Emperor Daizong of Tang

Who was Emperor Daizong of Tang?

Emperor Daizong of Tang, personal name Li Yu, né Li Chu, was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Daizong was the eldest son of Emperor Suzong – the first Emperor of the Tang dynasty to succeed as the eldest child, and during the Anshi Rebellion, he served as a general of Tang and Huige joint operations that recaptured the capital Chang'an and the eastern capital Luoyang from the rebel state of Yan, and the Anshi Rebellion was finally put down early in his own reign, in 763. However, thereafter, the Tang state was plagued by warlordism, with such generals as Tian Chengsi, Li Baochen, and Liang Chongyi effectively ruling their realms as independent states, only nominally loyal to Emperor Daizong. This would prove disastrous for future generations as future Tang emperors would be unable to remove or control these warlords and the central government's power would thus be slowly eroded and diminished. The power of the warlords would not prevent the Tang western territories from being overrun by Tibetan forces and eventually lost to Tibet, with the Tibetan forces even capturing Chang'an, in 763, although being expelled shortly after.