Top 10 Remarquable Facts About Emperor Taizong of Tang

TangTaizongP. Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Remarquable Facts About Emperor Taizong of Tang

Taizong was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). He ruled from 626 to 649. After he died, his ninth son, Li Zhi, took the throne as Emperor Gaozong.

He is thought to be one of the great emperors because he expanded the Tang Empire and the government stabilized during his reign of 23 years.

Under his rule, the territory of the Tang Empire expanded and prospered. His reign was known as the “Reign of Zhenguan” which was considered a prosperous era.

1. Taizong was the son of the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty

Standing Portrait of Emperor Tang Taizong. Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons

Emperor Taizong of Tang was born on January 28, 598 in Wugong, China. He was also known as Li Shimin which was his original and birth name.

Taizong was the son of the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Gaozu (r. 618-626 CE), and had served under him as a general in overthrowing the rule of the corrupt Sui Dynasty (589-618 CE).

 Taizong was passed over for succession in favor of his older brother but staged a coup in which he murdered his brother and other siblings to seize the throne and imperial power.

He proved himself such an effective ruler that these crimes were forgiven and he reigned successfully until his death when he was succeeded by his son, Gaozong (r. 649-683 CE), and then his former concubine Wu Zetian (r. 683-704 CE), the only female monarch in China’s history, who learned her skills as empress from Taizong.

 He was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty and is considered one of the greatest rulers in Chinese history for his reforms of the government and the laws, his religious tolerance, and the prosperity China enjoyed under his reign.

Taizong set the standard for rulers of the Tang Dynasty, regarded as the Golden Age of Chinese history, in which his successors were measured.

2. Li-Shimin Becomes Qin Wang

Emperor Taizong. Photo by Yan Liben – Wikimedia Commons

In the final years, the last emperors of the Sui drained the imperial treasury on military campaigns while ignoring the needs of the people. Li-Yuan joined with other rebels to lead a revolt that overthrew the Sui Dynasty and established himself as Gaozu, the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

According to Taizong’s later personal history, he was instrumental in the most important aspects of the Tang victory by providing the tactics for his father.

Taizong was a brilliant strategist and charismatic leader whose contributions to the overthrow of the Sui were rewarded when his father named him Qinguogong, a vassal of the state, and later Qin Wang, Duke of the state of Qin.

3. He took the name Taizon, once he was emperor

Taizong1. Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons

Once he was emperor, he took the name Taizon, had his opponents executed, and then used the concept of ancestor worship to his advantage and declared that all those who had been killed were now his celestial advisors.

Taizon had shown himself to be such an effective general and statesman under his father’s administration that no one challenged him once he took control.

4. In Taizong’s Reign, he created the History Commission to chronicle the Sui Dynasty’s rise and fall

Illustration of Byzantine embassy to Tang Taizong 643 CE. Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons

One of the first things Taizon did was to create the History Commission to chronicle the Sui Dynasty’s rise and fall and how he, Taizong, had founded the Tang Dynasty. In Taizong’s version of history, he had been the power behind his father all along.

 He then dedicated himself to proving his account by becoming a greater emperor than his father. By 630 CE he had defeated the Goturks and taken back control of territories they had seized.

As a security measure, he banned all unauthorized foreign travel to limit the possibility of spies in the country. How effective this ban was is not known but the famous Buddhist monk and travel writer Xuanzang (602-664 CE) writes about how many checkpoints there were along the borders and how he had to talk his way past the guards at the Yumen pass on his way to India.

Taizong was a devout Buddhist & believed all faiths should be able to live together peacefully.

In 634 CE Taizong signed a peace treaty with Tibet and gave the Tibetan king his adopted daughter as a bride. Religious tolerance and diversity in China flourished under Taizong’s reign. Buddhism became widely practiced, surpassing Confucianism and curbing the popularity of Taoism.

 Taizong allowed the Christian missionary Alopen to preach his religion in China in 635 CE, introducing Christian concepts to the country and in 638 CE a Persian mission was allowed to establish Zoroastrian groups.

5. Wu Zhao became Taizong’s constant companion at court and was involved in all of the meetings and conferences the emperor held with his counselors and foreign dignitaries.

Emperor Taizong Horse Relief, Saluzi, 636-649 CE Tang Dynasty, Shaanxi Province, China Penn Museum. Photo by Mary Harrsch – Wikimedia Commons

Taizong called her Mei-Niang, a “beautiful girl” and kept her in attendance during all his business transactions as well as his leisure time. Wu Zhao was a keen observer who absorbed everything she experienced during these meetings and learned the skills Taizong used to govern so effectively.

She was clever and intelligent but also beautiful and she attracted the attention of many men at court. One of these men was Li Zhi, Taizong’s son, who was already married at the time but fell deeply in love with Wu Zhao. She began an affair with him while still holding her position as Taizong’s favorite concubine.

6. His military campaigns were carried out primarily between 640-649 CE

Emperor Taizong. Photo by Yan Liben – Wikimedia Commons

Taizong’s military campaigns were carried out primarily between 640-649 CE against the so-called Oasis States of the Goturks. Taizong understood that a professional military force was necessary for the defense and also for the expansion of his realm. Historian Justin Wintle writes:

Under Taizong, a total of 600 militia units were formed consisting of between 800 and 1200 men. Militiamen, exempted from taxes, might serve either on short-term secondments to the capital or at border garrisons or in their provinces.

They were overseen by a professional corps of officers, rotated around the empire to preclude the possibility of their forming personal power bases. The Tang also maintained a standing force, the elite “Northern Army”, barracked outside the capital.

These and related measures were costly, but for 150 years they paid for themselves by enabling the empire to expand commercially as well as territorially without the distractions of internal revolt.

7. Taizong sent his army against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate in the Tarim Basin

Emperor Taizong Horse Relief, Quanmaogua limestone 636-649 CE Tang Dynasty Shaanxi Province China Penn Museum. Photo by Mary Harrsch – Wikimedia Commons

Taizong sent his army against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate in the Tarim Basin after diplomatic measures failed. Originally, relations between the Tang Dynasty and the cityof Gaochang had been warm.

The king of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, visited Taizon at  Changán in 630 CE but a dispute arose between Gaochang and a neighboring town of Yanqi which erupted into hostilities and caused Taizong to declare war.

8. The road was closed by Taizong to prevent its use by spies or rebels

Calligraphy of Emperor Tang Taizong. Photo by Tang Taizong – Wikimedia Commons

The town of Yanqi was on a trade road that wound through the desert to important centers in China. The road was closed by Taizon to prevent its use by spies or rebels and the merchants from Yanqi had to travel through Gaochang to reach China.

These merchants began trading in Gaochang instead of making the long journey into China. The king of Yanqi, Long Tuqizhi, sent an emissary to Taizong requesting the road be re-opened because his merchants were not getting the kinds of prices for their goods in Gaochang that they used to in Changán.

Taizong agreed to the request and the road was re-opened but this angered Gaochang who attacked Yanqi. King Qu Wentai of Gaochang then allied himself with tribes hostile to the Tang Dynasty and raided further Yanqi settlements, destroying towns, and capturing citizens for ransom or sale as slaves.

9. Taizong then annexed the territories and garrisoned them with troops

Tang Emperor Taizong gives an audience to Gar Tongtsen Yulsung, the ambassador of Tibet. Photo by Yan Liben – Wikimedia Commons

Taizong sent an emissary to Gaochang asking Qu Wentai to send an emissary in return to discuss the situation. Instead of honoring Taizong by sending the emissary specifically requested, Qu sent a lower official and entered into further treaties with cities hostile to Tang rule. In 640 CE, Taizong sent his general Hou Junji to break the power of Gaochang and force Qu Wentai to obey Tang edicts.

When Qu Wentai heard that the great Tang army was marching on his city he died, most likely from a heart attack. His son Qu Zhisheng succeeded him and quickly wrote to General Hou apologizing for Gaochang’s past behavior and promising better relations in the future. Hou Junji rejected this appeal and demanded that Qu Zhisheng surrender unconditionally. Qu Zhisheng refused and General Hou attacked Gaochang.

The army of Qu Zhisheng was no match for the highly trained Tang army and the city fell quickly. Taizong then annexed the territories and garrisoned them with troops. The problems with Gaochang were solved but now the Yanqi allied themselves with the Western Turkic Khaganate and declared themselves hostile to Tang interests in c. 644 CE.

10. Taizong’s died in 649 CE and was buried with great ceremony in his home province in a tomb known as the Zhao Mausoleum

This depicts Emperor Taizong of Tang (唐太宗). Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons

Taizong contracted dysentery and died in 649 CE. He was buried with great ceremony in his home province in a tomb known as the Zhao Mausoleum. Li Zhi succeeded him as emperor and took the name Gaozong. Gaozong would have to continue his father’s wars in the Tarim Basin as the Turks revolted and the Tang army was sent to put the rebellions down. Following Taizong’s death, all of his concubines had their heads shaved and were sent to live out the rest of their lives in a monastery.