Emperor Ai

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About Emperor Ai

Reign Years:904- 907 A.D

Given Name: Li Zhu

Reign Name:Emperor Ai

Emperor Ai – Tang Dynasty

Emperor Ai of the Tang Dynasty was also called Zhaoxuan of Tang. He was born as Li Zuo and was eventually known as Li Chu.

He was the last emperor of the dynasty and reigned as a puppet ruler from 904 to 907.

Background of the Last Tang Ruler

Li Zuo was born at the main palace in Chang’an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty of China. He was the 9th son of Emperor Zhaozong, while his mother was Consort He.

In 897, Li Zuo was made the imperial prince and had the title Prince of Hui. Later that same year, his mother’s status was changed, and there, she became empress.

By 903, Zhu Quanzhong, the Jiedushi (military governor) of Xuanwu Circuit, had already taken the court of Zhaozong at Chang’an. He was in alliance with the chancellor named Cui Yin.

Li Zuo as Generalissimo and Crown Prince

That same year, Emperor Zhaozong was ready to give the title of Deputy Generalissimo of every circuit to Zhu. There, one of his sons would serve as Generalissimo.

Initially, he planned to give the title to Li Yu since he was much older. However, Zhu preferred having a younger prince serve that position to avoid diverting the attention of authority. So under the orders of Zhu, Cui opted to recommend Li Zuo.

The emperor then agreed to the recommendation and made Li Zuo as Generalissimo.

In 904, Zhu forced Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang, which was firmly and more under his control. Later that same year, Zhu feared that Zhaozong would try going against him while he was out on campaigns. To prevent this, he had the emperor assassinated.

As he bypassed Li Yu and other old princes, he issued an edict in Zhaozong’s name and made Li Zuo the crown prince. Then, he changed Zuo’s name to Li Chu.
Shortly, Li Chu ascended the throne as Emperor Ai, while Empress He was honored as empress dowager. Fortunately for her, she was one of those who survived the assassination.

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Reign of Emperor Ai

Emperor Ai ascended the throne at the very young age of 11. It was after his father, Zhaozong, was killed. While he ruled as emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, the court was entirely controlled by officials under Zhu.

Yielding the Throne to Zhu Quanzhong

In 905, under Li Zhen and Liu Can’s encouragement, Zhu had Emperor Ai issue an edict. It summoned senior aristocrats near the Yellow River at Baima station, where they were forced to commit suicide. When they died, their bodies were tossed into the river.

Simultaneously, Ai of Tang had nine brothers, including Li Yu, that were killed under Zhu’s orders.

While these happened, close associates of Zhu, such as Liu, Jiang Xuanhui, and Zhang Tingfan, were preparing ceremonies. These were for Ai of Tang to give the throne to Zhu.

Emperor Ai also issued some edicts to have Zhu become the Prince of Wei. It also noted that the emperor would give him the nine bestowments.

Establishment of the Later Liang Dynasty

In 907, under the advice of Luo Shaowei, Weibo Circuit’s military governor, Zhu resolved to have the throne. Later, he had the young emperor yield the throne, which ended the Tang Dynasty of China. There, the new Later Liang Dynasty emerged with Zhu as Emperor Taizu.

Despite this, a couple of regional warlords refused to recognize him as emperor. With that, they effectively became leaders of their own states, namely Wu, Qi, Jin, and Former Shu.

Of the new states, Qi, Jin, and Wu continued using Emperor Ai’s Tianyou name. It’s because they still recognized him as the emperor.

In 907, Zhu made his final attempt against Emperor Ai, and there, he forced the emperor to abdicate.

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Death of Emperor Ai

At some point in time, Zhu Wen made Li Chu Prince of Jiyin. From there, he moved the young boy from Luoyang to Shandong’s Cao Prefecture. The mansion that he stayed in was heavily guarded, and it even had a fence of thorns that surrounded it.

In 908, Li Chu died since he was poisoned to death. In 928, when Li Siyuan reigned as Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang, his officials suggested that a temple was built. It was mainly to honor Emperor Ai.

Of course, Emperor Mingzong agreed and ordered a temple built at the Cao Prefecture for the late Emperor Ai.

In 929, more imperial officials under Emperor Mingzong suggested more things. They wanted to give Ai of Tang a more proper, Tang-based, and traditional posthumous name. They decided on Emperor Zhaoxuan Guanglie Xiao, and with Jingzong as his temple name.

However, they also pointed out that since Ai’s temple wasn’t part of the imperial ancestral ones. So, a temple name wasn’t right. With that, only the posthumous name was used and adopted.

Based on traditional or classic Chinese histories, many referred to him as Emperor Ai. However, he was also sometimes called Emperor Zhaoxuan.