince. (Li Chan, after he became emperor (as Emperor Wuzong), would state that it was his belief that Li Rong flattered Consort Yang, and that Li Rong's candidacy was supported by the chancellor Yang Sifu (who might have been Consort Yang's nephew) and the eunuch Liu Hongyi (劉弘逸), with Yang Sifu's having an eye toward having Consort Yang becoming empress dowager and regent. It is not known whether Li Chan's beliefs were correct.) When Emperor Wenzong consulted the chancellors, however, Li Jue opposed Li Rong's candidacy. Emperor Wenzong thereafter created his older brother Emperor Jingzong's youngest son Li Chengmei the Prince of Chen crown prince. [7]

Crown prince heir to the throne

A crown prince is the male heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. Its female form is crown princess, which may refer either to an heir apparent or, especially in earlier times, the wife of the person styled crown prince.

Li Yong (李永), formally Crown Prince Zhuangke (莊恪太子), was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of Emperor Wenzong.

Consort Yang, imperial consort rank Xianfei, was an imperial consort of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was a concubine of Emperor Wenzong who became involved in the selection process of his heir and who died as a result of her involvement.

Death

In spring 840, Emperor Wenzong became seriously ill. He summoned Liu Hongyi and another eunuch, Xue Jileng (薛季稜), and asked them to summon Yang Sifu and Li Jue to the palace, ready to entrust Li Chengmei to them. However, the eunuch army commanders Qiu Shiliang and Yu Hongzhi (魚弘志), hoping to receive credit for supporting a new emperor, opposed Li Chengmei, arguing that Li Chengmei was too young and too sickly. Li Jue tried to stop them, but Qiu and Yu went ahead and issued an edict in Emperor Wenzong's name demoting Li Chengmei back to the Prince of Chen and creating Li Chan crown prince instead. After Emperor Wenzong soon died, Qiu persuaded Li Chan, who had not yet taken the throne and was still using his title of crown prince, to order Consort Yang, Li Rong, and Li Chengmei to commit suicide. [7]

Qiu Shiliang (仇士良), courtesy name Kuangmei (匡美), formally the Duke of Chu (楚公), was an eunuch official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, becoming particularly powerful after the Ganlu Incident — an event in which Emperor Wenzong tried, but failed, to seize power back from powerful eunuchs by slaughtering them.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ http://dbo.sinica.edu.tw/ftms-bin/kiwi1/luso.sh?lstype=2&dyna=%AD%F0&king=%A4%E5%A9v&reign=%B6%7D%A6%A8&yy=5&ycanzi=&mm=1&dd=&dcanzi=%AC%D1%A5%BC%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  2. 1 2 The Epitaph of Prince An
  3. ↑ New Book of Tang , vol. 82.
  4. ↑ Li Rong's biography in the Old Book of Tang actually indicated that his mother was Consort Yang with the imperial consort rank title Xianfei (賢妃), but the assertion appeared to be a confusion with Consort Yang, a concubine of his brother Emperor Wenzong who was a proponent for his being made crown prince. The New Book of Tang indicated that his mother's identity was unknown. Compare Old Book of Tang, vol. 175 with New Book of Tang, vol. 82.
  5. ↑ Zizhi Tongjian , vol. 241.
  6. ↑ Old Book of Tang, vol. 175.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 246.
  8. ↑ Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 59 [838].

The Old Book of Tang, or simply the Book of Tang, is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, it was superseded by the New Book of Tang which was compiled in the Song dynasty, but later regained acceptance.

The New Book of Tang, generally translated as "New History of the Tang", or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the Song dynasty, led by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi.

<i>Zizhi Tongjian</i> A chronicle Chinese history by Northern-Song historian Sima Guang

The Zizhi Tongjian is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 in the form of a chronicle. In 1065 AD, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the compilation of a universal history of China. The task took 19 years to be completed, and, in 1084 AD, it was presented to his successor Emperor Shenzong of Song. The Zizhi Tongjian records Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning across almost 1,400 years, and contains 294 volumes (卷) and about 3 million Chinese characters.

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