| Emperor Wuzong of Tang (Li Chan) | |
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| Reign | February 20, 840[1][2]-April 22, 846 |
| Predecessor | Emperor Wenzong |
| Successor | Emperor Xuānzong |
| Issue | |
| Five sons and seven daughters | |
| Era name and dates | |
| Huìchāng (會昌): January 27, 841[1][3]-January 21, 847[1][4] | |
| Posthumous name | |
| Emperor Zedao Zhaosui Xiao 至道昭肅孝皇帝 | |
| Temple name | |
| Wuzong 武宗 | |
| Dynasty | Tang |
| Father | Emperor Muzong |
| Mother | Empress Xuanyi |
| Born | July 2, 814[1][2] |
| Died | April 22, 846[1][2] (age 31) |
| Burial | Duanling |
| Religion | Taoism |
Emperor Wuzong of Tang (唐武宗) (July 2, 814–April 22, 846), né Li Chan (李瀍), later changed to Li Yan (李炎) just before his death, was the fifteenth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 840 to 846. Wuzong is remembered mainly for the religious persecution that occurred during his reign.
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Political crisis
Emperor Wuzong ascended to the throne in a time of economic and political crisis. Military eunuchs had controlled the government for some time. They had put the previous emperor, Emperor Wuzong's older brother Emperor Wenzong, under house arrest, where he apparently drank himself to death. The eunuchs had also murdered the last two emperors before him, Emperor Jingzong and Emperor Muzong. Meanwhile, the Uyghur Khanate was attacking China from the northwest. Imperial finances were in trouble as most provinces were not paying any taxes to the central government. Emperor Wuzong took the throne with the support of the powerful eunuchs Qiu Shiliang and Yu Hongzhi (魚弘志), but, upon taking the throne, became assertive in his governance and entrusted the governance to the chancellor Li Deyu. Li Deyu oversaw the war against the Uyghurs and won an important victory in 843.
Religious persecution
Wuzong's solution to the financial crisis was to seize the property of Buddhist monasteries. Buddhism had flourished into a major religious force in China during the Tang period, and its monasteries enjoyed tax-exempt status. Wuzong confiscated their property, destroyed 4,600 Buddhist temples and 40,000 shrines, and removed 260,500 monks and nuns from the laity.[5] However, Wuzong's reasons for doing so were not purely economic. A zealous Taoist, Wuzong considered Buddhism a foreign religion that was harmful to Chinese society. He went after other foreign religions as well. He all but destroyed Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism in China, and his persecution of the growing Nestorian Christian churches sent Chinese Christianity into a decline from which it never recovered. At the same time, Wuzong went far to promote Taoist worship in China through religious regulations and the construction of the Temple for Viewing Immortals in the Imperial court.
Tang Wuzong was one of the last Tang emperors and ruled China during a long period of decline; despite his reforms, he was unable to revive the empire through his religious persecutions. After his death, with the help of his uncle Emperor Xuanzong, Buddhism was able to recover from the persecution; but Christianity, Manichaeism, and Zoroastrianism never again played as significant a role in Chinese religious life.
Chancellors during reign
- Yang Sifu (840)
- Li Jue (840)
- Cui Dan (840-841)
- Cui Gong (840-843)
- Li Deyu (840-846)
- Chen Yixing (841-842)
- Li Shen (842-844)
- Li Rangyi (842-846)
- Cui Xuan (843-845)
- Du Cong (844-845)
- Li Hui (845-846)
- Zheng Su (845-846)
Personal information
- Father
- Mother
- Consort Wei, posthumously honored Empress Xuanyi (honored 840)
- Major Concubines
- Consort Wang (committed suicide 846)
- Children
- Li Jun (李峻), the Prince of Qi (created 840)
- Li Xian (李峴), the Prince of Yi (created 842)
- Li Qi (李岐), the Prince of Yan (created 842)
- Li Yi (李嶧), the Prince of De (created 842)
- Li Cuo (李嵯), the Prince of Chang (created 842)
- Princess Changle
- Princess Shouchun
- Princess Changning
- Princess Yanqing
- Princess Jingle
- Princess Lewen
- Princess Yongqing
References
- ^ a b c d e Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.
- ^ a b c Book of Tang, vol. 18, part 1.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 246.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 248.
- ^ Buddhism. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved November 26, 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition
See also
- Buddhism in China
- Christianity in China
- Islam in China
- Persecution of Buddhists
- Persecution of Christians
- Persecution of Muslims
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Emperor Wenzong |
Emperor of Tang China 840–846 |
Succeeded by Emperor Xuānzong |
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