We take a look at the final years of Emperor Dezong's reign, his political successes and failures, and the strange, mysterious,short-lived Wang Party that would seize control over government for about 5 minutes before being kicked out by Dezong's grandson Xianzong. Also, we have a paralyzed, mute emperor, so there's that, too!
Time Period Covered:
ca. 790-806 CE
Major Historical Figures:
Tang Dynasty:
Li Kuo, Emperor Dezong of Tang [r. 780-805]
Li Song, Emperor Shunzong of Tang [r. 805]
Li Chun, Emperor Xianzong of Tang [r. 805-820]
Dou Wenchang, Eunuch Protector of the Army
Huo Xianming, Eunuch Protector of the Army
Wang Shuwen, Wang Party Founder
Wang Pi, Wang Party Member
Tibetan Empire:
Prime Minister Shang Jiecan (Shan-rgyal-btsan)
Uyghur Khannate:
Tun-Baga-Tar Khan
Major Sources Cited:
Dalby, Richard. "Court Politics in Late Tang Times" in The Cambridge History of China vol. 3
Zizhi Tongjian
Jiu Tangshu
Wang, Yunsheng (1963). "Second Treatise on the Historic Significance of that Bastard Sima's Political Innovations" in Lishi Yanjiu.
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