生平

唐武宗本来是唐敬宗、唐文宗的弟弟，被封为颍王。在宦官仇士良的操纵下，趁文宗病，矫诏立他为皇太弟，废原来的太子敬宗子李成美为陈王，武宗由此得以登基，并赐死李成美、文宗杨贤妃和皇兄安王李溶。

唐武宗登基后，召李党人物李德裕回朝，任为宰相，李德裕提倡「政归中书」等政策。在李德裕执政下，国家渐渐回复元气，被称为会昌中兴。而仇士良的权势亦被压抑，仇士良不得不退下政治舞台。

唐武宗外攘回纥，内平泽潞，威震中外；更严肃整顿吏治，裁汰冗官，制驭宦官，使朝政为之一新。

唐武宗信奉道教，从845年开始他大规模下令打击佛教，史称会昌灭法。除少数在长安的寺院外，全国所有寺院被拆毁，僧尼被迫还俗，寺院所有的田地被没收为国有。

这是中国历史上佛教受打击很激烈的一次。在唐朝历史上对于佛教势力不满的现象始终存在，武宗灭佛可能有多种原因。第一可能因为唐武宗本人更加信奉道教，因此打击佛教。此外当时佛教的势力非常强大，唐武宗在他的旨意中说，佛教寺院的规模比皇宫还要大，寺院不纳税，对国家财务税收是一个重大损失。

有传说认为唐武宗继位后怕有人会另立他的叔叔光王李忱（即后来的唐宣宗）来威胁他的地位，李忱则逃入佛门，因此唐武宗灭佛是为了让李忱无处可藏。但这个说法可能只是传说，因为历史学家对于李忱是否真的做过和尚仍有争议。

唐武宗吃道士给他的长寿丹后中毒而死。死后葬于端陵，谥号为至道昭肃孝皇帝。

唐武宗虽有五子皆封王，但生前未确立继承人，宦官马元贽等遂矫诏立光王李忱为皇太叔并最终继位，即唐宣宗。武宗五子后事无载，一说皆被宣宗所害。

家庭

后妃

• 郑皇后，《唐会要 卷第三 皇后·杂录·内职·杂录·出宫人》记「武宗皇后郑氏」，而《旧唐书 列传 第二后妃下》和《新唐书 列传第二后妃下》皆未记载唐武宗皇后。

• 德妃刘氏，见于《永乐大典（残卷）》

• 淑妃王氏，原为婕妤。

• 贤妃刘氏，原为婕妤。

• 贤妃王氏，与王才人是否为同一人不详

• 王才人，追封为贤妃，葬于端陵之柏城。《旧唐书》记「德妃王氏」陪葬端陵，但《唐会要》中陪葬端陵的仅「贤妃王氏」一人。「德妃王氏」可能是「贤妃王氏」的笔误。

• 昭仪吴氏

• 昭仪沈氏

• 修仪董氏

• 婕妤张氏

• 婕妤赵氏

•

• 才人孟氏

子女

子

• 杞王李峻

• 益王李岘

• 兖王李岐

• 德王李峄

• 昌王李嵯

女

唐武宗有7位女儿，出生排行见于：

• 长女，昌乐公主

• 次女，寿春公主

• 三女，永宁公主，《新唐书·诸帝公主列传》，记为永清公主。（薨于咸通年间）。

• 四女，延庆公主

• 五女，靖乐公主，《新唐书·诸帝公主列传》，记为静乐公主。（薨于咸通年间）。

• 六女，乐温公主

• 七女，长宁公主（薨于大中年间）

影视作品

• 萧正楠：2009年香港无线电视电视剧：《宫心计》

Background

Li Chan was born in 814, as the ninth son of Li Heng at least, who was then Crown Prince under Li Chan's grandfather Emperor Xianzong. He was born at the Eastern Palace (i.e., the Crown Prince's palace). His mother was Consort Wei, whose rank was lost to history. After Li Heng became Emperor Muzong in 820, he made many of his brothers and sons princes in 821, and Li Chan was made the Prince of Ying. Little is known about Li Chan's activities during the reigns of Emperor Muzong or Li Chan's older brothers Emperor Jingzong (Emperor Muzong's oldest son) and Emperor Wenzong (Emperor Muzong's second son), other than that during the middle of Emperor Wenzong's Kaicheng era (836–840), Emperor Wenzong bestowed the honorary title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi on him, as well as the title of honorary minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚书, Libu Shangshu). It was said that Li Chan was silent, intelligent, and decisive, not showing his emotions easily. It was also said that Emperor Wenzong treated him and another brother, Li Rong the Prince of An, better than other princes.

Emperor Wenzong originally created his son Li Yong crown prince, but after Li Yong died in 838, he was unsure whom to make his successor. Emperor Wenzong's favorite concubine Consort Yang recommended Li Rong, but when Emperor Wenzong consulted the chancellors, Li Jue opposed this proposal. Emperor Wenzong thus, in 839, created Emperor Jingzong's youngest son Li Chengmei the Prince of Chen crown prince. When Emperor Wenzong became seriously ill early in 840, he had his trusted eunuchs Liu Hongyi and Xue Jileng (薛季棱) summon the chancellors Yang Sifu and Li Jue to the palace, intending to entrust Li Chengmei to them. However, the powerful eunuchs Qiu Shiliang and Yu Hongzhi (鱼弘志), who were not consulted in the decision, opposed Li Chengmei, and despite Li Jue's objection, forged an edict in Emperor Wenzong's name deposing Li Chengmei by claiming that Li Chengmei was too young, and creating Li Chan crown prince instead. Subsequently, Qiu and Yu had soldiers escort Li Chan from his mansion to the palace and, after Emperor Wenzong then died, persuaded Li Chan to order Consort Yang, Li Chengmei, and Li Rong all to commit suicide. After a short mourning period, Li Chan took the throne (as Emperor Wuzong).

Reign

Religious persecution

Buddhism had flourished into a major religious force in China during the Tang period, and its monasteries enjoyed tax-exempt status. Because they didn't contribute taxes, Emperor Wuzong believed Buddhism to be a drain on the state's economy. Coupled with his devotion to Taoism as well and his deep trust in the Taoist monk Zhao Guizhen, he set out to act against Buddhism, initiating an imperial edict in 842 weeding out sorcerers and convicts from the ranks of the Buddhist monks and nuns, and returning them to lay life. Monks and nuns were to turn their wealth over to the government unless they returned to lay life and paid taxes. During this first phase, Confucian arguments for the reform of Buddhist institutions and the protection of society from Buddhist influence and practices were predominant.

The religious persecution reached its height in the year 845 CE, ultimately confiscating the Buddhist temple properties, destroying 4,600 Buddhist temples and 40,000 shrines, and removing 260,500 monks and nuns from the monasteries. Emperor Wuzong's reasons for doing so were not purely economic. A zealous Taoist, Wuzong considered Buddhism a foreign religion that was harmful to Chinese society. One notable victim of the persecution was the Japanese Tendai monk Ennin.

Among its purposes were to raise war funds and to cleanse China of foreign influences. As such, the persecution was directed not only towards Buddhism but also towards other foreign religions, such as Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity, and Manichaeism. Only the native Chinese ideologies of Confucianism and Taoism survived the upheaval relatively unaffected. He all but destroyed Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism in China, and his persecution of the growing Nestorian Christian churches sent Chinese Christianity into a decline from which it never recovered.

At the same time, Wuzong went far to promote Taoist worship in China through religious regulations and the construction of the Temple for Viewing Immortals in the Imperial court. (Emperor Wuzong was one of the last Tang emperors and ruled China during a long period of decline; despite his reforms, he was unable to revive the empire through his religious persecutions. After his death, with the help of his uncle Emperor Xuānzong, Buddhism was able to recover from the persecution; but Christianity, Manichaeism, and Zoroastrianism never again played as significant a role in Chinese religious life.)

Dealing with the Huigu incursions

By the time that Emperor Wuzong took the throne, his mother Consort Wei had already died, and he posthumously honored her as an empress dowager. Also, knowing that Yang Sifu and Li Jue had not supported him as Emperor Wenzong's successor, he had them removed from their offices. He instead installed Li Deyu, former chancellor under Wenzong, as a chancellor and effectively put most of the responsibilities of governance in his hands. (In 841, Emperor Wuzong further ordered Liu Hongyi and Xue Jileng to commit suicide and planned to order Yang and Li Jue to do so as well, but Yang and Li Jue were spared (and only demoted) after the intercession by Li Deyu and the other chancellors, Cui Gong, Cui Dan, and Chen Yixing.)

One of the first things that Emperor Wuzong had to deal with was the collapse of Tang's erstwhile vassal and ally Huigu—which had supported Tang in various campaigns through the decades. In 840, due to internal power struggles, Huigu was weakened, such that when the Xiajiasi (Kirghiz) khan Are (阿热) attacked, the Huigu khan Yaoluoge Hesa was killed. The Huigu tribespeople scattered, fleeing in various directions. One major group, under the leadership of the prince Wamosi and the nobles Chixin (赤心), Pugu (仆固), and Najiachuo (那颉啜), headed for the Tang border city of Tiande (天德, in modern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) and sought to submit to Tang. The leader of another major group, the noble Yaoluoge Wuxi, claimed the khan title for himself (as Wujie Khan). Wujie Khan subsequently seized Emperor Wuzong's aunt Princess Taihe, who had married a previous khan (Chongde Khan), and held her hostage. Various Huigu remnants pillaged the Tang border regions, causing much disturbance for the Tang people. At Li Deyu's suggestion, Emperor Wuzong supplied food to the Huigu remnants to try to calm them, while accepting Wamosi's submission. When Wujie Khan subsequently demanded that Tang turn Wamosi over to him as a traitor, Emperor Wuzong refused.

Subsequently, Wujie Khan's forces and Tang's border defense forces came into open combat, even though both sides continued negotiations. In 843, the Tang general Liu Mian launched a surprise attack against Wujie Khan, led by his officer Shi Xiong. Shi crushed Wujie Khan's forces and rescued Princess Taihe. Wujie Khan fled, and subsequently, the Huigu remnants created only minor nuisances for Tang and no longer posed a major threat.

The Zhaoyi campaign

Immediately after the dissipation of the Huigu threat, however, Emperor Wuzong faced a crisis of a different kind. In 843, Liu Congjian the military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭义, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), who had governed Zhaoyi in de facto independence from the imperial government and who had a strident rivalry with Qiu Shiliang, was seriously ill, and Liu wanted his adoptive son (and biological nephew) Liu Zhen to succeed him, and set up the power structure at the circuit to facilitate the transition. He submitted petitions requesting that Liu Zhen be allowed to take over the circuit. When Liu Congjian thereafter died, Liu Zhen sought to inherit the circuit. Li Deyu, believing that this would be a prime opportunity for the imperial government to seize control of Zhaoyi Circuit, advocated a campaign against Liu Zhen, and Emperor Wuzong agreed.

Initially, the imperial government was concerned that three other de facto independent circuits north of the Yellow River (Weibo (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), then governed by He Hongjing; Chengde (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), then governed by Wang Yuankui; and Lulong (卢龙, headquartered in modern Beijing, then governed by Zhang Zhongwu) would side with Zhaoyi. Emperor Wuzong secured their cooperation by effectively promising the three circuits that he would not interfere with their independence, and in fact secured the military cooperation of both Weibo and Chengde in the campaign against Zhaoyi by leaving the task of capturing Zhaoyi's three eastern prefectures, east of the Taihang Mountains, to Wang and He Hongjing. The other imperial generals, including Wang Zai, Shi Xiong, and Liu Mian, concentrated on Zhaoyi's two western prefectures, including its capital Lu Prefecture (潞州). Initially, the imperial forces could not advance well against Zhaoyi forces, and the campaign was complicated by a mutiny by the officer Yang Bian at Hedong Circuit (河东, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) early in 844. Yang's mutiny was quickly put down, however, and the imperial forces continued their assault on Zhaoyi. In fall 844, the three eastern prefectures surrendered to He Hongjing and Wang Yuankui, and soon thereafter, Liu Zhen was killed by his own officer Guo Yi (郭谊), who then surrendered.

After the Zhaoyi campaign

After the Zhaoyi campaign, Li Deyu used the opportunity to carry reprisals against his political enemies in the Niu-Li Factional Struggles—those who were members of what would later be referred to as the Niu Faction (named after Niu Sengru) against Li Deyu's Li Faction—including the former chancellors Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin—by accusing them of complicity in Liu Zhen's rebellion. As a result, Niu and Li Zongmin were exiled to remote regions.

In 845, Emperor Wuzong wanted to create his favorite concubine, Consort Wang, empress. Li Deyu, pointing out that Consort Wang was of low birth and that she was sonless, opposed. Emperor Wuzong therefore did not do so. (Emperor Wuzong had five known sons, but very little is known about them other than their names and their princely titles.)

Late in Emperor Wuzong's life, he began taking pills made by Taoist alchemists, which were intended to lead to immortality, and it was said that his mood became harsh and unpredictable as a side effect. By late 845, he was seriously ill. In early 846, in an attempt to ward off the illness, he changed his name to Li Yan—under the theory that under the Wu Xing cosmology, his original name of Chan (瀍) contained two instances of earth (土) while only containing one instance of water (水), which meant that he was getting suppressed by the dynasty's own spirits (as Tang beliefs included that the dynasty was protected by earth), while Yan (炎) contained two instances of fire (火), which was more harmonious with earth. Despite this change, his conditions did not get better. The eunuchs, believing that Emperor Wuzong's uncle Li Yi the Prince of Guang to be simple-minded, decided to make him Emperor Wuzong's successor; they therefore had an edict issued in Emperor Wuzong's name creating Li Yi crown prince (and changing Li Yi's name to Li Chen). Soon thereafter, Emperor Wuzong died, and Li Chen took the throne as Emperor Xuānzong.

Chancellors during reign

• Yang Sifu (840)

• Li Jue (840)

• Cui Dan (840–841)

• Cui Gong (840–843)

• Li Deyu (840–846)

• Chen Yixing (841–842)

• Li Shen (842–844)

• Li Rangyi (842–846)

• Cui Xuan (843–845)

• Du Cong (844–845)

• Li Hui (845–846)

• Zheng Su (845–846)

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Xianfei, of the Wang clan (贤妃 王氏; d. 846)

• Unknown

　• Li Jun, Prince Qi (杞王 李峻), first son

　• Li Xian, Prince Yi (益王 李岘), second son

　• Li Qi, Prince Yan (兖王 李岐), third son

　• Li Yi, Prince De (德王 李峄), fourth son

　• Li Cuo, Prince Chang (昌王 李嵯), fifth son

　• Princess Changle (昌乐公主), first daughter

　• Princess Shouchun (寿春公主), second daughter

　• Princess Yongning (永宁公主), third daughter

　• Princess Yanqing (延庆公主), fourth daughter

　• Princess Jingle (靖乐公主), fifth daughter

　• Princess Lewen (乐温公主), sixth daughter

　• Princess Changning (长宁公主), seventh daughter

Ancestry

In fiction

Played by Edwin Siu, a fictionalized version of Wuzong was portrayed in 2009 Hong Kong's TVB television series, Beyond the Realm of Conscience.