Incident at Xuanwu Gate
Encyclopedia
The Incident at Xuanwu Gate (玄武門之變) refers to an incident on July 2, 626, when Li Shimin
the Prince of Qin, a son of Emperor Gaozu of Tang
(the founding emperor of China's
Tang Dynasty
), in an intense rivalry with his older brother Li Jiancheng
the Crown Prince
and fearing that Li Jiancheng was about to kill him, set an ambush at Xuanwu Gate, the gate leading to Emperor Gaozu's palace, and killed Li Jiancheng and a younger brother, Li Yuanji
the Prince of Qi, who had supported Li Jiancheng. He then sent forces into Emperor Gaozu's palace. Emperor Gaozu, under intimidation, installed him as crown prince, and two months later passed the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).
and his wife, Duchess Dou (who had died prior to his founding of the Tang Dynasty and becoming emperor in 618 and whom he had posthumously honored as an empress) had four sons, Li Jiancheng
, Li Shimin
, Li Yuanji
and Li Yuanba (李元霸, who died in 614). After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng, as the oldest son, was created crown prince
, but while he was a capable general himself, he was overshadowed by Li Shimin, who had been the one who persuaded Emperor Gaozu to rebel against Emperor Yang of Sui
in the first place, and who had defeated four of Tang's most powerful competitors -- Xue Rengao
the Emperor of Qin, Liu Wuzhou
the Dingyang Khan, Dou Jiande
the Prince of Xia, and Wang Shichong
the Emperor of Zheng. Emperor Gaozu gave these three sons plenary powers, and within the Tang capital Chang'an
, it was said that the orders of the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qin (Li Shimin), and the Prince of Qi (Li Yuanji) carried equal weight as the emperor's edicts. Traditional histories indicated that because of Li Shimin's contributions, at various times, Emperor Gaozu considered replacing Li Jiancheng with him, but eventually did not, as Li Jiancheng was supported by Li Yuanji and Emperor Gaozu's favorite concubines.
As the years passed, the rivalry between the brothers intensified, and their respective staff members advised each of them to act first against the other. At one point, when Li Shimin visited Li Yuanji's mansion, Li Yuanji wanted to assassinate him, but Li Jiancheng, not willing to do so, stopped the assassination. Nevertheless, Li Jiancheng feared Li Shimin, and in 624, against Emperor Gaozu's regulations, he tried to supplement his guards with soldiers under the command of the general Li Yi
the Prince of Yan. When this was discovered, Emperor Gaozu angrily put Li Jiancheng under house arrest. Li Jiancheng's guard commander Yang Wen'gan (楊文幹), fearing that he would be punished, rebelled, and in light of Yang's rebellion, Emperor Gaozu offered Li Shimin the crown prince position and ordered him to attack Yang, who soon was killed by his subordinates. While Li Shimin was away battling with Yang, however, Li Yuanji, Feng Deyi
, and Emperor Gaozu's concubines interceded on Li Jiancheng's behalf, and Emperor Gaozu allowed Li Jiancheng to remain crown prince, while exiling his staff members Wang Gui
and Wei Ting (韋挺), and Li Shimin's staff member Du Yan
.
Li Shimin, meanwhile, was trying to persuade Emperor Gaozu to allow him to leave Chang'an and become in charge of Luoyang
, the former eastern capital of Sui Dynasty
. At one point, Emperor Gaozu agreed, but Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, fearing that Li Shimin would use Luoyang as a power base to eventually act against them, spoke against the plan, and the plan was not carried out. They further falsely accused Li Shimin of crimes, but because of intercession by the official Chen Shuda
(a brother of Chen Dynasty
's last emperor Chen Shubao
), Li Shimin was not punished. Nevertheless, wanting to reduce Li Shimin's power, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had Li Shimin's staff army officers Yuchi Jingde
and Cheng Zhijie (程知節) removed from Li Shimin's staff, as well as his strategists Fang Xuanling
and Du Ruhui
.
, Shaanxi
) under siege. Usually, Li Shimin would be sent against Eastern Tujue forces, but at Li Jiancheng's recommendation, Emperor Gaozu commissioned Li Yuanji to do so, and the troops under Li Shimin were transferred to Li Yuanji. Li Shimin, fearful that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji would use this opportunity to act against him, decided to act, particularly at the urging of his brother-in-law Zhangsun Wuji
and Yuchi Jingde. He had Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui secretly recalled to his mansion to draw the plans for action, and then one night submitted a secret accusation to Emperor Gaozu, accusing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of affairs with Emperor Gaozu's concubines and plans to kill him. Emperor Gaozu was surprised by the accusation and promised to handle Li Shimin's accusation the next day, and summoned the high level officers Pei Ji, Xiao Yu
, and Chen Shuda to prepare to act on the accusations.
The next morning, Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wuji first went to Emperor Gaozu's palace, and secretly took over the command at Xuanwu Gate -- the north gate of the palace. Meanwhile, Emperor Gaozu's concubine Consort Zhang had heard what Li Shimin had accused Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of, and secretly informed them. Li Yuanji advocated not reporting to the palace, but instead preparing troops for battle, but Li Jiancheng, while mobilizing the troops, wanted to go see Emperor Gaozu to see what the situation is, and so they proceeded toward the palace.
When Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji reached the palace, they began to sense that something was wrong, and they, on their horses, began to head back to Li Jiancheng's palace. Li Shimin personally chased them and yelled out, "Big brother!" Li Yuanji fired three arrows at Li Shimin, missing each time. Li Shimin fired an arrow at Li Jiancheng, killing him. Yuchi Jingde then arrived with 70 soldiers, and Li Yuanji fell off his horse. Li Shimin's horse was spooked and took him into a forest. Li Shimin fell off the horse and could not get up. Li Yuanji then entered the forest and tried to strangle Li Shimin with his bow, but at this point Yuchi arrived, and Li Yuanji tried to flee. Yuchi chased him down and killed him with an arrow.
Meanwhile, Li Jiancheng's guard commander Feng Li (馮立), although he heard that Li Jiancheng had died, felt that to be faithful to Li Jiancheng, he should mobilize for battle anyway, and therefore he, along with the other officers Xue Wanche (薛萬徹) and Xie Shufang (謝叔方), commanded Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's guards and headed for Xuanwu Gate, where they encountered Li Shimin's guards. Initially, they prevailed, killing Li Shimin's guard commanders Jing Junhong (敬君弘) and Lü Shiheng (呂世衡), but Yuchi Jingde then arrived and displayed the heads of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's guard corps collapsed upon seeing their heads, and Feng and Xue fled.
Meanwhile, Li Shimin sent Yuchi into the palace with guards, and Yuchi advanced all the way into Emperor Gaozu's presence. Emperor Gaozu was shocked and asked what Yuchi was doing there, and Yuchi responded:
Emperor Gaozu, realizing how serious the situation was, asked Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda for advice, and Xiao and Chen advised him to create Li Shimin crown prince to placate him. At Yuchi's request, Emperor Gaozu issued an edict ordering the remaining Crown Prince and Qi troops to stop their resistance and submit to Li Shimin. He summoned Li Shimin, whom he comforted with kind words, and Li Shimin knelt and cried. Li Shimin nevertheless had Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's sons executed, while having Emperor Gaozu issuing an order pardoning Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's staff members. Three days later, Emperor Gaozu created Li Shimin crown prince and ordered that all matters be submitted to Li Shimin for ruling. Two months later, he passed the throne to Li Shimin, who took the throne as Emperor Taizong.
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
the Prince of Qin, a son of Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
(the founding emperor of China's
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
), in an intense rivalry with his older brother Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng , formally Crown Prince Yin , nickname Pishamen , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of the founding emperor Emperor Gaozu and therefore was designated crown prince after the founding of the dynasty in 618...
the Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
and fearing that Li Jiancheng was about to kill him, set an ambush at Xuanwu Gate, the gate leading to Emperor Gaozu's palace, and killed Li Jiancheng and a younger brother, Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji , formally Prince La of Chao , more commonly known by the title of Prince of Qi , nickname Sanhu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
the Prince of Qi, who had supported Li Jiancheng. He then sent forces into Emperor Gaozu's palace. Emperor Gaozu, under intimidation, installed him as crown prince, and two months later passed the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).
Events leading up to the incident
Emperor GaozuEmperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
and his wife, Duchess Dou (who had died prior to his founding of the Tang Dynasty and becoming emperor in 618 and whom he had posthumously honored as an empress) had four sons, Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng , formally Crown Prince Yin , nickname Pishamen , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of the founding emperor Emperor Gaozu and therefore was designated crown prince after the founding of the dynasty in 618...
, Li Shimin
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
, Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji , formally Prince La of Chao , more commonly known by the title of Prince of Qi , nickname Sanhu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
and Li Yuanba (李元霸, who died in 614). After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng, as the oldest son, was created crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
, but while he was a capable general himself, he was overshadowed by Li Shimin, who had been the one who persuaded Emperor Gaozu to rebel against Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
in the first place, and who had defeated four of Tang's most powerful competitors -- Xue Rengao
Xue Rengao
Xue Rengao , also known as Xue Renguo , was an emperor of the short-lived state of Qin, established by his father Xue Ju at the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
the Emperor of Qin, Liu Wuzhou
Liu Wuzhou
Liu Wuzhou was a rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty late in the dynasty's history, and he took imperial style -- although it was not completely clear whether the title he took was khan or tianzi...
the Dingyang Khan, Dou Jiande
Dou Jiande
Dou Jiande was a leader of the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
the Prince of Xia, and Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong , courtesy name Xingman , was a general of the Chinese Sui Dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state of Zheng...
the Emperor of Zheng. Emperor Gaozu gave these three sons plenary powers, and within the Tang capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
, it was said that the orders of the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qin (Li Shimin), and the Prince of Qi (Li Yuanji) carried equal weight as the emperor's edicts. Traditional histories indicated that because of Li Shimin's contributions, at various times, Emperor Gaozu considered replacing Li Jiancheng with him, but eventually did not, as Li Jiancheng was supported by Li Yuanji and Emperor Gaozu's favorite concubines.
As the years passed, the rivalry between the brothers intensified, and their respective staff members advised each of them to act first against the other. At one point, when Li Shimin visited Li Yuanji's mansion, Li Yuanji wanted to assassinate him, but Li Jiancheng, not willing to do so, stopped the assassination. Nevertheless, Li Jiancheng feared Li Shimin, and in 624, against Emperor Gaozu's regulations, he tried to supplement his guards with soldiers under the command of the general Li Yi
Luo Yi
Luo Yi , known during service to Tang Dynasty as Li Yi , courtesy name Ziyan or Ziting , was a Sui Dynasty official who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui and occupied the modern Beijing region. He subsequently submitted to Emperor Gaozu of Tang and was created the Prince of Yan and...
the Prince of Yan. When this was discovered, Emperor Gaozu angrily put Li Jiancheng under house arrest. Li Jiancheng's guard commander Yang Wen'gan (楊文幹), fearing that he would be punished, rebelled, and in light of Yang's rebellion, Emperor Gaozu offered Li Shimin the crown prince position and ordered him to attack Yang, who soon was killed by his subordinates. While Li Shimin was away battling with Yang, however, Li Yuanji, Feng Deyi
Feng Deyi
Feng Deyi , formal name Feng Lun but went by the courtesy name of Deyi, formally initially Duke Ming of Mi , later Duke Miao of Mi , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty who served as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Gaozu of Tang and Emperor Taizong of Tang...
, and Emperor Gaozu's concubines interceded on Li Jiancheng's behalf, and Emperor Gaozu allowed Li Jiancheng to remain crown prince, while exiling his staff members Wang Gui
Wang Gui
Wang Gui , courtesy name Shujie , formally Duke Yi of Yongning , was a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang...
and Wei Ting (韋挺), and Li Shimin's staff member Du Yan
Du Yan
Du Yan , courtesy name Zhili , formally Duke Xiang of Anji , was a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang. His more famous nephew Du Ruhui was also a chancellor.- During Sui Dynasty :...
.
Li Shimin, meanwhile, was trying to persuade Emperor Gaozu to allow him to leave Chang'an and become in charge of Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, the former eastern capital of Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
. At one point, Emperor Gaozu agreed, but Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, fearing that Li Shimin would use Luoyang as a power base to eventually act against them, spoke against the plan, and the plan was not carried out. They further falsely accused Li Shimin of crimes, but because of intercession by the official Chen Shuda
Chen Shuda
Chen Shuda , courtesy name Zicong , formally initially Duke Miao of Jiang , later Duke Zhong of Jiang , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Chen Dynasty, who, after Chen's destruction, served as an official for the succeeding Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, becoming a chancellor during the...
(a brother of Chen Dynasty
Chen Dynasty
The Chen Dynasty , also known as the Southern Chen Dynasty, was the fourth and last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty....
's last emperor Chen Shubao
Chen Shubao
Chen Shubao , often known in history as Houzhu of Chen , posthumous name Duke Yang of Changcheng , courtesy name Yuanxiu , nickname Huangnu , was the last emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty...
), Li Shimin was not punished. Nevertheless, wanting to reduce Li Shimin's power, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had Li Shimin's staff army officers Yuchi Jingde
Yuchi Jingde
Yuchi Jingde , formal name Yuchi Gong but went by the courtesy name of Jingde, formally Duke Zhongwu of E , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty whose bravery later caused him to be incorporated into Chinese folk religion as a door god, along with Qin Shubao.-During Sui Dynasty:Yuchi...
and Cheng Zhijie (程知節) removed from Li Shimin's staff, as well as his strategists Fang Xuanling
Fang Xuanling
Fang Xuanling , formal name Fang Qiao but went by the courtesy name of Xuanling, formally Duke Wenzhao of Liang , was the lead editor of the Book of Jin and one of the most celebrated chancellors of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, and he and his colleague Du Ruhui, both serving during the reign...
and Du Ruhui
Du Ruhui
Du Ruhui , courtesy name Keming , formally Duke Cheng of Lai , was one of the most celebrated chancellors of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, and he and his colleague Fang Xuanling, both serving during the reign of Emperor Taizong, were often asserted to be ideal models for chancellors.- During...
.
Li Shimin's killing of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji
In summer 626, the Eastern Tujue general Ashina Yushe (阿史那郁設) had entered Tang territory and put Wucheng (烏城, in modern YulinYulin, Shaanxi
Yulin is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanxi province of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 43,578 km² and a population of 3,380,000.-Geography and climate:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) under siege. Usually, Li Shimin would be sent against Eastern Tujue forces, but at Li Jiancheng's recommendation, Emperor Gaozu commissioned Li Yuanji to do so, and the troops under Li Shimin were transferred to Li Yuanji. Li Shimin, fearful that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji would use this opportunity to act against him, decided to act, particularly at the urging of his brother-in-law Zhangsun Wuji
Zhangsun Wuji
Zhangsun Wuji , courtesy name Fuji , formally Duke of Zhao , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty during the reigns of his brother-in-law Emperor Taizong and nephew Emperor Gaozong...
and Yuchi Jingde. He had Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui secretly recalled to his mansion to draw the plans for action, and then one night submitted a secret accusation to Emperor Gaozu, accusing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of affairs with Emperor Gaozu's concubines and plans to kill him. Emperor Gaozu was surprised by the accusation and promised to handle Li Shimin's accusation the next day, and summoned the high level officers Pei Ji, Xiao Yu
Xiao Yu
Xiao Yu , courtesy name Shiwen , formally Duke Zhenbian of Song , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Liang Dynasty who later became an official for Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor at times during the reigns of Emperor Gaozu of Tang and Emperor Taizong of Tang.-...
, and Chen Shuda to prepare to act on the accusations.
The next morning, Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wuji first went to Emperor Gaozu's palace, and secretly took over the command at Xuanwu Gate -- the north gate of the palace. Meanwhile, Emperor Gaozu's concubine Consort Zhang had heard what Li Shimin had accused Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of, and secretly informed them. Li Yuanji advocated not reporting to the palace, but instead preparing troops for battle, but Li Jiancheng, while mobilizing the troops, wanted to go see Emperor Gaozu to see what the situation is, and so they proceeded toward the palace.
When Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji reached the palace, they began to sense that something was wrong, and they, on their horses, began to head back to Li Jiancheng's palace. Li Shimin personally chased them and yelled out, "Big brother!" Li Yuanji fired three arrows at Li Shimin, missing each time. Li Shimin fired an arrow at Li Jiancheng, killing him. Yuchi Jingde then arrived with 70 soldiers, and Li Yuanji fell off his horse. Li Shimin's horse was spooked and took him into a forest. Li Shimin fell off the horse and could not get up. Li Yuanji then entered the forest and tried to strangle Li Shimin with his bow, but at this point Yuchi arrived, and Li Yuanji tried to flee. Yuchi chased him down and killed him with an arrow.
Aftermath
Meanwhile, Li Shimin sent Yuchi into the palace with guards, and Yuchi advanced all the way into Emperor Gaozu's presence. Emperor Gaozu was shocked and asked what Yuchi was doing there, and Yuchi responded:
Emperor Gaozu, realizing how serious the situation was, asked Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda for advice, and Xiao and Chen advised him to create Li Shimin crown prince to placate him. At Yuchi's request, Emperor Gaozu issued an edict ordering the remaining Crown Prince and Qi troops to stop their resistance and submit to Li Shimin. He summoned Li Shimin, whom he comforted with kind words, and Li Shimin knelt and cried. Li Shimin nevertheless had Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's sons executed, while having Emperor Gaozu issuing an order pardoning Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's staff members. Three days later, Emperor Gaozu created Li Shimin crown prince and ordered that all matters be submitted to Li Shimin for ruling. Two months later, he passed the throne to Li Shimin, who took the throne as Emperor Taizong.