Emperor Ai of Tang facts for kids

Emperor Ai of Tang (born Li Zuo, later Li Chu) was the very last emperor of the Tang dynasty in China. He was also known as Emperor Zhaoxuan of Tang. He was born on October 27, 892, and passed away on March 26, 908, at the young age of 15.

Emperor Ai ruled from 904 to 907, but he was a puppet ruler. This means he was the emperor in name, but someone else, a powerful warlord named Zhu Wen, made all the real decisions. Emperor Ai became emperor when he was just 11 years old. His father, Emperor Zhaozong, was killed by Zhu Wen's orders. During Emperor Ai's rule, Zhu Wen controlled the Tang court in Luoyang.

In 905, Zhu Wen, influenced by his helpers, made Emperor Ai order many important people to take their own lives. Emperor Ai could not stop Zhu Wen from also killing his own brothers and mother that same year. Less than two years later, in 907, Zhu Wen forced the young emperor to give up his throne. Zhu Wen then started his own new dynasty called Later Liang. Emperor Ai was given the title Prince of Jiyin, but in 908, Zhu Wen had him poisoned.

Early Life and Rise to Power

Li Zuo was born in 892 in Chang'an, the main capital city of the Tang Empire. His father, Emperor Zhaozong, was already the emperor. Li Zuo was the ninth son of Emperor Zhaozong. His mother was Consort He. She had an older son, Li Yu, who was Emperor Zhaozong's first son.

In 897, Li Zuo was given the title of Prince of Hui. His mother, Consort He, became empress later that year. This happened after his older brother, Li Yu, was named the crown prince.

By 903, a powerful military leader named Zhu Quanzhong had taken control of the Tang court. Zhu Wen was a Jiedushi, which means a military governor. He controlled Xuanwu Circuit, an important area. Zhu Wen worked with a high-ranking official called Cui Yin. Emperor Zhaozong wanted to make Zhu Wen a top general. He first thought of making Li Yu the main general. But Zhu Wen wanted a younger prince for this role. He wanted someone who would not take away his own power. So, Cui Yin suggested Li Zuo, and Emperor Zhaozong agreed. Li Zuo became the Generalissimo.

In 904, Zhu Wen forced Emperor Zhaozong to move the capital city. They moved from Chang'an to Luoyang, which Zhu Wen controlled even more tightly. Later that year, Zhu Wen worried that Emperor Zhaozong might try to fight back. So, he had Emperor Zhaozong killed. Zhu Wen then made an order in Emperor Zhaozong's name. This order made Li Zuo the crown prince. His name was also changed to Li Chu. Soon after, Li Chu became Emperor Ai. His mother, Empress He, was honored as the empress dowager.

Emperor Ai's Reign

When Emperor Ai became emperor, he was very young. One of the top officials was Liu Can, a close friend of Zhu Quanzhong. Liu Can disliked the old noble families. He told Zhu Wen that these nobles should be killed. He said this would stop them from fighting Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen agreed with him.

In 905, Emperor Ai had to issue orders to gather about 30 important nobles. They were brought to a place called Baima Station. There, they were told to take their own lives. These victims included former high officials like Pei Shu and Dugu Sun. Around the same time, nine of Emperor Ai's brothers, including Li Yu, were also killed by Zhu Wen's orders.

Meanwhile, Liu Can and other close friends of Zhu Wen were planning for Emperor Ai to give his throne to Zhu Wen. First, they made Emperor Ai issue orders to make Zhu Wen the Prince of Wei. They also gave him special gifts and honors, called the nine bestowments. Zhu Wen wanted the throne faster. He believed false stories that his friends were slowing things down. So, he had Liu Can and his other friends killed. Then, false stories were spread about Empress Dowager He. She was working with Zhu Wen's friends, hoping to keep herself and the young emperor safe. She was also killed. Emperor Ai was forced to say bad things about his own mother after she died. He had to lower her rank to a common person. But he was still allowed to mourn for her.

In 907, Zhu Wen decided it was time to take the throne for himself. He had the young Emperor Ai give up his power. This ended the Tang dynasty. Zhu Wen then started his new Later Liang dynasty. He became its first emperor. However, some other powerful leaders in different parts of China did not accept Zhu Wen as emperor. They started their own states. These states, like Jin and Wu, continued to use Emperor Ai's old Tianyou era name. This showed they still saw him as the true emperor.

Emperor Ai's Death

After Zhu Wen took the throne, he made Li Chu the Prince of Jiyin. He moved Li Chu from Luoyang to Cao Prefecture. Li Chu's new home was heavily guarded. It even had a fence of thorns around it.

In 908, Zhu Wen had Li Chu poisoned to death. Li Chu was only 15 years old. Zhu Wen gave him the posthumous name of Ai, which means "lamentable" or "pitiful." Many years later, in 928, a new emperor named Li Siyuan ruled the Later Tang dynasty. This dynasty claimed to be the real continuation of the Tang dynasty. Li Siyuan's officials suggested building a temple to honor Emperor Ai. Emperor Mingzong had the temple built in Cao Prefecture.

In 929, officials suggested giving Emperor Ai a more traditional Tang posthumous name. They wanted to call him Emperor Zhaoxuan Guanglie Xiao. They also suggested a temple name of Jingzong. But they noted that his temple was not among the main imperial temples. So, a temple name was not proper. Only the new posthumous name was used. This is why history books often call him Emperor Ai, but sometimes also Emperor Zhaoxuan.

Important Officials During His Reign

These were some of the main officials who served during Emperor Ai's short reign:

• Cui Yuan (904–905)
• Pei Shu (904–905)
• Dugu Sun (904–905)
• Liu Can (904–905)
• Zhang Wenwei (905–907)
• Yang She (905–907)

Family Life

Official history books do not record much about Emperor Ai's family. A general from the Song dynasty named Li Gang claimed to be a descendant of Emperor Ai. He said he was related through a son named Li Xizhao.