Liang Weiwang ((前)涼威王)
Family name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Zhang Zhang (surname) Zhang is among the most common Chinese surnames. In the 1990 edition of Guinness Book of Records, it was listed as the world's most common surname, with over 100 million people worldwide with this surname. It was also ranked third in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Academy of...  (張; zhāng)
Given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Zuo (祚, zuò)
Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... :	Wei (威, weī), literary meaning: "aggressive"

Zhang Zuo (張祚) (died 355), courtesy name Taibo (太伯), formally Prince Wei of (Former) Liang ((前)涼威王) was a ruler 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...

 state Former Liang

Former Liang

The Former Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin dynasty in China. It was founded by the Zhang family of the Han Chinese...

. He was the only ruler of Former Liang to formally declare a break from Jin Dynasty (265-420)

Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...

, and historical sources variously report him as having declared himself an emperor

Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

 (per Jin Shu) or a prince (per Zizhi Tongjian

Zizhi Tongjian

The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...

). He was commonly viewed as a usurper (having seized the throne from his nephew Zhang Yaoling

Zhang Yaoling

Zhang Yaoling , courtesy name Yuanshu , formally Duke Ai of Xiping, was briefly the ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang in 353 and early 354....

 after his brother Zhang Chonghua

Zhang Chonghua

Zhang Chonghua , courtesy name Tailin , formally Duke Jinglie of Xiping or Duke Huan of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...

's death) and initially not acknowledged as a Former Liang ruler, but his brother Zhang Tianxi

Zhang Tianxi

Zhang Tianxi , original courtesy name Gongchungu , later Chungu , nickname Duhuo , formally Duke Dao of Xiping , was the last ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang. He was the youngest son of Zhang Jun , and he seized the throne from his nephew Zhang Xuanjing in 363...

 later nevertheless gave him the posthumous name

Posthumous name

A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...

 of Wei.

During the reigns of Zhang Chonghua and Zhang Yaoling

Little is known about Zhang Zuo's personal background, other than that he was Zhang Jun

Zhang Jun (Former Liang)

Zhang Jun , courtesy name Gongting , formally Duke Zhongcheng of Xiping or Duke Wen of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...

's oldest son, but was not designated heir apparent

Heir apparent

An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

. His younger brother Zhang Chonghua

Zhang Chonghua

Zhang Chonghua , courtesy name Tailin , formally Duke Jinglie of Xiping or Duke Huan of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...

 was, even though neither was born of Zhang Jun's wife Princess Yan

Princess Yan

Princess Yan was the wife of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Jun. It is not known when Zhang Jun married her, but it is known that she carried the title of princess even though Zhang, for most of his reign, used the Jin Dynasty -created title of Duke of Xiping, and only late in his...

. Neither his mother nor his birth year was recorded in history. He was praised for being knowledgeable, and either Zhang Jun or Zhang Chonghua created him the Marquess of Changning.

During the reign of his brother Zhang Chonghua, Zhang Zuo was trusted by his brother, and despite warnings by Chang Ju (常據) and Xie Ai

Xie Ai

Xie Ai was a general for the Chinese state Former Liang who served under Zhang Chonghua.Xie Ai was initially regarded as only capable in civilian matters, and apparently served as a civilian official during the rule of Zhang Chonghua's father Zhang Jun...

, Zhang Chonghua, for a long time, intended for Zhang Zuo to serve 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...

 for his son Zhang Yaoling

Zhang Yaoling

Zhang Yaoling , courtesy name Yuanshu , formally Duke Ai of Xiping, was briefly the ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang in 353 and early 354....

. Late in 353, however, as Zhang Chonghua was gravely ill, he ordered that Xie be recalled to be warrant -- but Zhang Zuo and Zhang Chonghua's attendants Zhao Zhang (趙長) and Wei Qi (尉緝), who had conspired to take over power, blocked Zhang Chonghua's order and instead forged an order making Zhang Zuo regent. Zhang Chonghua soon died, and he was succeeded by Zhang Yaoling, at age nine, but real power was in Zhang Zuo's hands.

Zhang Zuo, who had by this point engaged in an affair with Zhang Chonghua's mother Princess Dowager Ma

Princess Dowager Ma

Princess Dowager Ma was the mother of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Chonghua. She was a concubine of Zhang Chonghua's father Zhang Jun....

, soon made his move to formally take over. With Princess Ma's approval, Zhang Yaoling was deposed in early 354 and replaced with Zhang Zuo, who soon showed his cruel side, as he put Xie Ai and Zhang Chonghua's wife Princess Pei

Princess Pei

Princess Pei was the wife of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Chonghua. Very little is known about her, including when Zhang Chonghua made her his princess...

 to death.

Reign

Early in 354, Zhang Zuo declared a clear break from Jin -- a move that none of his predecessors had dared to do. He completely repudiated the Jin era name Jianxing (declared by Emperor Min of Jin

Emperor Min of Jin

Emperor Min of Jin, Simplified Chinese character 晋愍帝, Traditional Chinese character 晉愍帝, Pinyin. Jìn Mǐndì, Wade-Giles Chin Min-ti , personal name Sima Ye , courtesy name Yanqi , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the last of the Western Jin Dynasty.Emperor Min surrendered in 316 to Liu Yao, a...

 and used in at least some facility by every Zhang patriarch since his grandfather Zhang Shi (張寔)) and changed the era name to Heping. He also declared himself a greater title than the Jin-bestowed Duke of Xiping -- although what that title was is a matter of historical controversy, as Jin Shu indicated that he declared himself emperor (and created his wife Lady Xin

Empress Xin (Zhang Zuo)

Empress Xin or Princess Xin was the wife of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Zuo. Whether her title was empress or princess is unclear, because historical sources differ on the subject...

 empress and his sons princes) and Zizhi Tongjian

Zizhi Tongjian

The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...

indicated that he declared himself Prince of Liang, although the inclusion by Jin Shu of a declaration of independence by Zhang Zuo appears to lend credibility to the Jin Shu account.

Later that year, Zhang Zuo nevertheless sent his general Wang Zhuo (王擢) to assist the Jin general Sima Xun (司馬勳), who was commanding an auxiliary force in conjunction with the main force commanded by Huan Wen

Huan Wen

Huan Wen , courtesy name Yuanzi , formally Duke Xuanwu of Nan Commandery , was a general of the Jin Dynasty...

 against Former Qin

Former Qin

The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...

. Wang submitted a report to Zhang Zuo stating that Huan was capable of commanding large armies and had great ambition, which caused Zhang Zuo to panic. Oddly, he decided to assassinate Wang, but failed. He then mobilized his troops, ready to resist Huan or to flee in case Huan destroyed Former Qin and then turned his attention on him. After Huan was forced to withdraw after his food supplies ran out, however, Zhang Zuo attacked Wang, forcing Wang to surrender to Former Qin.

Zhang Zuo's rule, according to traditional accounts, was one filled with debauchery, cruelty, and extravagance. He was said to not only had an affair with Princess Dowager Ma, but committed incest with all of Zhang Chonghua's daughters. He became apprehensive of his general Zhang Guan

Zhang Guan

Zhang Guan was a general and regent of the Chinese state Former Liang, during the early reign of the young prince Zhang Xuanjing.Zhang Guan was a distant relative of the ruling family of Former Liang...

 (張瓘), so he sent Zhang Guan on an expedition, but sent another army to ambush him. The news leaked, however, and Zhang Guan turned his army against the capital Guzang (姑臧, in modern Wuwei, 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...

). He declared that Zhang Zuo should be deposed and Zhang Yaoling should be restored. He was soon joined by another major general, Song Hun

Song Hun

Song Hun was a regent of the Chinese state Former Liang.During the reign of the violent and capricious Zhang Zuo, Song Hun served as a general, even though he constantly feared Zhang Zuo, because his older brother Song Xiu had previously had a conflict with Zhang Zuo...

 (宋混). In response, Zhang Zuo had his young nephew put to death by beating.

That action could not save him, however, as Zhang Guan and Song continued their advances on the capital. Zhang Zuo ordered that Zhang Guan's brother Zhang Ju (張琚) and son Zhang Song (張嵩) be arrested and executed, but instead Zhang Ju and Zhang Son started an uprising within Guzang and opened the city gates to welcome in Song's forces. Zhang Zuo's former coconspirators Zhao Zhang and Wei Qi became apprehensive and forced Princess Dowager Ma to declare Zhang Chonghua's younger son Zhang Xuanjing

Zhang Xuanjing

Zhang Xuanjing , courtesy name Yuan'an , formally Duke Jingdao of Xiping or Duke Chong of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...

 as the new ruler. Guards still loyal to Zhang Zuo killed Zhao and Wei, but soon fell apart in the confusion, and Zhang Zuo was killed. Song cut off his head and put his two sons to death.

Personal information

• Father
  • Zhang Jun
    Zhang Jun (Former Liang)
    Zhang Jun , courtesy name Gongting , formally Duke Zhongcheng of Xiping or Duke Wen of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
    
     (Duke Zhongcheng)
• Wife
  • Empress (or Princess) Xin
    Empress Xin (Zhang Zuo)
    Empress Xin or Princess Xin was the wife of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Zuo. Whether her title was empress or princess is unclear, because historical sources differ on the subject...
    
    (created 354)
• Children
  • Zhang Taihe (張太和), the Crown Prince (created 354, executed by army officers 355)
  • Zhang Tingjian (張庭堅), the Prince or Marquess of Jiankang (created 354, executed by army officers 355)