Emperor Zhaozong of Tang

Emperor Zhaozong of Tang
唐昭宗
Emperor of the Tang dynasty
ReignApril 20, 888[1][2] – December 1, 900[1][3]
PredecessorEmperor Xizong
SuccessorEmperor Ai
ReignJanuary 24, 901[1][3] – September 22, 904
BornLi Jie
March 31, 867[1][4]
DiedSeptember 22, 904 (aged 37)[1][5]
Burial
He Mausoleum (和陵)
ConsortsEmpress Xuanmu (m. –904)
IssueSee § Family
Full name
Era dates
Lóngjì (龍紀) 889
Dàshùn (大順) 890–891
Jǐngfú (景福) 892–893
Qíanníng (乾寧) 894–898
Guānghùa (光化) 898–901
Tiānfù (天復) 901–904
Tiānyòu (天佑) 904
Posthumous name
Emperor Shèngmù Jǐngwén Xìao
(聖穆景文孝皇帝) (commonly known)
Emperor Gōnglíng Zhuāngmǐn Xiào
(恭靈莊閔孝皇帝) (used from 905 to ~923)
Temple name
Zhāozōng (昭宗) (commonly known)
Xiāngzōng (襄宗) (used from 905 to ~923)
HouseLi
DynastyTang
FatherEmperor Yizong
MotherEmpress Gongxian
Tang Zhaozong
Chinese
Literal meaning"Manifest Ancestor of the Tang"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTáng Zhāozōng
Wade–GilesT'ang Chao-tsung
Li Jie
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Jíe
Wade–GilesLi Chieh
Li Min
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Mǐn
Wade–GilesLi Min
Li Ye
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Yè
Wade–GilesLi Yeh

Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (March 31, 867 – September 22, 904), né Li Jie, name later changed to Li Min and again to Li Ye, was the penultimate emperor of China's Tang dynasty. He reigned from 888 to 904 (although he was briefly deposed by the eunuch Liu Jishu in 900 and restored in 901). Emperor Zhaozong was the seventh son of Emperor Yizong and younger brother of Emperor Xizong. Later, Li Jie was murdered by Zhu Wen, who would later become the founding emperor of the Later Liang dynasty.

During Emperor Zhaozong's reign, the Tang dynasty fell into total disarray and rebellions, which had been ongoing since the reign of his older brother, Emperor Xizong, as they erupted throughout the country while the imperial government's authority effectively disappeared. In the midst of all this, Emperor Zhaozong tried to salvage the dying dynasty. However, his efforts to reassert imperial power generally backfired, as his unsuccessful campaigns against Li Keyong, Chen Jingxuan, and Li Maozhen, merely allowed them to re-affirm their power. Eventually, the major warlord Zhu Wen seized control of the imperial government and in 904 had Emperor Zhaozong killed as the prelude of taking over the Tang throne. Zhu also killed many of Emperor Zhaozong's ministers, including the chancellor, Cui Yin. Zhu then placed Zhaozong's 13-year-old son as a puppet emperor (as Emperor Ai). By 907, Zhu himself took over the throne, ending the Tang dynasty and establishing a new Later Liang dynasty. Emperor Zhaozong's reign lasted almost 16 years and he was buried in the He Mausoleum (和陵). He was 37.