(*the faithfully departed*)
(22 june 662 – 13 july 716)
(Emperor Ruizong of ‘Tang’ *personal name Li Dan, also known at times during his life as Li Xulun, Li Lun, Wu Lun, and Wu Dan, was the fifth and ninth emperor of ‘Tang Dynasty’)
enough is enough…
OK…OK…
(“alright! we get it!)
(“pick a fucking name and stick with it already!”)
(he was the 8th son of ‘Emperor Gaozong’ and the 4th son of Emperor Gaozong’s second wife ‘Empress Wu’ (later known as ‘Wu Zetian’)
(in ‘February 684’, Li Dan’s mother ‘Empress Wu’ demoted his older brother Emperor Zhongzong (Li Xian) who had attempted to rule free of his mother, and named him emperor (as Emperor Ruizong))
(‘Emperor Ruizong’, however, was a puppet under control of his mother and did not have any real power)
(in ‘October 690′ he ceded the imperial throne to his mother, who installed herself as ’empress regnant’ – the only woman in Chinese history ever to rule as ’empress regnant’)
(Emperor Ruizong was reduced to the position of ‘crown prince’, with the unconventional title of Huangsi (皇嗣, literally “imperial heir”))
(in the following years, Empress Wu’s nephews ‘Wu Chengsi’ and ‘Wu Sansi’ tried to have one of them named heir to the throne, but Wu Zetian resisted these calls)
(eventually, in October 698, faced with foreign invasion and dissatisfaction at home, Empress Wu accepted the suggestion of the chancellor Di Renjie and recalled the exiled ‘Li Xian’ to the capital ‘Luoyang’)
(soon, ‘Li Dan’ offered to yield the position of crown prince to his elder brother, and ‘Li Xian’ became crown prince instead)
(in 705, a coup overthrew ‘Wu Zetian’ and restored ‘Emperor Zhongzong’ to the throne)
(the five years of Emperor Zhongzong’s reign were dominated by Zhongzong’s empress consort, ‘Empress Wei’)
(in the beginning of July 710, Emperor Zhongzong died, allegedly poisoned by ‘Empress Wei’ who then named Zhongzong’s youngest son Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen emperor (as ‘Emperor Shang’))
(a mere two weeks later, Li Dan’s sister Princess Taiping and Li Dan’s son Li Longji the Prince of Linzi launched a coup which resulted in the death of ‘Empress Wei’)
(‘Princess Taiping’, Li Longji, and Li Longji’s brother Li Chengqi the Prince of Song then persuaded Li Dan to take the throne himself, and he agreed, returning the throne in Emperor Shang’s stead)
(‘Li Longji’, although not the oldest son, was made crown prince on account of his accomplishments)
(soon, however, tensions between ‘Princess Taiping’, who had many supporters, and ‘Li Longji’ mounted)
(eventually, in September 712, ‘Emperor Ruizong’, believing that astrological signs called for a change of emperors, abdicated in favor of ‘Li Longji’ (as ‘Emperor Xuanzong’))
(however, at Princess Taiping’s suggestion, Emperor Ruizong, now carrying the title of Taishang Huang (retired emperor), continued to wield actual power)
(however, in 713, suspecting ‘Princess Taiping’ of planning a coup, ‘Emperor Xuanzong’ acted first, killing her associates and forcing her to commit suicide)
(after the death of Princess Taiping, ‘Emperor Ruizong’ himself yielded imperial powers to ‘Emperor Xuanzong’ and left the governmental scene)
(he died in 716)