| Emperor Xianzong of Tang 唐憲宗 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Emperor of the Tang dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | September 5, 805[1][2] – February 14, 820[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Shunzong | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Muzong | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 March to 1 April 778[4][5] | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | February 14, 820[3][6] (aged 41) | ||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Jing Mausoleum (景陵) | ||||||||||||||||
| Consorts | Empress Yi'an (m. 793–820) Empress Xiaoming (m. –820) | ||||||||||||||||
| Issue | Li Ning Li Yun Emperor Muzong Li Cong Li Xin Li Wu Li Ke Li Jing Li Yue Li Xun Li Yi Li Yin Emperor Xuanzong Li Xie Li Dan Li Chong Li Zhui Li Ti Li Tan Li Ce Princess Lianghuikang Princess Yongjia Princess Xuancheng Princess Zhengwenyi Princess Qiyang Zhuangshu Princess Chenliu Princess Zhenning Princess Nankang Princess Linzhen Princess Zhenyuan Princess Yongshun Princess Anping Princess Yong'an Princess Ding'an | ||||||||||||||||
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| House | Li | ||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Tang | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Emperor Shunzong | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Zhuangxian | ||||||||||||||||
| Tang Xianzong | |||||||
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| Chinese | 唐憲宗 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | "Constitutional Ancestor of the Tang" | ||||||
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| Li Chun | |||||||
| Chinese | 李純 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | (personal name) | ||||||
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Emperor Xianzong of Tang (4 March to 1 April 778[4][5] – 14 February 820;[3] r. 805 – 820), personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (李淳), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzong, who reigned for less than a year in 805 and who yielded the throne to him late that year.
Once emperor, Emperor Xianzong set out to curb the power of the military governors (Jiedushi), and, when they would not heed his orders, he waged wars against them. His initial campaigns were quite successful, and Xianzong's army defeated warlords such as Liu Pi, Yang Huilin (楊惠琳) in 806 and Li Qi in 807. In 813, after the submission of one of the key holdouts, Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) under Tian Xing, Emperor Xianzong appeared poised to reunite the empire, many parts of which had effectively been ruled independently by regional warlords. Xianzong's first setback was in 813 when he failed to defeat military governor Wang Chengzong. However, by 817, after the defeat of Li Shidao and Wang's submission, all of the empire was under imperial authority again. Later historians referred to Emperor Xianzong's reign as the Yuanhe Restoration (元和中興).[10]
Emperor Xianzong's reign briefly stabilized Tang from the destructive forces of the military governors, but saw the rise of the power of eunuchs. Emperor Xianzong himself was allegedly murdered by the eunuch Chen Hongzhi (陳弘志) in 820. (There were nagging suspicions, never proven, that Xianzong's wife Consort Guo and her son Li Heng (the later Emperor Muzong) were involved.)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
startreignwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 236.
- ^ a b c Volume 241 of the Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Xianzong died suddenly on the gengzi day of the 1st month of the 15th year of the Yuanhe era of his reign. This corresponds to 14 Feb 820 in the Gregorian calendar. Xianzong's biography in the Old Book of Tang added that he died in the evening, aged 43 (by East Asian reckoning).[(元和十五年正月)庚子，暴崩于中和殿。] Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 241
- ^ a b Old Book of Tang, vol. 14.
- ^ a b According to Xianzong's biography in the Old Book of Tang, he was born in the 2nd month of the 13th year of the Dali era of Tang Daizong's reign. This corresponds to 4 Mar to 1 Apr 778 in the Gregorian calendar. (大历十三年二月生于长安之东内) Old Book of Tang, vol. 14.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 241.
- ^ Volume 237 of the Zizhi Tongjian recorded that the Yuanhe era was proclaimed on the dingmao day of the 1st month of the 1st year of the Yuanhe era of Xianzong's reign. This corresponds to 25 Jan 806 in the Gregorian calendar. [(元和元年正月)丁卯，...，改元。] Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 237
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 237.
- ^ Volume 241 of the Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Xianzong died suddenly on the gengzi day of the 1st month of the 15th year of the Yuanhe era of his reign. This corresponds to 14 Feb 820 in the Gregorian calendar. [(元和十五年正月)庚子，暴崩于中和殿。] Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 241
- ^ E.g., Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 57, preface.