Li Yu (prince)
Encyclopedia
Li Yu (d. March 17, 905), né Li You (李祐) (name changed 897), briefly Li Zhen (李縝) (from 900 to 901), formally the Prince of De (德王), was an imperial prince of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
. He was the oldest son of the penultimate emperor Emperor Zhaozong
and Empress He
and was Crown Prince
from 897 to 900. In 900, Emperor Zhaozong was briefly forced by the eunuch Liu Jishu
to abdicate in Li Yu's favor; after Emperor Zhaozong was restored, Li Yu was no longer Crown Prince but remained a favored son. After Emperor Zhaozong was assassinated by the powerful warlord Zhu Quanzhong in 904, Li Yu, whom Zhu was apprehensive of, was bypassed in favor of his younger brother Emperor Ai
(Li Zuo/Li Zhu), and in 905, Zhu had Li Yu, along with eight of his younger brothers, killed. As Li Yu's brief reign was under duress from a eunuch, he is not typically considered a true emperor of Tang.
became emperor in 888 — but it would be before his younger brother Li Zuo
was born in 892
, particularly since both he and Li Zuo were born of Empress He
. He was Emperor Zhaozong's oldest son. In 891, Emperor Zhaozong created him the Prince of De.
to Hua Prefecture (華州, headquartered in modern Weinan
, Shaanxi
) after an attack by the warlord Li Maozhen
the military governor (Jiedushi
) of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
, Shaanxi
) in 896
, Emperor Zhaozong came under effective control of Han Jian
the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered at Hua Prefecture). Han soon became apprehensive of the fact that Emperor Zhaozong arrived at Hua Prefecture along with a number of new imperial soldiers that Emperor Zhaozong had recruited and put under the commands of a number of imperial princes (who were not his sons), and he pressured Emperor Zhaozong to force the imperial princes to give up the commands. Under Han's duress, Emperor Zhaozong was forced to have the imperial princes give up the commands and subject to house arrest by Han. Han, knowing that this displeased Emperor Zhaozong, wanted to placate the emperor, so he suggested to the emperor that he create Li You crown prince. In spring 897, Emperor Zhaozong did so, and also changed Li You's name to Li Yu. Shortly after, Li Yu's mother Consort He was created empress. (Subsequently, when Han ascertained that if he acted against the imperial princes that he arrested that he would not face retaliation from Li Keyong
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
, Shanxi
), whom Emperor Zhaozong was still awaiting rescue from, Han slaughtered those imperial princes.)
. It was said, however, that after the ordeal at Hua Prefecture, he became depressed, drank frequently, and had unpredictable moods. The powerful eunuchs (Liu Jishu
and Wang Zhongxian (王仲先) the commanders of the Shence Armies and Wang Yanfan (王彥範) and Xue Qiwo (薛齊偓) the directors of palace communications) became considering deposing him. Late in 900, after an incident where Emperor Zhaozong personally killed a few eunuchs and ladies in waiting
after being drunk, Liu acted. He took the Shence soldiers and entered the palace, forcing Emperor Zhaozong to turn over the imperial seal and putting the emperor under house arrest. He brought Li Yu to the palace and, issuing an edict in Emperor Zhaozong's name passing the throne to Li Yu, declared Li Yu emperor and changed his name to Li Zhen. Emperor Zhaozong was honored as Retired Emperor (Taishanghuang) while Empress He was honored as Retired Empress.
Less than two months later, a group of Shence officers loyal to Emperor Zhaozong (led by Sun Dezhao (孫德昭), Dong Yanbi (董彥弼), and Zhou Chenghui (周承誨)) killed Liu and Wang Zhongxian. They restored Emperor Zhaozong to the throne. A group of eunuchs, in the disturbance, escorted Li Zhen to the Left Shence Army. They offered the imperial seal back to Emperor Zhaozong. Emperor Zhaozong accepted it and stated that Li Yu was not responsible, since he was young. He returned Li Yu to the Crown Prince's palace, but still removed the title of Crown Prince from him and made him the Prince of De again.
to Fengxiang (as they were allied with Li Maozhen) in 901, Li Yu was taken to Fengxiang as well. At the instigation of the chancellor Cui Yin
, Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng
, Henan
) took an army to Fengxiang, put its capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege, and forced Li Maozhen to surrender the emperor to him. He took the emperor and the imperial household back to Chang'an.
By this point, Li Yu was growing up and was said to be handsome. Zhu, who wanted to eventually take over the throne himself, was apprehensive of him, and stated to Cui that he believed that Li Yu, having taken the throne improperly earlier, should not be allowed to live. When Cui relayed this to Emperor Zhaozong, Emperor Zhaozong was shocked and confronted Zhu; Zhu then disavowed having told that to Cui. Subsequently, when Zhu had Cui killed and forced the emperor to relocate to Luoyang
, which was firmly in his control, Emperor Zhaozong became fearful that Zhu wanted Li Yu killed, once stating to Zhu's assistant Jiang Xuanhui (蔣玄暉), whom Zhu made the director of palace communications to keep the emperor under watch, "The Prince of De is a beloved son of ours. Why does Quanzhong firmly want him dead?" Zhu became more apprehensive, and, in 904, he had his adoptive son Zhu Yougong (朱友恭) and officer Shi Shucong (氏叔琮) assassinate the emperor. Li Yu, even though he was the oldest son, was bypassed, and his younger Li Zuo, then the Prince of Hui, was made emperor (as Emperor Ai, with his name changed to Li Zhu).
In spring 905
, at the She Festival (社日, i.e., the festival dedicated to the Tudi
), Zhu had Jiang invite Li Yu and seven of his younger brothers to a feast at Jiuqu Pond (九曲池). At the feast, Zhu had the soldiers seize the imperial princes and strangle them to death. Their bodies were thrown into the pond.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. He was the oldest son of the penultimate emperor Emperor Zhaozong
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...
and Empress He
Empress He (Zhaozong)
Empress He , semi-formally known as Empress Jishan , was the wife of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang near the end of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, and the mother of two of his sons, Li You/Li Yu and Emperor Ai of Tang...
and was Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
from 897 to 900. In 900, Emperor Zhaozong was briefly forced by the eunuch Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu was an eunuch late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, as a powerful commander of the Shence Armies, briefly deposed Emperor Zhaozong in 900 and replaced Emperor Zhaozong with Emperor Zhaozong's son Li Yu, but was soon killed in a countercoup, allowing Emperor Zhaozong to return to...
to abdicate in Li Yu's favor; after Emperor Zhaozong was restored, Li Yu was no longer Crown Prince but remained a favored son. After Emperor Zhaozong was assassinated by the powerful warlord Zhu Quanzhong in 904, Li Yu, whom Zhu was apprehensive of, was bypassed in favor of his younger brother Emperor Ai
Emperor Ai of Tang
Emperor Ai of Tang , also known as Emperor Zhaoxuan , born Li Zuo, later Li Zhu , was the last emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 904 to 907. The Ai Emperor was the son of Emperor Zhaozong....
(Li Zuo/Li Zhu), and in 905, Zhu had Li Yu, along with eight of his younger brothers, killed. As Li Yu's brief reign was under duress from a eunuch, he is not typically considered a true emperor of Tang.
Background
It is not known when Li You was born — including whether he was born before or after his father Emperor ZhaozongEmperor 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...
became emperor in 888 — but it would be before his younger brother Li Zuo
Emperor Ai of Tang
Emperor Ai of Tang , also known as Emperor Zhaoxuan , born Li Zuo, later Li Zhu , was the last emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 904 to 907. The Ai Emperor was the son of Emperor Zhaozong....
was born in 892
892
Year 892 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Poppo of Thuringia, count of the march in Thuringia, is deposed by the German Carolingian king Arnulf of Carinthia....
, particularly since both he and Li Zuo were born of Empress He
Empress He (Zhaozong)
Empress He , semi-formally known as Empress Jishan , was the wife of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang near the end of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, and the mother of two of his sons, Li You/Li Yu and Emperor Ai of Tang...
. He was Emperor Zhaozong's oldest son. In 891, Emperor Zhaozong created him the Prince of De.
As crown prince under Emperor Zhaozong
After Emperor Zhaozong and his court were forced to flee from the imperial capital Chang'anChang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
to Hua Prefecture (華州, headquartered in modern Weinan
Weinan
Weinan is a Municipality in the province of Shaanxi, PRC. The Grand Historian Sima Qian was born in Weinan.-Administration:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) after an attack by the warlord Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen , né Song Wentong , courtesy name Zhengchen , formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin , was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Qi...
the military governor (Jiedushi
Jiedushi
The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their...
) of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) in 896
896
Year 896 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Decisive Bulgarian victory over Magyars in the Battle of Southern Buh....
, Emperor Zhaozong came under effective control of Han Jian
Han Jian (Tang Dynasty)
Han Jian , courtesy name Zuoshi , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who eventually became a subject of the succeeding Later Liang Dynasty...
the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered at Hua Prefecture). Han soon became apprehensive of the fact that Emperor Zhaozong arrived at Hua Prefecture along with a number of new imperial soldiers that Emperor Zhaozong had recruited and put under the commands of a number of imperial princes (who were not his sons), and he pressured Emperor Zhaozong to force the imperial princes to give up the commands. Under Han's duress, Emperor Zhaozong was forced to have the imperial princes give up the commands and subject to house arrest by Han. Han, knowing that this displeased Emperor Zhaozong, wanted to placate the emperor, so he suggested to the emperor that he create Li You crown prince. In spring 897, Emperor Zhaozong did so, and also changed Li You's name to Li Yu. Shortly after, Li Yu's mother Consort He was created empress. (Subsequently, when Han ascertained that if he acted against the imperial princes that he arrested that he would not face retaliation from Li Keyong
Li Keyong
Li Keyong was a Shatuo military governor during the late Tang Dynasty and was key to developing a base of power for the Shatuo in what is today Shanxi Province in China...
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
), whom Emperor Zhaozong was still awaiting rescue from, Han slaughtered those imperial princes.)
Briefly as emperor
Emperor Zhaozong subsequently made peace with Li Maozhen and returned to Chang'an in 899899
Year 899 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Edward the Elder becomes King of Wessex.* Regino of Prüm is expelled from Prüm and becomes abbot of St...
. It was said, however, that after the ordeal at Hua Prefecture, he became depressed, drank frequently, and had unpredictable moods. The powerful eunuchs (Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu was an eunuch late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, as a powerful commander of the Shence Armies, briefly deposed Emperor Zhaozong in 900 and replaced Emperor Zhaozong with Emperor Zhaozong's son Li Yu, but was soon killed in a countercoup, allowing Emperor Zhaozong to return to...
and Wang Zhongxian (王仲先) the commanders of the Shence Armies and Wang Yanfan (王彥範) and Xue Qiwo (薛齊偓) the directors of palace communications) became considering deposing him. Late in 900, after an incident where Emperor Zhaozong personally killed a few eunuchs and ladies in waiting
Lady in Waiting
Lady in Waiting is the 2nd album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released in 1976. -Track listing:#"Breaker-Breaker" – 2:59#"South Carolina" – 3:05#"Ain't So Bad" – 3:48...
after being drunk, Liu acted. He took the Shence soldiers and entered the palace, forcing Emperor Zhaozong to turn over the imperial seal and putting the emperor under house arrest. He brought Li Yu to the palace and, issuing an edict in Emperor Zhaozong's name passing the throne to Li Yu, declared Li Yu emperor and changed his name to Li Zhen. Emperor Zhaozong was honored as Retired Emperor (Taishanghuang) while Empress He was honored as Retired Empress.
Less than two months later, a group of Shence officers loyal to Emperor Zhaozong (led by Sun Dezhao (孫德昭), Dong Yanbi (董彥弼), and Zhou Chenghui (周承誨)) killed Liu and Wang Zhongxian. They restored Emperor Zhaozong to the throne. A group of eunuchs, in the disturbance, escorted Li Zhen to the Left Shence Army. They offered the imperial seal back to Emperor Zhaozong. Emperor Zhaozong accepted it and stated that Li Yu was not responsible, since he was young. He returned Li Yu to the Crown Prince's palace, but still removed the title of Crown Prince from him and made him the Prince of De again.
After Emperor Zhaozong's restoration
There was no reference to Li Yu's activities after become Prince of De again. Presumably, when Emperor Zhaozong was subsequently kidnapped by the eunuchs led by Han QuanhuiHan Quanhui
Han Quanhui was an eunuch late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. The struggles by the eunuchs, led by him, against the chancellor Cui Yin, who wanted to eliminate the powerful eunuchs, led to the eunuchs' kidnapping of Emperor Zhaozong and then a major military confrontation between two...
to Fengxiang (as they were allied with Li Maozhen) in 901, Li Yu was taken to Fengxiang as well. At the instigation of the chancellor Cui Yin
Cui Yin
Cui Yin , courtesy name Chuixiu , nickname Zilang , formally the Duke of Wei , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong...
, Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) took an army to Fengxiang, put its capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege, and forced Li Maozhen to surrender the emperor to him. He took the emperor and the imperial household back to Chang'an.
By this point, Li Yu was growing up and was said to be handsome. Zhu, who wanted to eventually take over the throne himself, was apprehensive of him, and stated to Cui that he believed that Li Yu, having taken the throne improperly earlier, should not be allowed to live. When Cui relayed this to Emperor Zhaozong, Emperor Zhaozong was shocked and confronted Zhu; Zhu then disavowed having told that to Cui. Subsequently, when Zhu had Cui killed and forced the emperor to relocate to Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, which was firmly in his control, Emperor Zhaozong became fearful that Zhu wanted Li Yu killed, once stating to Zhu's assistant Jiang Xuanhui (蔣玄暉), whom Zhu made the director of palace communications to keep the emperor under watch, "The Prince of De is a beloved son of ours. Why does Quanzhong firmly want him dead?" Zhu became more apprehensive, and, in 904, he had his adoptive son Zhu Yougong (朱友恭) and officer Shi Shucong (氏叔琮) assassinate the emperor. Li Yu, even though he was the oldest son, was bypassed, and his younger Li Zuo, then the Prince of Hui, was made emperor (as Emperor Ai, with his name changed to Li Zhu).
In spring 905
905
Year 905 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* The Abbasid Caliphate re-establishes control of Egypt from the Tulunids.- Asia :...
, at the She Festival (社日, i.e., the festival dedicated to the Tudi
Tu Di Gong
Tu Di Gong , also known as Tu Di , Tu Gong , and Dabo Gong , is a Chinese earth god worshipped by Chinese folk religion worshippers and Taoists. A formal name for Tu Di Gong is , meaning the earth god of wealth and merit....
), Zhu had Jiang invite Li Yu and seven of his younger brothers to a feast at Jiuqu Pond (九曲池). At the feast, Zhu had the soldiers seize the imperial princes and strangle them to death. Their bodies were thrown into the pond.