Li Xian
Encyclopedia
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....
of the Chinese
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...
. He was the sixth son of Emperor Gaozong
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
, and the second son of his second wife Empress Wu
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
(later known as Wu Zetian). He was known for writing commentaries for the Book of Later Han
Book of Later Han
The Book of the Later Han or the History of the Later Han is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources...
, the official history of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He became crown prince in 675 after his older brother Li Hong
Li Hong
Li Hong , formally Emperor Xiaojing with the temple name of Yizong , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
's death (which traditional historians believed to be a poisoning by Empress Wu), but soon fell out of favor with Empress Wu himself. In 680, Empress Wu had her associates accuse Li Xian of treason, and he was demoted to commoner rank and exiled. In 684, after Emperor Gaozong's death, Empress Wu, then empress dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
, had her associate Qiu Shenji (丘神勣) visit Li Xian to force him to commit suicide.
In 706, his younger brother Emperor Zhongzong
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
provided Li Xian with an honorable burial by interring his remains at the Qianling Mausoleum
Qianling Mausoleum
The Qianling Mausoleum is a Tang Dynasty tomb site located in Qian County, Shaanxi province, China, and is northwest from Xi'an, formerly the Tang capital. Built by 684 , the tombs of the mausoleum complex house the remains of various members of the royal Li family. This includes Emperor...
.
Background
Li Xian was born in 653, as the sixth son of Emperor GaozongEmperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
and the second son of his then-favorite concubine Consort Wu
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
(later known as Wu Zetian). There were, however, persistent rumors inside the palace that he was not actually born of Consort Wu but of her older sister Wu Shun (who was later created the Lady of Han). In 655, the same year that his mother Consort Wu displaced Emperor Gaozong's first wife Empress Wang
Empress Wang (Gaozong)
Empress Wang was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was the first wife and empress of Emperor Gaozong and became empress shortly after he became emperor in 649. She, however, did not bear any sons for him and was not favored...
as empress, Li Xian was created the Prince of Lu. In 656, he was initially titularly given the post of prefect of Qi Prefecture (岐州, roughly modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, 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...
), and then the dual posts as prefect of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
, 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...
) and commandant at You Prefecture (幽州, roughly modern Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
). It was said that his behavior was elegant, even in his youth, and, according to a comment that Emperor Gaozong made to the chancellor Li Ji
Li Shiji
Li Shiji , né Xu Shiji , later known in the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang as Li Ji , courtesy name Maogong , formally Duke Zhenwu of Ying , was one of the most celebrated generals early in the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
, he studied the Classic of History
Classic of History
The Classic of History is a compilation of documentary records related to events in ancient history of China. It is also commonly known as the Shàngshū , or simply Shū...
, Classic of Rites
Classic of Rites
The Classic of Rites , also known as the Book of Rites, Book of Customs, the Record of Rites, was one of the Chinese Five Classics of the Confucian canon. It described the social forms, governmental system, and ancient/ceremonial rites of the Zhou Dynasty...
, Analects, and a number of ancient poems and could remember them clearly. In 661, his title was changed to Prince of Pei, and he was given the titles of commandant at Yang Prefecture (揚州, roughly modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) and major general, but continued to also serve as prefect of Yong Prefecture. At this time, he had the literarily-talented official Wang Bo
Wang Bo
Wang Bo , courtesy name Zi'an , was a Chinese poet in the Tang Dynasty.Wang Bo is one of the Four Literary Eminences in Early Tang, known as ChuTangSiJie . He opposed the spread of the Gong Ti Style of the Sui Dynasty, and advocated a style rich in emotions...
on staff. Around this time, the princes were apparently often engaged in cockfight
Cockfight
A cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters , held in a ring called a cockpit. Cockfighting is now illegal throughout all states in the United States, Brazil, Australia and in most of Europe. It is still legal in several U.S. territories....
ing. Wang Bo wrote a playful piece entitled the Declaration Against the Prince of Zhou's Cock (檄周王雞文) (the Prince of Zhou was Li Xian's brother Li Xiǎn
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
(note different tone), later named Li Zhe), which, however, when Emperor Gaozong read it, caused Emperor Gaozong to be angry, as he believed this would cause discord between his sons, and therefore expelled Wang from the Pei mansion. In 672, Li Xian's title was changed to Prince of Yong, and he was given the titles of commandant at Liang Prefecture (涼州, roughly modern Wuwei, Gansu), but continued to also serve as general and prefect of Yong Prefecture. His name was also changed to Li De. In 674, his name was changed back to Li Xian.
As crown prince
In 675, Li Xian's older brother Li HongLi Hong
Li Hong , formally Emperor Xiaojing with the temple name of Yizong , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
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....
died -- a death that traditional historians generally believed to be a poisoning ordered by Empress Wu. On July 3, Li Xian was created crown prince to replace Li Hong. Emperor Gaozong soon ordered that much of government matters be ruled on by Li Xian, and Li Xian was praised for making good decisions. Also around this time, Li Xian led a group of scholars, including Zhang Da'an
Zhang Da'an
Zhang Da'an was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.Zhang Da'an was one of the sons of Zhang Gongjin , a key follower of Li Shimin the Prince of Qin, a son and major general of Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu, who supported Li...
, Liu Nayan (劉訥言), Ge Xiyuan (格希元), Xu Shuya (許叔牙), Cheng Xuanyi (成玄一), Shi Cangzhu (史藏諸), and Zhou Baoning (周寶寧), in writing commentaries for the Book of Later Han
Book of Later Han
The Book of the Later Han or the History of the Later Han is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources...
, the official history of the Eastern Han Dynasty, written by the Liu Song scholar Fan Ye
Fan Ye
Fan Ye |Liu Xuan]] and Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina for the longevity of their involvement in the sport.Fan Ye is best known for her work on the balance beam. Her biggest accomplishment in gymnastics is winning the 2003 World Balance Beam Title...
.
Meanwhile, Li Xian's relationship with Empress Wu began to deteriorate, as Li Xian had heard the rumors that he was actually the son of Lady of Han, and had become fearful. Empress Wu, detecting this, had her literary staff write two works entitled, Good Examples for Shaoyang (少陽正範, "Shaoyang" being an oblique term for a crown prince) and Biographies of Filial Sons (孝子傳) and gave them to Li Xian, and further wrote a number of letters rebuking Li Xian, making him more fearful. Further, when the sorcerer Ming Chongyan (明崇儼), who was well-trusted by Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu, was assassinated in 679, Empress Wu suspected Li Xian -- as Ming had been known to repeatedly make comments to Empress Wu that included, "The Crown Prince cannot bear the responsibilitiies of state. The Prince of Ying [(i.e., Li Xian's younger brother Li Zhe
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
, later Emperor Zhongzong] has an appearance most similar to 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...
([Emperor Gaozong's father])," and "The Prince of Xiang [(i.e., Li Xian's younger brother Li Dan
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Emperor Ruizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Dàn , known at times during his life as Li Xulun , Li Lun , Wu Lun , and Wu Dan , was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty...
, later Emperor Ruizong)] has the most honorable appearance."
Meanwhile, Li Xian was also known for his liking of music and women. (Some historians, pointing to oblique references that he was "particularly close" to a number of male servants, also believe that he liked sexual relations with both women and men.) When Empress Wu heard this, she had people report this to Emperor Gaozong, who ordered an investigation led by the officials Xue Yuanchao
Xue Yuanchao
Xue Yuanchao , formal name Xue Zhen but went by the courtesy name of Yuanchao, formally Baron of Fenyin , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong....
, Pei Yan
Pei Yan
Pei Yan , courtesy name Zilong , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, as well as regency by his wife Empress Wu over their sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong...
, and Gao Zhizhou
Gao Zhizhou
Gao Zhizhou was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.Gao Zhizhou was born in 602, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui, the founding emperor of Tang's predecessor Sui Dynasty. His family was from what would become Chang...
. When they searched the crown prince's stables, they found several hundred suits of black armor, and they believed this to be evidence of a coup, and after interrogation, one of Li Xian's favorite servants, Zhao Daosheng (趙道生), admitted to assassinating Ming on Li Xian's orders. Emperor Gaozong, who had favored Li Xian, considered pardoning him, but Empress Wu refused. On September 20, 680, Emperor Gaozong deposed Li Xian and reduced him to commoner rank, delivering him from the eastern capital 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...
(where Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu had long taken up residence) to the 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...
to be imprisoned there. His close associates were executed, and the seized armor was burned publicly to demonstrate Li Xian's treason. Li Zhe was created crown prince to replace him.
After removal
in 683, Li Xian was moved from Chang'an to Ba Prefecture (巴州, roughly modern BazhongBazhong
Bazhong is a prefecture-level city in north-eastern Sichuan province, People's Republic of China.-History:Bazhong was made a prefecture-level city in 1993. Its history, however, goes back much further. During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, it was purportedly a vassal territory of the Liang State. In...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
). In 684, after Emperor Gaozong's death, Li Zhe initially took the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong), but soon was deposed himself due to signs of disobedience to Empress Wu (now empress dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
), and Li Dan became emperor instead (as Emperor Ruizong), although Empress Dowager Wu retained all powers as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. In spring 684, she sent the general Qiu Shenji to Ba Prefecture with the order of, "Examine the house of Li Xian the former crown prince to prevent external attacks." However, she hinted to him that he should have Li Xian killed. When he got to Ba Prefecture, he placed Li Xian into a small room and forced him to commit suicide. When news of Li Xian's death arrived at Luoyang, Empress Wu publicly blamed Qiu and demoted him to the post of prefect of Die Prefecture (疊州, roughly modern Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southern Gansu Province, China. It includes Xiahe and the Labrang Monastery, Luqu, Maqu, and other mostly Tibetan towns and villages...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), while publicly morning Li Xian and posthumously creating him the title of Prince of Yong. (Qiu was soon recalled to Luoyang to again be general.) After Empress Wu's death in 705 and the restoration of Emperor Zhongzong to the throne, Emperor Zhongzong had Li Xian's casket returned to Chang'an, to be buried near the tomb of Emperor Gaozong. After Emperor Ruizong became emperor again in 710, he had Li Xian's crown prince title restored.
Ancestry
Wife
Princess Fang of Yong→Crown Princess→commoner→Princess of Yong (again)→Princess Dowager of Bin→Crown Princess Jing(posthumous)Issue
- Li Guangshun(李光顺), Prince of Le'an, later emigrated to Yifeng and killed. Posthumously honored Prince of Ju
- Li ShouliLi ShouliLĭ Shǒulĭ was the second son of Li Xián who also known as Crown Prince Zhanghuai of Tang. Born Li Guangren during the Chuigong era of his youngest uncle Emperor Ruizong of Tang's reign when his grandmother Wu Zetian held the real power, he was renamed Shouli and given the title Crown Prince Xima...
(李守礼), born Li Guangren(李光仁), born by Consort Zhang. He would be created Prince of Bin and treated as son of an emperor when his cousin Emperor Xuanzong was reigning - Li Shouyi(李守义), Prince of Qianwei, later emigrated to Guiyang and died there. Posthumously honored Prince of Bi
- Lady Changxin(长信郡主), she woule be demoted to xianzhu (literally mistress of prefecture) , and her later fate was unknown
None of the sons was born by Princess Fang. Whether Princess Fang mothered Lady Changxin was also unknown.