Background

Li Han was born in late 809, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Xianzong. His father, Li You was then the Prince of Sui under Emperor Xianzong, but while Li You was considered, under Confucian principles of succession, to be the proper heir to the throne, because his mother (Li Han's grandmother) Consort Guo, was Emperor Xianzong's wife and crown princess while Emperor Xianzong was crown prince, Li You was not created crown prince for some time; his older brother Li Ning, by Emperor Xianzong's concubine Consort Ji, was. Only after Li Ning's death in 811 was Li You, whose name was then changed to Li Heng, created crown prince in 812. Li Han was Li You's second son, being born four months after his older brother Li Zhan. His mother was Li You's concubine Consort Xiao.

In 820, Emperor Xianzong died, and Li Heng took the throne (as Emperor Muzong). In 821, Emperor Muzong created a large number of his brothers and sons imperial princes, and Li Han was created the Prince of Jiāng. In 824, Emperor Muzong died and was succeeded by Li Zhan (as Emperor Jingzong). Around the new year 827, Emperor Jingzong was assassinated by a group of imperial guards and eunuchs, led by the eunuch Liu Keming (劉克明). Liu initially tried to have Emperor Muzong's younger brother Li Wu the Prince of Jiàng (note different tone) made emperor, but soon, a group of powerful eunuchs—the directors of palace communications Wang Shoucheng and Yang Chenghe (楊承和) and commanders of the Shence Armies Wei Congjian (魏從簡) and Liang Shouqian (梁守謙) counteracted against the conspirators, launching forces to slaughter them. Li Wu was also killed in this event. Wang and the other eunuchs subsequently had Li Han named the new emperor by orders issued in the name of his grandmother Consort Guo (who was then grand empress dowager) (as Emperor Wenzong). His name was changed to Li Ang.

Reign

Early Dahe/Taihe Era

It was said that at the start of Emperor Wenzong's reign, he, having observed the wastefulness that his father Emperor Muzong and brother Emperor Jingzong displayed in their reigns, sought to conserve, govern diligently, and meet with the officials frequently. The people thought that a peaceful time would be coming. However, it was also said that Emperor Wenzong, while humble and willing to open to suggestions, was indecisive, often changing his mind after initially agreeing to the chancellors' suggestions. At one point, the chancellor Wei Chuhou objected and offered to resign, but Emperor Wenzong did not accept his resignation. Meanwhile, Emperor Wenzong honored his mother Consort Xiao as an empress dowager, and continued to honor his grandmother Grand Empress Dowager Guo and Emperor Jingzong's mother Empress Dowager Wang as well, so there were three empresses dowager in the palace. It was said that he served them with filial piety, always offering the best of the tributes to them first.

One of the major moves that Emperor Wenzong had to make, however, dealt with war—as, at the very end of Emperor Jingzong's reign, after the death of Li Quanlüe (李全略) the military governor (Jiedushi) of Henghai Circuit (橫海, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei), Li Quanlüe's son Li Tongjie seized control of the circuit without imperial sanction, hoping to succeed his father. Initially, the imperial government took no action, and after Emperor Wenzong took the throne, Li Tongjie sent his secretary Cui Congzhang (崔從長) and brothers Li Tongzhi (李同志) and Li Tongsun (李同巽) to the capital Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Wenzong, hoping that Emperor Wenzong would approve of his succession. In response, Emperor Wenzong commissioned Li Tongjie as the military governor of Yanhai Circuit (兗海, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong) and transferred a former military governor of Henghai, Wu Chongyin, to Henghai. Li Tongjie decided to resist militarily, and he was supported by the warlord Wang Tingcou, the military governor of neighboring Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei). Emperor Wenzong mobilized a number of circuits around Henghai to attack it, but could not immediately achieve success. Not until 829 was Li Tongjie defeated by the imperial general Li You (note different character than Emperor Muzong).

In the aftermath of Li Tongjie's defeat, however, one of the other warlords of the region, Shi Xiancheng the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), fearing that he would be the imperial forces' next target, offered to surrender his circuit to imperial control. Emperor Wenzong transferred Shi to Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and commissioned the imperial general Li Ting (李聽) to succeed him. Before Shi could depart Weibo, however, the Weibo soldiers mutinied, killed him, and supported the officer He Jintao as their leader in resisting Li Ting. Subsequently, He Jintao defeated Li Ting, and the imperial government, with its treasury drained by the Henghai campaign, decided not to wage another war, and Emperor Wenzong allowed He Jintao to become the military governor of Weibo.

In late 829, Nanzhao, irritated by incursions by Tang's Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) troops, who were forced to resort to raiding Nanzhao's border regions due to the reduction in salaries by Xichuan's military governor, the former chancellor Du Yuanying, made a major attack against Xichuan. The Nanzhao forces advanced all the way to Chengdu, almost capturing it. Nanzhao demanded that Emperor Wenzong take action against Du, and Emperor Wenzong exiled him and subsequently entered into a peace agreement with Nanzhao. Still, Nanzhao forces seized tens of thousands of people from Xichuan and took them to Nanzhao as captives.

830 saw the start of factionalism, later known as the Niu-Li Factional Struggles, within Emperor Wenzong's administration—as, by this point, Wei Chuhou had died, and fellow chancellor Pei Du, in his old age, had taken less of a lead on government decisions (and was eventually sent out of the capital to serve as a military governor). The succeeding chancellors Li Zongmin and Niu Sengru were considered factional figures (of the faction historians later referred to as the Niu Faction, named after Niu), and they, together, ejected allies of their political rival Li Deyu (after whom the Li Faction was later named by historians) from government. (Pei had recommended Li Deyu to be chancellor, but Li Zongmin was said to have triumphed over Li Deyu due to assistance by the eunuchs.) Meanwhile, Emperor Wenzong, tired of the eunuchs' influence over his governance and control of the palace, was secretly planning with the official Song Shenxi on how the eunuchs, particularly Wang Shoucheng, could be disarmed. To further plan this, Emperor Wenzong made Song a chancellor as well. However, when Wang and his strategist Zheng Zhu later heard about the plot in 831, they counteracted by falsely accusing Song of planning to overthrow Emperor Wenzong and replace him with his brother Li Cou the Prince of Zhang. As a result, both Li Cou and Song were exiled.

An event of major historical controversy occurred in 831. Li Deyu was then the military governor of Xichuan. Xidamou (悉怛謀), the Tufan defender of Wei Prefecture (維州, in modern Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan), had surrendered Wei Prefecture to him. Li Deyu advocated accepted Xidamou's surrender and further use it as a base to launch a major attack on Tufan. Niu, citing the peace treaty that Tang had entered with Tufan and that a Tufan attack against the Chang'an region would be devastating, advised against accepting Xidamou. Emperor Wenzong agreed and ordered Li Deyu to return Wei Prefecture to Tufan. Tufan subsequently slaughtered Xidamou and his subordinates, leading to a public outcry. (For centuries following, up to today, historians disagree over whether Li Deyu or Niu was correct.)

Late Dahe/Taihe Era

In 832, Emperor Wenzong created his son Li Yong crown prince. (Emperor Wenzong had previously planned to create Emperor Jingzong's oldest son Li Pu the Prince of Jin crown prince, but Li Pu died in 828, and it was said that Emperor Wenzong was so saddened that he waited for years before creating Li Yong crown prince.)

Also in 832, in the aftermaths of the Xidamou incident, with popular sentiment turning against Niu Sengru, Niu resigned his chancellor position to become the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei), and Li Deyu was recalled to Chang'an, becoming chancellor in 833. Li Deyu used the opportunity to attack Li Zongmin's associates for factionalism, and many were demoted. Li Zongmin himself was soon sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi).

Around the new year 833, Emperor Wenzong suffered a stroke. As Zheng Zhu was a talented physician, Wang Shoucheng recommended Zheng to Emperor Wenzong, and after Zheng was able to treat Emperor Wenzong, Emperor Wenzong became close to Zheng, but it was said that from this point on, Emperor Wenzong's spirit was weakened and could not be as strong as before. Subsequently, another associate of Wang's, Li Zhongyan, also became a close associate of Emperor Wenzong's, despite Li Deyu's attempts to reject him based on his past crimes. In order to counteract Li Deyu, Zheng and Li Zhongyan advocated for Li Zongmin's return from Shannan West, to again serve as chancellor, with Li Deyu sent to Zhenhai Circuit (鎮海, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu). It was said that around this time, Emperor Wenzong, exasperated at the factionalism that the Niu and Li Factions were engaging, commended, "It is easy to destroy the bandits the warlords) north of the Yellow River, but difficult to destroy the factionalism among officials." Subsequently, with Li Deyu having been accused of being closely associated with Li Cou's wet nurse Du Zhongyang (杜仲陽), he was further demoted and exiled. When the chancellor Lu Sui tried to intercede for Li Deyu, he, too, was sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Zhenghai.

Li Zongmin, however, would also not remain long as chancellor. He had offended Zheng by refusing to give Zheng a high-ranking post, and subsequently, when the family members of his close associate Yang Yuqing (楊虞卿) the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region) were accused of spreading rumors that Zheng was making immortality pills for Emperor Wenzong that used infant hearts and livers as ingredients, Yang was arrested and exiled. When Li Zongmin tried to intercede for Yang, he too was exiled. It was said that Li Zhongyan (whose name had been changed to Li Xun by this point) and Zheng then used the opportunity to accuse any official they did not like as factional associates of Li Deyu or Li Zongmin, having them ejected from the imperial government. Serving as chancellors, by this point, were Li Xun, Li Xun's associates Jia Su and Shu Yuanyu, and the senior official Wang Ya.

Meanwhile, Emperor Wenzong, Li Xun, and Zheng, who were not suspected by the eunuchs because Li Xun and Zheng had both been recommended by Wang, had been planning a plot to slaughter the powerful eunuchs, and several key eunuchs had been taken out individually through assassinations and exiles (followed by executions) by this point. In winter 835, the plan was beginning to be put into motion, as Zheng was sent to Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), to establish an army to use against the eunuchs. When, subsequently, Wang Shoucheng was forced to commit suicide on Emperor Wenzong's orders, Emperor Wenzong, Li Xun, and Zheng planned to use Wang Shoucheng's funeral as an excuse to gather the eunuchs and then use Zheng's troops to slaughter them. However, Li Xun, who was secretly jealous of Zheng, had a different plan that even Emperor Wenzong did not know about—to attack the eunuchs several days before Wang's funeral and then also destroy Zheng. To this end, on December 14, Li Xun had his associate, the general Han Yue (韓約), falsely announce that there were sweet dews (甘露, ganlu in Chinese) on a tree near Han's headquarters, planning to trap the leading eunuchs, Qiu Shiliang and Yu Hongzhi (魚弘志) the commanders of the Shence Armies, at Han's headquarters and then slaughtering the eunuchs there. However, Qiu and Yu, once they arrived at Han's headquarters, realized that something was amiss, and quickly returned to the imperial hall and seized Emperor Wenzong, returning to the palace with him. They subsequently launched the Shence Army soldiers and slaughtered and arrested a large number of officials, including Li Xun. Jia, Shu, and Wang Ya were subsequently also executed, along with a large number of Li Xun's associates, under the accusation that they had planned to overthrow Emperor Wenzong and support Zheng as the new emperor. Zheng was also assassinated at Fengxiang. (Because the claims of sweet dews were used as a tool to try to trap the eunuchs, this incident later became known as the Ganlu Incident.) In the aftermaths of the incident, Emperor Wenzong became physically under the eunuchs' hold, and he, the new chancellors Li Shi and Zheng Tan, and the other imperial officials, had their authorities severely reduced.

Kaicheng Era

In spring 836, the warlord Liu Congjian the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), submitted harshly-worded petitions accusing Qiu Shiliang and the other eunuchs of crimes. It was said that only after Liu's petitions that Qiu and the other eunuchs became apprehensive and allowed Emperor Wenzong, Li Shi, and Zheng Tan some ability to govern based on their own will. Still, when Emperor Wenzong ordered that Wang Ya and 10 other officials who were killed in the Ganlu Incident buried, Qiu had those officials bodies dug out of the tombs and thrown into the Wei River.

It was said Emperor Wenzong, after the Ganlu Incident, became depressed and never smiled, and he was often seen mumbling to himself even at grand feasts. At one point, in a conversation with the imperial scholar Zhou Chi, when he asked Zhou what kind of ancient rulers he could be compared with, and Zhou, to flatter him, responded that he could be compared with the mythical benevolent rulers Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun, Emperor Wenzong instead compared himself to the final rulers of the Zhou dynasty and Han dynasty—King Nan of Zhou and Emperor Xian of Han. When Zhou Chi, surprised, noted that both were dynasty-ending rulers, Emperor Wenzong stated:

In 837, Li Shi, after Qiu made an assassination attempt on him, resigned his chancellorship, and in his place, Chen Yixing, Yang Sifu, and Li Jue became chancellors successively, along with Zheng. Soon, partisanship again flared among the chancellors, pitting Zheng and Chen, both of whom were considered Li Faction leaders, against Yang and Li Jue, both of whom were considered Niu Faction leader, and it was said that the chancellors' advice became motivated by partisan considerations, making it difficult for Emperor Wenzong to rule on them, until Zheng and Chen were removed in 839.

Meanwhile, Emperor Wenzong's favorite concubine Consort Yang made false accusations against Li Yong's mother Consort Wang, and Consort Wang died as a result. Subsequently, there were further accusations that Li Yong was living in excess, and in 838, Emperor Wenzong briefly put Li Yong under arrest and considered removing him. Only at the urging of the imperial officials and Shence Army officers did Emperor Wenzong relent. However, Li Yong died shortly after, and some historians believe that Li Yong was murdered at Emperor Wenzong's implicit approval.

After Li Yong's death, Consort Yang recommended Emperor Wenzong's younger brother Li Rong the Prince of An to be the new crown prince. When Emperor Wenzong consulted the chancellors, however, Li Jue opposed. Emperor Wenzong thus created Emperor Jingzong's youngest son Li Chengmei the Prince of Chen to be the new crown prince in late 839. By spring 840, Emperor Wenzong was seriously ill. He had his trusted eunuchs Liu Hongyi (劉弘逸) and Xue Jileng (薛季稜) summon the chancellors Li Jue and Yang Sifu to the palace, intending to entrust Li Chengmei to them. However, Qiu and Yu Hongzhi, in control of the palace, opposed Li Chengmei because they were not consulted before Emperor Wenzong created Li Chengmei crown prince. Despite Li Jue's opposition, they issued an edict in Emperor Wenzong's name demoting Li Chengmei back to Prince of Chen (under the excuse that Li Chengmei was too young) and creating another brother of Emperor Wenzong's, Li Chan the Prince of Ying crown prince. Emperor Wenzong soon died, and after Emperor Wenzong's death, Chou persuaded Li Chan to order Li Chengmei, as well as Consort Yang and Li Rong, to commit suicide. Li Chan then took the throne (as Emperor Wuzong).

Culture

Emperor Wenzong issued an imperial decree, stating Li Bai's poetry, Zhang Xu's calligraphy and Pei Min's swordplay as the "Three Wonders of the Great Tang Empire".

In 837, a project commissioned by Emperor Wenzong, to have the texts and commentaries of the Confucian classics carved on stone tablets and publicly displayed, was completed at the imperial university for nobles (國子監, Guozi Jian).

Foreign relations

Emperor Wenzong caused a letter to be drafted for delivery to the Emperor of Japan, which he sent via Japanese ambassadors who had traveled from Heian-kyō as part of a diplomatic mission. On their return home in 839, these ambassadors presented the communication from the Chinese emperor to Emperor Ninmyō.

Chancellors during reign

• Dou Yizhi (827–828)

• Pei Du (827–830, 839)

• Wei Chuhou (827–828)

• Wang Bo (827–830)

• Lu Sui (828–835)

• Li Zongmin (829–833, 834–835)

• Niu Sengru (830–832)

• Song Shenxi (830–831)

• Li Deyu (833–834)

• Wang Ya (833–835)

• Jia Su (835)

• Li Guyan (835, 836–837)

• Shu Yuanyu (835)

• Li Xun (835)

• Zheng Tan (835–839)

• Li Shi (835–838)

• Chen Yixing (837–839)

• Yang Sifu (838–840)

• Li Jue (838–840)

• Cui Dan (839–840)

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Virtuous Consort, of the Wang clan (德妃 王氏; d. 838)

　• Li Yong, Crown Prince Zhuangke (莊恪皇太子 李永; d. 838), first son

• Worthy Consort Yang, of the Yang clan of Hongnong (賢妃 弘農楊氏; d. 840)

• Unknown

　• Li Zongjian, Prince Jiang (蔣王 李宗儉), second son

　• Princess Xingtang (興唐公主)

　• Princess Xiping (西平公主)

　• Princess Langning (郎寧公主; 827–866), fourth daughter

　• Princess Guanghua (光化公主)

Ancestry

生平

元和四年十月十日生，以其日為慶成節。長慶元年，封為江王。寶曆二年（826年），唐敬宗荒淫無道，虐待宦官劉克明等人，劉克明於是刺殺敬宗，立絳王李悟為帝。宰相裴度、執金吾梁守謙、樞密使王守澄（宦官）等率神策軍攻入朝廷，殺李悟，改立江王李涵，李涵改名為李昂，是為唐文宗。

文宗在位期間勵精圖治，資遣宮女三千人，罷免官員一千二百餘人。朝臣朋黨相互傾軋，官員調動頻繁，牛李黨爭達到高潮。

太和五年（831年），唐文宗與宰相宋申錫暗中密謀除掉宦官，但是被宦官王守澄及其門客探聽出來，王守澄與手下鄭注合謀，誣告宋申錫謀立漳王李湊。唐文宗中計，宋申錫被賜死。後來唐文宗又任用李訓、鄭注等人，意欲剷除宦官。李訓、鄭注是宦官所推薦的人，故宦官對他們缺乏警惕。文宗提拔了與王守澄不合的宦官仇士良，分王守澄之權，將其架空。太和九年（835年），文宗終于殺死王守澄。

王守澄死後僅一個月，李訓引誘仇士良等宦官往左金吾衛衙中取石榴樹上的「甘露」，企圖將其一舉消滅，但事情敗露，導致仇士良等宦官大肆屠殺四宰相為首的朝臣一千餘人，史稱「甘露之變」，被任為鳳翔節度使為外援的鄭注也被殺。事後，文宗更被宦官鉗制，對當值學士周墀慨嘆自己受制于家奴，境遇不如周赧王、漢獻帝，不禁淒然淚下。周墀聽了也伏地流涕。

唐文宗時期，藩鎮叛亂依舊頻繁。

開成五年（840年）文宗抑鬱成病，正月初四病死在大明宮中的太和殿，葬於章陵，死後謚號為元聖昭獻孝皇帝。

太子李永死後，楊賢妃和宰相楊嗣複提名安王李溶為皇太弟，文宗則聽宰相李玨建議立敬宗幼子陳王李成美為太子，但未行冊禮就病重了，臨終時託孤于楊嗣複、李玨，但當權宦官仇士良、魚弘志因太子不是自己力主所立，不顧李玨反對，矯詔仍廢太子為陳王，改立安王弟潁王李瀍為皇太弟，文宗死後，二人說服李瀍賜死李成美、李溶、楊賢妃。李瀍繼位，就是唐武宗。

軼事

唐文宗為莊恪太子李永選妃時，朝廷大臣的女兒們都進入了挑選名單之中，朝廷內外因此動蕩不安。唐文宗得知後對宰相鄭覃說：「我希望為太子求娶你們滎陽鄭氏有禮數的女子為妻，聽說在外的大臣們都不願與我做親戚，這是為甚麼呢？我家也是幾百年的世家大族，怎麼把神堯皇帝的後人當作佛家羅漢（不願締結親事）呢？」唐文宗于是放棄了選太子妃的計劃。不久鄭覃把孫女嫁給了一位九品衛佐崔皋，唐文宗說：「民間締結婚姻，不計較官品卻崇尚門第。我家已做了二百年的天子，還比不上崔氏和盧氏嗎？」

陳寅恪認為李唐數百年的天子門戶還比不上山東舊族九品衛佐的崔皋，可以想見山東世族心目中兩者社會價值的差距，李唐皇室出自關隴胡漢集團，與山東士族以禮法為門風的家法大有不同，李唐漢化程度較深後，與舊有的士族相比自覺相形見絀，越發仰慕，貴為天子也不能勝過山東世族九品衛佐的崔皋，說明山東舊族的自我高標準並非沒有原因。

《新唐書·仇士良傳》稱甘露之變後，仇士良、魚弘志召翰林學士崔慎由到秘殿，詐稱太皇太后有命另立新君，命他草詔。崔慎由驚呼此事會讓自己滅族，寧死不從。仇士良等默然，久後帶崔慎由去小殿見文宗，歷數文宗過失，文宗俯首。仇士良指著文宗說：「如果不是學士，你就不能坐在這裡了。」送崔慎由出去，要他保密，不然禍及宗族。崔慎由將此事記下來，臨死交給兒子崔胤，所以崔胤厭惡宦官。但北宋司馬光《資治通鑑考異》指出這段材料出自皮光業《見聞錄》，崔慎由大中初年才入朝為官乃至擔任翰林學士，開成年間並未入朝，故不可信。

家庭

后妃

•

• 王德妃

• 楊賢妃

•

• 郭氏，郭旼女，郭子儀侄孫女，太皇太后郭氏族姐妹，因柳公權的建議，被唐文宗遣返回家

• 郭氏，同上

子女

子

• 魯王→皇太子→莊恪太子李永，王德妃所生。

• 蔣王李宗儉，在李永死前就已夭折了。

粗體字為死後追贈

女

唐文宗有4位女兒。

• 興唐公主

• 西平公主

• 郎寧公主（第四女，薨于咸通年間）

• 光化公主（薨于廣明年間）

另《舊五代史·王鎔傳》稱文宗女壽安公主下嫁成德節度使王元逵。其實壽安公主為絳王李悟女，文宗堂妹。

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