Emperor Zhaozong of Tang

Who was Emperor Zhaozong of Tang?

Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, né Li Jie, name later changed to Li Min, yet later name changed to Li Ye, was the penultimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904. Zhaozong was the seventh son of Emperor Yizong of Tang and younger brother of Emperor Xizong of Tang.

During Emperor Zhaozong's reign, Tang Dynasty fell into total disarray and rebellions, which had been ongoing since the reign of his older brother Emperor Xizong, broke out throughout the country while the imperial government's authority effectively disappeared. In the midst of all this, Emperor Zhaozong tried to salvage the dying dynasty. His efforts to reassert imperial power, however, generally backfired, as his unsuccessful campaigns against Li Keyong, Chen Jingxuan, and Li Maozhen, merely allowed Li Keyong and Li Maozhen to reaffirm their power by prevailing over imperial forces, while Chen was merely conquered and replaced by Wang Jian. Eventually, the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong seized control of the imperial government and in 904 had Emperor Zhaozong killed as the prelude of taking over the Tang throne. Zhu also killed many of Emperor Zhaozong's ministers, including the chancellor, Cui Yin. Zhu then placed Zhaozong's 13 year old son as a puppet emperor. Emperor Zhaozong's reign lasted almost 16 years and he was buried in Heling. He was 37.