Emperor Ruizong of Tang

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Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Birth and death:	June 22, 662–July 13, 716
Family name:	Li (李), later Wu¹ (武), then later back to Li² (李)
Given name:	Xulun³ (旭輪), later Lun4 (輪), then later Dan5 (旦), then back to Lun6 (輪), and eventually back to Dan7 (旦)
Dates of reign (1st time):	Feb. 27, 684–Oct. 19, 6908
Dates of reign (2nd time):	July 25, 710–Sept. 8, 7129
Dynasty:	Tang (唐)
Temple name:	Ruizong (睿宗)
Posthumous name: (short)	Never used short
Posthumous name: (full)	Emperor Xuanzhen Dasheng Daxing Xiao10 玄真大聖大興孝皇帝
General note: Dates given here are in the Julian calendar. They are not in the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
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1. In October 690, when he ceded the imperial throne to his mother Empress Wu and was made heir to the throne, his family name was changed into Wu which was the family name of his mother.
2. His original family name Li, the family name of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, was restored at a date not indicated by ancient Chinese historical books, perhaps in 705 at the fall of Empress Wu.
3. This is the original given name of Emperor Ruizong. The literal meaning is "disk of the sun appearing above the horizon at daybreak".
4. Had his name shortened into Lun ("disk") in December 669.
5. Had his name changed into Dan (literal meaning: "dawn") in August 683.
6. Had his name changed back to Lun when he ceded the imperial throne to his mother Empress Wu in October 690 and was made heir to the throne.
7. Had his name changed back to Dan after he was reduced to a princely rank in 698 when his older brother Zhongzong replaced him as heir to the throne. This name became his taboo name when he was restored as emperor in 710.
8. Ceded the imperial throne to his mother Empress Wu who became "emperor" while Ruizong was made heir to the throne.
9. Abdicated in favor of his son Emperor Xuanzong and received the title Taishang Huang (太上皇). In practice, continued to rule through his son until the palace coup of July 29, 713, and officially ceded full power to his son on July 30.
10. Final version of his posthumous name as given in 754.

Emperor Ruizong (June 22, 662 – July 13, 716), personal name Li Dan, was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty. He was the eighth son of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu.

In February 684, his mother Empress Wu demoted his older brother Emperor Zhongzong who had attempted to rule free of his mother, and named him emperor. Ruizong, however, was under control of his mother and didn't have any real power. In October 690 he ceded the imperial throne to his mother who was installed as "emperor" (huangdi, 皇帝), the only woman in Chinese history ever to rule as emperor. Ruizong was reduced to the position of "heir to the throne". In the following years, Empress Wu's family members (from the Wu family) tried to have one of them named heir to the throne, but the empress resisted these calls. Eventually, in October 698, faced with foreign invasion and dissatisfaction at home, Empress Wu yielded to officials still loyal to the Li family (the Tang imperial family overthrown by the empress) and so she clearly hinted that she would be succeeded by a member of the Li family by appointing her son the demoted Emperor Zhongzong as heir to the throne. On that occasion, Ruizong was reduced to a princely rank.

Ruizong lived the next twelve years away from political intrigues and did not take part in the coup that saw the overthrow of Empress Wu and the restoration of Zhongzong as emperor in 705. The five years of Zhongzong's reign were dominated by Zhongzong's empress consort, Empress Wei (韋皇后), and her lover Wu Sansi (武三思), the nephew of the deceased Empress Wu, who both dominated the weak emperor. In the beginning of July 710, Emperor Zhongzong died, allegedly poisoned by Empress Wei who then named Zhongzong's only surviving son, a teenager called Li Chongmao, as emperor. A mere two weeks later, Princess Taiping, the older sister of Ruizong, launched a coup with the help of Ruizong's third son, Li Longji (the future Emperor Xuanzong), which resulted in the death of Empress Wei and the overthrow of the teenage emperor. Ruizong was unwillingly restored as emperor on July 25 by his sister and his son. Li Longji, who had proved his worth during the coup, was named crown prince with the consent of Ruizong's eldest son.

Soon, however, tensions between Princess Taiping and Li Longji mounted. Princess Taiping, who had many supporters at court, hoped to ascend the imperial throne as her mother Empress Wu had done. Ruizong exiled his sister to the provinces, hoping to defuse tension, but Li Longji, who feared that Princess Taiping would hold him responsible for her exile and would have him murdered, asked his father to recall the princess, who was allowed to return to the imperial court. Eventually, in September 712, a disgruntled Ruizong, tired of court feuds, abdicated in favor of his son the crown prince Li Longji. Suddenly it was Princess Taiping who was at risk of falling victim to her nephew the new emperor. The princess, alarmed by Ruizong's decision, managed to have the court name him Taishang Huang (太上皇, sometimes translated as "retired emperor", or "emperor emeritus"), a position in which Ruizong was to keep effective control of power with the new emperor Xuangzong only formally attending court audiences and ceremonies.

Fearing for her future, Princess Taiping launched a coup in the end of July 713 to overthrow Emperor Xuanzong. As she was a woman and could not personally lead troops, the coup failed and all her supporters were killed. Princess Taiping fled to a Buddhist monastery in the mountains. She returned three days later and was allowed to commit suicide at home. On July 30, one day after the coup, Ruizong officially announced he was ceding full power to his son Emperor Xuanzong. Ruizong was allowed to keep the title Taishang Huang but lived away from politics until his death three years later in 716.

Preceded by Emperor Zhongzong	Emperor of Tang China 684–690	Succeeded by Empress Wu
Preceded by Emperor Shang	Emperor of Tang China 710–712	Succeeded by Emperor Xuanzong