Emperor Xuānzong

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Li Chen
Reign	846 - 859
Predecessor	Emperor Wuzong
Successor	Emperor Yizong
Spouse	Empress Yuanzhao
Issue
11 sons and 11 daughters
Era dates
Daizhong 大中 (847-860)
Posthumous name
Emperor Yuanshen Zeming Chengwu Xiangwen Ruize Jianren Shenchung Yidao Daxiao 元聖至明成武獻文睿智章仁神聰懿道大孝皇帝
Temple name
Xuanzong 宣宗
Dynasty	Tang
Father	Emperor Xianzong
Mother	Empress Xiaoming
Born	810
Died	859 (aged 49)
Burial	Zhenling

Emperor Xuānzong 唐宣宗 (810–859, reigned 846–859) was a later emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. Personally named Li Chen (李忱) and known as Prince Guang, he was one of the most revolutionary rulers in Chinese history and is considered the last capable emperor of the Tang dynasty. Succeeding emperors after Xuānzong would either be too young or be dominated by corrupt officials. He was the 13th son of Emperor Xianzong (r.806-820) and the uncle of the previous three emperors, Jingzhong, Wenzong and Wuzong.

To distinguish him from his similarly named ancestor Emperor Xuanzong, Xuānzong is occasionally referred to as Xuanzong II in western sources; in Chinese, however, their names clearly distinct and this device is not used.

Reign

Xuānzong was born into an era where there were constant palace intrigues as well as plots being hatched in secrecy. His mother was not of imperial origin but rather a maid of the Empress Guo however after Xianzong died in 820, his mother was elevated to the rank of Concubine Dowager and Xuānzong given the title of Prince Guang. In order to escape the power struggle, legend has it that he entered a Taoist monastery in his early years. Corrupt officials existed on all levels of government and held sway over the central government. His three nephews before him were dominated by those powerful officials and he was able to stay on the throne largely as a result of the support from the corrupt officials. Xuānzong himself was designated the successor of Emperor Wuzong by corrupt officials only because he was the uncle of Emperor Wenzong and Wuzong and the corrupt officials had hoped to easily control Xuānzong if he was not interested in ruling or shied away from his responsibility. Aware of this fact, Xuānzong pretended to play along and skillfully navigated the course to become emperor in 846. Once on the throne, he immediately began to set forth reforms to salvage the dynasty. He contributed to Chinese cultural and technological advancements in various ways. During his reign the Uyghur empire disintegrated. He helped to centralize the faltering Tang government. Xuanzong also revived the Buddhist religion, helping the Buddhist leaders recover from the persecution they had faced under the previous emperor, Wuzong. Also during Xuanzong's rule, the first advances in chemistry began. Chinese chemists first experimented with fireworks.

Death and legacy

Xuānzong died in 859 at the age of fifty. The success of his reign has been compared to one of his most illustrious predecessors Emperor Taizong of Tang - only on a much smaller scale. In spite of his achievements, succeeding Tang emperors would not be able to revive the dynasty and it quickly fell into disarray once again as political infighting and palace intrigues continued. In the winter of 859, peasant rebellion broke out which would eventually involve over 500,000 peasants. The Tang dynasty would collapse less than fifty years after Xuānzong's death.

Personal information

• Father
  • Emperor Xianzong of Tang
• Mother
  • Consort Zheng, posthumously honored as Empress Xiaoming

• Wife
  • Empress Chao (晁皇后), formally Empress Yuanzhao (元昭皇后)
• Children

唐宣宗有十二子，元昭太后生懿宗，其他王子的母親資料已失。

Can Anybody Tell Me Who Xuanzong's successor Yizong is out of these sons. The first one is not Li Cui.

• • Li Mei (李渼), initially the Prince of Ya (created ?), later the Crown Prince (created 846, d. 852)
  • Li Jing (李泾)，the Prince of Ya (created 846)
  • Li Zi (李滋), the Prince of Kui (created 846)
  • Li Yi (李沂), the Prince of Qing (created 846)
  • Li Ze (李澤), the Prince of Pu (created ?)
  • Li Run (李潤), the Prince of E (created 851, d. 876)
  • Li Qia (李洽), the Prince of Huai (created 854)
  • Li Rui (李汭), the Prince of Zhao (乾符三年薨。)
  • Li Wen (李汶), the Prince of Kang (d. 877)
  • Li Yong (李澭), the Prince of Guang (d. 877)
  • Li Guan (李灌), the Prince of Wei (大中十四年薨。)
  • Princess Wanshou (萬壽公主) (下嫁郑颢)
  • Princess Yongfu (永福公主)
  • 齐国恭怀公主（先封为西华公主，下嫁严祁）
  • Princess Guangde (廣德公主) (下嫁-{于}-琮)
  • Princess Yihe (義和公主)
  • Princess Raoan (饒安公主)
  • Princess Shengtang (盛唐公主)
  • Princess Pingyuan (平原公主) (薨于咸通年间)
  • Princess Tangyang (唐陽公主)
  • 许昌庄肃公主（下嫁柳陟，薨于中和年间）
  • Princess Fengyang (豐陽公主)

Ancestry

In fiction

Played by Moses Chan, a fictionalized version of Xuanzong was portrayed in 2009 Hong Kong's TVB television series, Beyond the Realm of Conscience.

Notes and references

• 任士英 (2005) 正說唐朝二十一帝 Taipei (台北): 聯經. ISBN 978-957-08-2943-3

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