Li Congrong facts for kids

Li Congrong (Chinese: 李從榮) was a son of Li Siyuan, who was the second emperor of a Chinese state called Later Tang during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. As Li Siyuan's oldest living biological son, many people expected Li Congrong to become the next emperor. However, when his father became very sick, Li Congrong worried that other officials might try to stop him from becoming emperor. He tried to take power by force, but he was defeated and killed.

Early Life and Family

We don't know exactly when Li Congrong was born. His younger brother, Li Conghou, was born in 914, and they shared the same mother, Lady Xia. Lady Xia died before Li Siyuan became emperor. Li Congrong was Li Siyuan's second son, and Li Conghou was his third.

When they were young, Li Congrong and Li Conghou had a good relationship with An Chonghui, who was a close friend of their father. An Chonghui was like an older brother to them. Li Congrong's older brother, Li Congjing, was killed near the end of the previous emperor's rule. This meant Li Congrong became Li Siyuan's oldest son.

Serving His Father, Emperor Li Siyuan

In 926, the previous emperor was killed. Li Siyuan then became the new emperor of Later Tang. Later that year, Li Siyuan made Li Congrong a military governor of Tianxiong Circuit, which was an important region. He also gave him an honorary title similar to a prime minister.

His brother, Li Conghou, also received a similar honorary title and was made the mayor of Luoyang, the capital city. He also commanded the imperial guards. Li Congrong was not happy about this. He felt that Li Conghou was getting too much power and might become more important than him.

In 927, Emperor Li Siyuan noticed that some of Li Congrong's helpers were telling scholars not to get close to Li Congrong. The emperor wanted to punish them severely, but his chief advisor, An Chonghui, suggested just giving them a strong warning instead.

In 928, Li Congrong was moved to another important region called Hedong Circuit. It was said that Li Congrong was very proud and didn't pay enough attention to governing. His father, the emperor, sent a trusted advisor to help him. This advisor told Li Congrong that his brother, Li Conghou, had a much better reputation. He suggested Li Congrong should improve himself. Li Congrong didn't like this advice.

Later, Li Congrong was called back to the capital. He became the mayor of Luoyang and the commander of the imperial guards. His brother, Li Conghou, took his place as military governor of Hedong. They essentially swapped jobs.

Later Years and Ambition

In 930, Li Siyuan gave Li Congrong the title of Prince of Qin. A few days later, he made Li Conghou the Prince of Song.

Li Congrong loved writing poetry. He gathered many poets to work for him. He would often spend time with them, writing and reading poems. Sometimes, he would even make his staff write poems during feasts. If he didn't like a poem, he would remove that person from his staff. When Emperor Li Siyuan heard about this, he tried to encourage Li Congrong to study more instead of focusing so much on poetry.

By this time, An Chonghui, the trusted advisor, had been put to death by Li Siyuan. Li Congrong became the most powerful person at court. However, he didn't respect the new chief advisors, Fan Yanguang and Zhao Yanshou, as much as he had respected An Chonghui. He often insulted them. He was also very suspicious and jealous of his brother Li Conghou's good reputation.

In 933, Emperor Li Siyuan gave Li Congrong a very high and special title, Shangshu Ling. This title was considered a great honor because it had once been held by a famous emperor, Emperor Taizong of Tang.

Later that year, someone suggested that Li Congrong should be made the Crown Prince, which means the official heir to the throne. This idea made the emperor unhappy because he felt it would make him seem less important. Li Congrong was also displeased, thinking it was a trick to take away his military power. So, instead, the officials suggested giving Li Congrong the title of Generalissimo of All Armed Forces. Emperor Li Siyuan agreed.

After becoming Generalissimo, Li Congrong gathered special elite troops to be his personal guards. He was always escorted by them. He even had his staff write a declaration saying he planned to conquer a neighboring state called Wu. He continued to argue with Fan Yanguang and Zhao Yanshou, even saying he would harm their families if he became emperor. Frightened, Fan and Zhao asked to be removed from their positions. The emperor was angry at first but eventually agreed.

Downfall

In the winter of 933, Emperor Li Siyuan became very ill. When Li Congrong went to see him, his father could no longer speak. After leaving the palace, Li Congrong believed his father had died. He was worried that because of his conflicts with other officials, they would try to prevent him from becoming emperor.

He sent messages to the new chief advisors, Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun, telling them he planned to lead his troops into the palace. Both advisors told him that doing so would be an act against the emperor. Li Congrong became angry and launched his troops anyway.

However, when he reached the palace, the palace guards fought back. Li Congrong's own troops eventually gave up. An imperial guard general named Zhu Hongshi attacked Li Congrong's home. An officer named An Congyi killed Li Congrong and his wife. Their heads were presented to Emperor Li Siyuan. Li Congrong's sons were also killed. Most of his staff members, even though they weren't involved in his uprising, were sent away from the capital.

After this, Emperor Li Siyuan called for Li Conghou, intending to make him the next emperor. But the emperor died before Li Conghou arrived. Li Conghou then became the new emperor.