Emperor Xuānzong of Tang

Emperor Xuānzong 唐宣宗李忱 (810–859, reigned 846–859) was a later emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. Personally named Li Chen, he was one of the most revolutionary rulers in Chinese history and is considered the last capable emperor of the Tang dynasty. Succeeding emperors after Xuānzong would either be too young or be dominated by corrupt officials. He was the 13th son of Emperor Xianzong (r.806-820) and the uncle of the previous three emperors, Jingzhong, Wenzong and Wuzong.

Reign

Xuānzong was born into an era where there were constant palace intrigues as well as plots being hatched in secrecy. Corrupt officials exists on all level of government and held sway over the central government. His three nephews before him were dominated by those powerful officials and was able to stayed on the throne largely as a result of the support from the corrupt officials. Xuānzong himself was designated the successor of Emperor Wuzong by corrupt officials only because he was the uncle of Emperor Wenzong and Wuzong and the corrupt officials had hope to easily control Xuānzong if he was not interested in ruling or shy away from his responsibility. Aware of this fact, Xuānzong pretended to play along and skillfully navigated the course to become emperor in 846. Once on the throne, he immediately began to set forth reforms to salvage the dynasty. He contributed to Chinese cultural and technological advancements in various ways. During his reign the Uyghur empire disintegrated. He helped to centralize the faltering Tang government. Xuanzong also revived the Buddhist religion, helping the Buddhist leaders recover from the persecution they had faced under the previous emperor, Wuzong. Also during Xuanzong's rule, the first advances in chemistry began, Chinese chemists first experimented with fireworks.

Death and legacy

Xuānzong died in 859 at the age of fifty. The success of his reign have been compared to one of his most illustrious predecessor Emperor Taizong of Tang - only on a much smaller scale. In spite of his achievements, succeeding Tang emperors would not be able to revive the dynasty and it quickly fell into disarray once again as political infighting and palace intrigues continued. The Tang dynasty would collapse less than fifty years after Xuānzong's death.

Notes and references

* 任士英 (2005) "正說唐朝二十一帝" Taipei (台北): 聯經. ISBN 978-957-08-2943-3