Emperor Suzong

Emperor Suzong – Tang Dynasty

Suzong of Tang was the son of Emperor Xuanzong. He eventually became the Tang Dynasty emperor after his father escaped to Sichuan during the An Lushan Rebellion.

He was born Li Heng, but he was known to have different names throughout the years before that. These names were Li Jun, Li Shisheng, Li Shao, and Li Yu.

Life before Succeeding the Throne

Li Shiseng was born in the year 711 during the second reign of Emperor Ruizong, his grandfather. His father was crown prince Li Longji who eventually became the Tang Dynasty emperor under the name Xuanzong.

His mother, Consort Yang Guipin, came from the imperial family of the preceding Sui Empire.

The next year, Ruizong passed the throne to Li Longji, who later became the Tang Dynasty emperor Xuanzong. Despite having the title of emperor, Ruizong still retained power as the retired emperor.

Shortly after Xuanzong ascended the throne, Ruizong decided to assign Li Sisheng as the Prince of Shan.

In 724, Empress Wang was deposed due to Consort Wu’s machinations. That time, the latter ended up becoming Emperor Xuanzong’s favorite concubine. Shortly after, Empress Wang died.

The Reign of Emperor Suzong

Emperor Suzong ascended the throne when his father escaped to Sichuan. Specifically, it was during the An Lushan Rebellion in 756. It was an incident influenced by An Lushan, a general from the Tang Empire.

When Suzong became the Tang Dynasty emperor, he aimed to seize Chang’an once again from the Yan forces. It was a timely plan since the Yan were facing great resistance from the people from Guanzhong. With that, they weren’t able to keep a firm grip over the region.

At some point in time, An Lushan was assassinated then succeeded by An Qingxu, his son, as the Yan emperor.

During the Suzong of Tang’s rule, the tradition of eunuchs turning into top officials started. Here, Li Fuguo became the main commander of the imperial guards. It was a high-ranking position since he almost entirely had absolute power close to the emperor’s reign.

Internal Struggles and Issues

The court of Emperor Suzong had its own set of struggles and issues. Li Fuguo was one since he was aligned with Consort Zhang, the emperor’s favorite concubine. They were opposed to Li Tan, Li Chu, and Li Mi, the emperor’s most trusted advisor.

In 757, Li Tan continuously accused Consort Zhang and Li Fuguo of corruption. In turn, the two falsely accused Tan of attempting to assassinate Li Chu to become heir.

Out of anger, the Tang Dynasty emperor Suzong ordered Li Tan to kill himself. Doing this drew fear from both Li Mi and Li Chu.

Soon after, Suzong of Tang had his daughters, Xianyi and Wan’an, attend to Xuanzong. But since he lost his trusted attendants, he fell silent and eventually fell ill. Because of this, Emperor Suzong visited Xuanzong frequently, yet he eventually grew ill too and ended up visiting less.

Eventually, Li Fuguo became the empire’s minister of defense. With that, Emperor Suzong was forced to follow his wishes when it came to governance. However, the Tang Dynasty emperor dismissed his requests to become chancellor.

Death and Succession

Emperor Xuanzong became ill and died in a depressed state in 762. At this point, Emperor Suzong eventually became severely ill and bedridden. Thus, Li Fuguo gave Li Yu the power of regent.

By this time, Empress Zhang ano longer had an alliance with Li Fuguo. The empress summoned Li Yu and attempted to form an alliance to kill Li Fuguo and Cheng Yuanzhen. However, Li Yu refused since this would alarm the ill emperor.

Empress Zhang then allied with Li Yu’s brother, Li Xi, to attempt a trap for Li Fuguo. Her 200 loyal eunuchs who were ready to act against Li Fuguo were also a part of this alliance.

Soon after, the empress issued an order in the emperor’s name to summon Li Yu. However, Cheng received the news, so he reported to Li Fuguo and escorted Li Yu to the imperial guards’ headquarters. Li Fuguo and Cheng commanded the imperial guards to enter the palace to arrest Empress Zhang and her associates.

When the emperor was resting at Changsheng Hall, soldiers dragged Empress Zhang, the eunuchs, and the ladies in waiting away. It was said that Emperor Suzong was left alone without attendants and died only 13 days after Emperor Xuanzong’s death. The emperor died due to myocardial infarction, but it was said he was also in despair after his father’s death.

Later, Li Fuguo killed Empress Zhang, as well as Li Xi and Li Xian in a power struggle. Li Yu was then declared as the Tang Dynasty emperor and was known as Emperor Daizong.

The reign of Emperor Daizong marked the beginning of the tradition of eunuchs gaining power at the court.

The Reign of Emperor Suzong

Emperor Suzong was faced with the devastation of the An Lushan rebellion. Because of that, he wrote a letter to the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur to request armed assistance. The latter responded by dispatching 4,000 men to China to aid the emperor.

In return, the Muslim troops were granted to settle down permanently in China after the rebellion was quashed. Some married local Chinese people, which helped in forming the earliest Muslim groups in China.