Empress Wei (韋皇后, personal name unknown) (d. July 21, 710) was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World For the area code see Area code 710. For the Los Angeles-area freeway see Interstate 710. An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by She was the second wife of Emperor Zhongzong, who reigned twice, and during his second reign, she tried to emulate the example of her mother-in-law Wu Zetian and seize power. Background Li Xiǎn was born in 656 as the seventh son of his father Emperor Gaozong and the third son of his mother Emperor Gaozong's second wife Empress Wu Wu Zetian ( (625 – December 16, 705 In 705 she was overthrown in a coup and Emperor Zhongzong was returned to the throne After Emperor Zhongzong's death in 710 -- a death traditionally believed to be a poisoning carried out by her and her daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle -- she initially took power as empress dowager, but in short order was overthrown and killed in a coup led by Emperor Zhongzong's nephew Li Longji (the later Emperor Xuanzong) and Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping. Princess Anle (安樂公主 (684?- July 21, 710) personal name Li Guo'er (李裹兒 was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty Empress Dowager ( Chinese: 皇太后 Chinese, Korean Pronunciation: Hwang Tae Hu Japanese Pronunciation: Kōtaigō Vietnamese Pronunciation Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ( ( September 8, 685 Background Li Longji was born at the Tang Dynasty eastern capital Luoyang Princess Taiping ( personal name unknown (d August 2, 713) was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and her mother Wu Zetian
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First stint as crown princess
It is not known when Empress Wei was born. During the reign of her husband's grandfather Emperor Taizong, her grandfather Wei Hongbiao (韋弘表) served as the military advisor to Emperor Taizong's son Li Ming (李明) the Prince of Cao. Emperor Taizong of Tang ( January 23, 599 &ndash July 10 649) personal name Lǐ Shìmín ( was the second emperor of the Sometime during the time when Emperor Zhongzong, then using the name Li Zhe, was crown prince, he married her as his second wife (as his first wife, Princess Zhao, was starved to death when her mother Princess Changle offended Li Zhe's mother Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian) and crown princess. Crown Princess redirects here for the ship see Crown Princess (ship. Wu Zetian ( (625 – December 16, 705 In 705 she was overthrown in a coup and Emperor Zhongzong was returned to the throne [1] At the time that they were married, Li Zhe's father Emperor Gaozong promoted her father Wei Xuanzhen (韋玄貞) from being the military advisor to the prefect of Pu Prefecture (普州, roughly modern Ziyang, Sichuan) (eighth rank, second class, second division) to be the much more important post of being prefect of Yu Prefecture (豫州, roughly modern Zhumadian, Henan) (fourth rank, first class, second division). Background and life as Prince of Jin Li Zhi was born in 628 He was the ninth son of his father Emperor Taizong, and the third son of his mother Emperor Taizong's wife Ziyang ( Prefecture-level city in the Sichuan Province in south central China, with more than 100000 inhabitants ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. Zhumadian ( is a Prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Henan ( is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country [2] In 682, she gave birth to their only son, Li Chongzhao. Events By Place Europe The first entry is made in the Welsh chronicle Brut y Tywysogion. Li Chongrun (李重潤 ( 682 - October 8, 701) né Li Chongzhao (李重照 formally Crown Prince Yide (懿德太子 was an imperial Sometime during her stint as crown princess, she also gave birth to at least one daughter (the later Princess Changning) and possibly another (Li Xianhui (李仙蕙), the later Lady Yongtai).
First stint as empress
Emperor Gaozong died in late 683, and Li Zhe took the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong). 683 is a prime number Events By Place Americas The reign of Pacal the Great, ruler of Maya state of Palenque However, actual power was in the hands of his mother Empress Wu, now empress dowager. Empress Dowager ( Chinese: 皇太后 Chinese, Korean Pronunciation: Hwang Tae Hu Japanese Pronunciation: Kōtaigō Vietnamese Pronunciation In spring 684, Emperor Zhongzong created Crown Princess Wei empress. Events By Place Asia Wu Ze Tian takes power in China The Ummayad caliph Muawiya II is succeeded by An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of He soon wanted to promote Wei Xuanzhen to be Shizhong (侍中), the head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng) and a post considered one for a chancellor. The chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (唐朝宰相 was an office that was semi-formally designated for a number of high level officials at one time during the Chinese This move, as well as another wish of his -- to make the son of his wet nurse an official of the fifth rank -- were opposed by the chancellor Pei Yan. A wet nurse is a woman who breast feeds a baby that is not her own Pei Yan (裴炎 (d November 30, 684) Courtesy name Zilong (子隆 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty As they argued, Emperor Zhongzong, in anger, remarked:
What would be wrong even if I gave the empire to Wei Xuanzhen? Why do you care about Shizhong so much?
Pei, in fear, informed this to Empress Dowager Wu. Just less than two months after Emperor Zhongzong had taken the throne, Empress Dowager Wu summoned the officials and generals and issued an edict deposing Emperor Zhongzong and reducing to the title of Prince of Luling. She instead created his younger brother Li Dan the Prince of Yu emperor (as Emperor Ruizong). Background Li Xulun was born in 662 as the youngest son of Emperor Gaozong and his second wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian Li Chongzhao, who had been given the title of Deputy Crown Prince by Emperor Gaozong, was reduced to commoner rank, and Wei Xuanzhen, along with his family, were exiled to Qin Prefecture (欽州, roughly modern Qinzhou, Guangxi). Qinzhou ( Simplified Chinese: 钦州 Traditional Chinese: 欽州 Qīnzhōu Wade-Giles: Ch'in-chow older transliteration Yamchow or Yen Guangxi (or Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region;) is a Zhuang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Empress Dowager Wu soon ordered that Li Zhe and his family first be delivered to Fang Prefecture (房州, in modern Shiyan, Hubei), and then Jun Prefecture (均州, also in modern Shiyan), to be held under house arrest at the house that his uncle Li Tai had been placed after Li Tai was deposed in 643. Administration The Prefecture-level city of Shiyan administers 8 county-level divisions, including 2 districts, 1 County-level city ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. Li Tai (李泰 Pinyin: Lǐ Tài (618- December 15, 652) Courtesy name Huibao (惠褒 nickname Qingque (青雀 formally Events By Place Europe Rothari King of the Lombards, issues the Lombard law code
In exile
Li Zhe was constantly in fear in exile, as Empress Dowager Wu had previously shown willingness to kill her own children -- having forced his older brother Li Xián to commit suicide in 684 and having been rumored to have poisoned another older brother, Li Hong, in 675 -- and whenever there would be imperial messengers arriving from then-capital Luoyang, he would consider committing suicide, fearing that they brought orders for even worse fates. Li Xian (李賢 (653&ndash684 Courtesy name Mingyun (明允 formally Crown Prince Zhanghuai (章懷太子 named Li De (李德 from 672 Li Hong (李弘 ( 652 - May 25, 675) formally Emperor Xiaojing (孝敬皇帝 literally "the filial and alert emperor" with the Events By Place Europe Æthelred succeeds his brother Wulfhere as king of Mercia Frithuwold of Surrey Luoyang ( is a Prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People's Republic of China. Princess Wei would repeatedly tell him:
There is no set pattern to bad and good fortune. Since we will all die one day anyway, why hasten death?
At this point, they were deeply in love with each other, and at another point, he told her:
If we will see the light of day again, I will not stop you from doing anything.
While they in exile, she gave birth to their youngest daughter, Li Guo'er -- whose name Guo'er meant, "child who was wrapped" and referred to how, when she was born, Li Zhe was required to take off his shirt and wrap her in the shirt. Princess Anle (安樂公主 (684?- July 21, 710) personal name Li Guo'er (李裹兒 was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty Li Zhe and Princess Wei both greatly favored this child born in distress.
Meanwhile, while Li Zhe and Princess Wei were in exile, so were Wei Xuanzhen and his family. After Wei Xuanzhen died soon thereafter, a local tribal chief, Ning Chengji (寧承基), demanded to marry Princess Wei's younger sister. When Princess Wei's mother Lady Cui refused, Ning killed her and her four sons Wei Xun (韋洵), Wei Hao (韋浩), Wei Dong (韋洞), and Wei Ci (韋泚).
While Li Zhe and Princess Wei were in exile, Empress Dowager Wu had, in 690, forced Li Zhe's brother Li Dan to yield the throne to her, interrupting Tang Dynasty and establishing her own Zhou Dynasty with her as "emperor" (thereafter known as Wu Zetian). Events By Place Asia Wu Zetian 's Zhou Dynasty begins in China (she was China's first and only female emperor ruling on her own She created the now-removed Li Dan as her crown prince, but constantly suspected him of secretly plotting against her, and in 693, she killed his wife Crown Princess Liu and concubine Consort Dou, and further investigated him for treason, stopping the investigation only when his servant, An Jinzang (安金藏), cut open his own belly to swear that Li Dan would never commit treason. Events By Place Europe The Portuguese city of Viseu is taken from the Byzantine Empire by the Moors. Empress Liu (劉皇后 personal name unknown (died 693 formally Empress Sumingshunsheng (肅明順聖皇后 literally "the solemn understanding serene and holy Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status She nevertheless repeatedly consider replacing him with her nephews Wu Chengsi the Prince of Wei and Wu Sansi the Prince of Liang. Wu Chengsi ( Chinese: 武承嗣 Pinyin: Wǔ Chéngsì (d July 22, 698) formally Prince Xuan of Wei (魏宣王 was a nephew of Wu Sansi (武三思 (d August 7, 707) formally Prince Xuan of Liang (梁宣王 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty
By 698, however, the chancellor Di Renjie had convinced Wu Zetian that it was to her sons, not her nephews, that she should turn for support. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Tiberius III deposes Leontius and becomes Byzantine Emperor. Dí Rénjié ( ( 630 - August 15, 700) Courtesy name Huaiying (懷英 formally Duke Wenhui of Liang (梁文惠公 was Di's fellow chancellors Wang Fangqing and Wang Jishan, as well as Wu Zetian's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong and her confidant Ji Xu also supported the idea of summoning Li Zhe from exile. Wang Fangqing (王方慶 (d 702 formal name Wang Lin (王綝 but went by the Courtesy name of Fangqing formally Duke Zhen of Shiquan (石泉貞公 Wang Jishan (王及善 ( 618 - August 28, 699) formally Duke Zhen of Xing (邢貞公 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Zhang Yizhi (張易之 (d February 20, 705) formally the Duke of Heng (恆公 nickname Wulang (五郎 was an official of Wu Zetian Zhang Changzong (張昌宗 (d February 20, 705) formally the Duke of Ye (鄴公 nickname Liulang (六郎 was an official of Wu Zetian Ji Xu (吉頊 was an official of Wu Zetian 's Zhou Dynasty serving briefly as chancellor. In spring 698, Wu Zetian summoned Li Zhe and his family back to Luoyang.
Second stint as crown princess
Once Li Zhe was back in Luoyang, Li Dan offered to yield the crown prince position to his older brother, and Wu Zetian agreed. In fall 698, she created Li Zhe crown prince and had him change his name back to the original name Li Xiǎn (note different tone than his brother) (although she soon also had him change his surname to her surname Wu -- thus making him Wu Xiǎn). Princess Wei again became crown princess. Her son Li Chongzhao -- who had by now changed his name to Li Chongrun to observe naming taboo for Wu Zetian's personal name Zhao -- was created the Prince of Shao. Naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons in China and neighboring nations in the ancient Chinese cultural sphere
Meanwhile, Wu Zetian, in her old age, had entrusted much of the affairs of state to Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong -- something that Li Chongrun discussed with his sister Li Xianhui and her husband, Wu Zetian's grandnephew Wu Yanji (武延基) the Prince of Wei (Wu Chengsi's son) at times. Zhang Yizhi found out and informed Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian, believing that she was being criticized, in fall 701, ordered Li Chongrun, Li Xianhui, and Wu Yanji to commit suicide. Events By Place Europe [3] Li Chongrun's death would leave Crown Princess Wei without a son, as his other sons Li Chongfu, Li Chongjun, and Li Chongmao were all born of concubines. Li Chongfu (李重福 (680?- September 10, 710) was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. Li Chongjun (李重俊 (d August 7, 707) formally Crown Prince Jiemin (節愍太子 was a Crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Background Li Chongmao was either born in 695 -- during a time when his father Li Xian, who was formerly an emperor of Tang Dynasty but was deposed in 694 was
In spring 705, with Wu Zetian being ill, the officials Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanwei, Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan, and Yuan Shuji initiated a coup and killed Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong. Alternate meanings Area code 705; Project 705; Life 705 Events By Place Asia February 20 Zhang Jianzhi (張柬之 (625-706 Courtesy name Mengjiang (孟將 formally Prince Wenzhen of Hanyang (漢陽文貞王 was an official of the Cui Xuanwei (崔玄暐 (638-706 né Cui Ye (崔曄 formally Prince Wenxian of Boling (博陵文獻王 was an official of the Chinese dynasty JIng Hui (敬暉 (d 706 Courtesy name Zhongye (仲瞱 formally Prince Sumin of Pingyang (平陽肅愍王 was an official of the Chinese Huan Yanfan (桓彥範 (653-706 Courtesy name Shize (士則 formally Prince Zhonglie of Fuyang (扶陽忠烈王 briefly known during the reign of Yuan Shuji (袁恕己 (d 706 formally Prince Zhenlie of Nanyang (南陽貞烈王 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu They forced Wu Zetian to yield the throne back to Wu Xiǎn, and he returned to the throne, restoring Tang Dynasty. He created Crown Princess Wei empress again. He also posthumously honored her father Wei Xuanzhen as the Prince of Shangluo and her mother Lady Cui as the Princess of Shangluo, reburying them in grand ceremonies. In addition, he posthumously honored Li Chongrun as Crown Princess Yide and Li Xianhui as Princess Yongtai, reburying them with ceremonies due emperors.
Second stint as empress
Zhang Jianzhi and his colleagues next wanted to suppress the power of that the Wu clan princes had, but at this time, Emperor Zhongzong's concubine Consort Shangguan Wan'er, who had been Wu Zetian's secretary and who had carried on an affair with Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Sansi, helped kindle an affair between Wu Sansi and Empress Wei as well. Shangguan Wan'er ( Traditional Chinese: 上官婉兒 Simplified Chinese: 上官婉儿 (664?&ndash July 21, 710) imperial consort rank (Emperor Zhongzong was either unaware of, or implicitly approved of, the affair. ) Wu Sansi became a trusted advisor of Emperor Zhongzong. Meanwhile, Empress Wei disliked her husband's son Li Chongfu the Prince of Qiao (whose wife was Zhang's niece), and falsely accused him of being implicit in Li Chongrun's death; Emperor Zhongzong responded by exiling Li Chongfu to Jun Prefecture to serve as prefect. It was said that both Empress Wei and her daughter Li Guo'er (now with the title Princess Anle and who married Wu Sansi's son Wu Chongxun (武崇訓)) were powerful and corrupt, offering offices for sale and influencing legal decisions. it was even said that Li Guo'er often wrote edicts in Emperor Zhongzong's name, and then covered up the contents and had him sign them -- and that he would do so despite not reading the edicts. She also requested to be made his heir, as crown princess -- which would be an unprecedented act in Chinese history, although he declined and created her brother Li Chongjun crown prince instead.
Wu Sansi and Empress Wei, who despised Zhang and his colleagues, accused them of being overly arrogant in light of their achievements, and at Wu Sansi's suggestion, Emperor Zhongzong created Zhang, Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan, Yuan Shuji, and Cui Xuanwei princes, ostensibly to honor them, but instead was intending to remove them from positions of power. (Emperor Zhongzong, for reasons unclear, also bestowed the surname of Wei on Huan, "honoring" him by merging his clan with Empress Wei's. ) Soon, the five princes were made prefectural prefects and sent out of Luoyang.
In spring 706, after Emperor Zhongzong's son-in-law Wang Tongjiao (王同皎), who despised Empress Wei and Wu Sansi, was accused of plotting to kill them, Empress Wei and Wu Sansi took this opportunity to implicate Jing, Cui, Huan (whose Wei surname was then stripped), Yuan, and Zhang, of being involved in the plot, and had them further reduced to be prefectural military advisors in distant prefects. Events By region July 2 - In China, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang had the remains of his mother and recently-deceased ruling empress Wu Sansi then intentionally inflamed Emperor Zhongzong by having people publicly accuse Empress Wei of adultery and then accusing the five princes of this. Emperor Zhongzong responded by ordering the five of them permanently exiled; Wu then sent the official Zhou Lizhen (周利貞) to have the five of them killed cruelly (although Zhang and Cui were already dead by the time that Zhou reached them).
Meanwhile, to avenge her mother's and brothers' deaths, Empress Wei had Emperor Zhongzong order Zhou Rengui (周仁軌), the commandant at Guang Prefecture (廣州, roughly modern Guangzhou, Guangdong), to attack Ning Chengji and his brothers; Zhou defeated Ning and slaughtered his people. Guangzhou ( Jyutping: Gwong²zau¹; Yale: Gwóngjàu) is the Capital and a Sub-provincial city Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the In gratitude, Empress Wei bowed to Zhou, honoring him like a father, and Emperor Zhongzong created Zhou the Duke of Ru'nan.
Despite Li Chongjun's status as crown prince, Li Guo'er and her husband Wu Chongxun often humiliated and harassed him, sometimes referring to him as a slave. Further, Li Guo'er was continuing to try to persuade Emperor Zhongzong to depose Li Chongjun and create her crown princess instead. Li Chongjun finally erupted in anger in fall 707, rising with the ethnically Mohe general Li Duozuo and Emperor Zhongzong's cousin Li Qianli (李千里) the Prince of Cheng. Events By Place Asia Empress Gemmei succeeds to the Japanese throne The Mohe (or Malgal, Mogher) were a Tungusic people in ancient Manchuria. Li Duozuo ( Hangul: 이다조 (d August 7, 707) formally the Prince of Liaoyang (遼陽王 was an ethnically Mohe general of Li Chongjun's forces killed Wu Sansi and Wu Chengxu, and next headed to the palace, hoping to capture Consort Shangguan and Empress Wei. However, after Li Duozuo's son-in-law Ye Huli (野呼利) was killed by the eunuch guard commander Yang Sixu (楊思勗), Li Chongjun's army collapsed, and he was soon killed by his own subordinates. A eunuch (ˈjuːnək is a Castrated man in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences the term usually refers to those castrated in order to (Li Guo'er soon married Wu Chengxun's cousin Wu Yanxiu (武延秀). )
It was said by 708, Empress Wei, Li Guo'er, Empress Wei's other daughter Princess Changning, Consort Shangguan, Empress Wei's sister Lady of Cheng, Consort Shangguan's mother Lady Zheng, along with senior ladies in waiting Ladies Chai and Helou, the sorceress Diwu Ying'er (第五英兒), and Lady Zhao of Longxi, were all powerful and corrupt, selling offices at will. Events By Place Asia August 29 — Copper Coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date A lady-in-waiting (also called waiting maid) is a female personal assistant at a Noble court, attending to a queen, a Princess or other They, along with Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping, were often involved in partisan struggles, a phenomenon that Emperor Zhongzong was concerned about, but could do little to curb. Princess Taiping ( personal name unknown (d August 2, 713) was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and her mother Wu Zetian Empress Wei's power was such that around the new year 709, when Emperor Zhongzong offered to have her old wet nurse Lady Wang marry the widower chancellor Dou Chongyi, Dou, seeing the opportunity for even more power, gleefully agreed notwithstanding Lady Wang's otherwise low status. Events By Place Europe Saelred becomes king of Essex. Ceolred becomes king of Mercia, after Dou Huaizhen (竇懷貞 (d July 29, 713) known by his Courtesy name Dou Congyi (竇從一 during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong Meanwhile, Empress Wei and the Princesses Changning and Anle were also building many Buddhist temples. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices
By fall 710, it was said that Empress Wei had been having affairs with the officials Ma Qinke (馬秦客) and Yang Jun (楊均), and Ma and Yang were concerned that if the affairs became known they would be killed. For the area code see Area code 710. For the Los Angeles-area freeway see Interstate 710. Meanwhile, Li Guo'er hoped that if Empress Wei became the sovereign she would be crown princess. They conspired to poison a cake, and after Emperor Zhongzong ate the cake, he died, on July 3, 710. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. [4] Empress Wei did not initially announce his death, but instead a number of her cousins in charge of the imperial guards, to secure power, before she announced Emperor Zhongzong's death two days after his death. By an edict that Princess Taiping and Consort Shangguan drafted (and later revised by Empress Wei's cousin Wei Wen), Emperor Zhongzong's son Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen was created crown prince, and Li Chongmao then took the throne (as Emperor Shang) on July 8. Wei Wen (韋溫 (d July 24, 710) was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns Empress Wei retained power as empress dowager. Empress Dowager ( Chinese: 皇太后 Chinese, Korean Pronunciation: Hwang Tae Hu Japanese Pronunciation: Kōtaigō Vietnamese Pronunciation
As empress dowager
Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Wei's clan members, along with the chancellor Zong Chuke, Wu Yanxiu, and other officials Zhao Lüwen (趙履溫) and Ye Jingneng (葉靜能) were advising her to take the throne, like Wu Zetian did, and they also advised her to eliminate Li Dan and Princess Taiping. Zong Chuke (宗楚客 (d July 24, 710) Courtesy name Shu'ao (叔敖 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty The official Cui Riyong leaked their plan to Li Dan's son Li Longji the Prince of Linzi. Cui Riyong (崔日用 (673-722 formally Duke Zhao of Qi (齊昭公 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian 's Zhou Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ( ( September 8, 685 Background Li Longji was born at the Tang Dynasty eastern capital Luoyang Li Longji responded by conspiring with Princess Taiping, Princess Taiping's son Xue Chongjian (薛崇簡), as well as several low level officials close to him -- Zhong Shaojing, Wang Chongye (王崇曄), Liu Youqiu, and Ma Sizong (麻嗣宗) -- to act first. Zhong Shaojing (鍾紹京 Courtesy name Keda (可大 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian 's Zhou Liu Youqiu (劉幽求 ( 655 - December 6. 715 formally Duke Wenxian of Xu (徐文獻公 was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty Meanwhile, Empress Wei's nephews Wei Bo (韋播) and Gao Song (高嵩), who had recently been put in command of imperial guards and who had tried to establish their authority by dealing with the guards harshly, had alienated the guards, and the guard officers Ge Fushun (葛福順), Chen Xuanli (陳玄禮), and Li Xianfu (李仙鳧) thereafter also joined the plot.
Without first informing Li Dan, the conspirators rose on July 21, first killing Wei Bo, Gao, and Empress Wei's cousin Wei Gui (韋璿). They then attacked the palace. When Empress Dowager Wei panicked and fled to an imperial guard camp, a guard beheaded her. Li Guo'er, Wu Yanxiu, and Lady Helou were killed as well. Li Longji soon slaughtered a number of officials in Empress Dowager's faction as well as her clan, while displaying Empress Dowager Wei's body on the street. At the urging of Princess Taiping, Li Longji, and Li Longji's brother Li Chengqi, Li Dan soon took the throne from Li Chongmao and again became emperor (as Emperor Ruizong). Li Chengqi (李成器 ( 679 - January 5, 742) known as Wu Chengqi (武成器 during the reign of his grandmother Wu Zetian and as Empress Dowager Wei was posthumously reduced to commoner rank. Emperor Ruizong still buried her with honors, but not with honors due an empress, but rather with honors due an official of the first rank.
Notes and references
- ^ As Li Zhe became crown prince in 680, and their son Li Chongrun was born in 682, the marriage must have taken place in either 680 or 681. Events By Place Europe The Bulgars subjugate the country of current-day Bulgaria. Li Chongrun (李重潤 ( 682 - October 8, 701) né Li Chongzhao (李重照 formally Crown Prince Yide (懿德太子 was an imperial Events By Place Byzantine Empire The Bulgars win the war with the Byzantine Empire; the latter signs a peace treaty which
- ^ This is per the Book of Tang, vol. The Book of Tang ( or the Old Book of Tang (舊唐書/旧唐书 is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. 51. [1] However, according to the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 203, this promotion took place after Li Zhe took the throne as emperor in 684. The Zizhi Tongjian ( was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography. Events By Place Asia Wu Ze Tian takes power in China The Ummayad caliph Muawiya II is succeeded by
- ^ However, some modern historians, based on the text on Li Xianhui's tombstone (written after Emperor Zhongzong was restored to the throne in 705), which suggested that she died the day after her brother and her husband and that she was pregnant at death, and the fact that the skeleton believed to be hers had a small pelvis, have proposed the theory that she was not ordered to commit suicide, but had, in grief over her brother's and husband's deaths, had either a miscarriage or a difficult birth and died from that. Alternate meanings Area code 705; Project 705; Life 705 Events By Place Asia February 20 See, e. g. , illustrations preceding the Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. Bo Yang ( 7 March 1920 – 29 April 2008) also sometimes called Bai Yang, was a Chinese language writer based in 49. It may be notable that the Chinese Wikipedia article for Li Xianhui gave the text for her tombstone, but did not give an external link corroborating the text in the article. The Chinese Wikipedia (中文維基百科/中文维基百科 is the Chinese language edition of Wikipedia, run by the Wikimedia Foundation.
- ^ 兩千年中西曆轉換
- Book of Tang, vol. The Book of Tang ( or the Old Book of Tang (舊唐書/旧唐书 is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. 51. [2]
- New Book of Tang, 76. The New Book of Tang ( is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi (宋祁 and other official scholars of the [3]
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. The Zizhi Tongjian ( was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography. 203, 208, 209.
| Preceded by Empress Wu |
Empress of Tang Dynasty 684 |
Succeeded by Empress Liu |
| Preceded by None (dynasty interrupted); last empress was Empress Liu |
Empress of Tang Dynasty 705-710 |
Succeeded by Empress Lu |
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