Background and founding

The other Shu kingdom of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, today known as the Former Shu, was founded in 907 after the end of the Tang dynasty. It was conquered in 925 by the Later Tang, the second of the five dynasties that would rule the Central Plain during this period.

Meng Zhixiang, one of the Later Tang military governors assigned to the conquered Shu territories, became remarkably powerful in the years following the invasion. In 930 he entered into open rebellion with fellow military governor Dong Zhang; although their rebellion was initially successful, Meng wished to submit once more to the rule of the Later Tang and so in 932 the two rebel leaders turned on each other. Meng defeated Dong and, in addition to taking control of Dong's lands, was given even greater authority than before by the Later Tang government. This arrangement did not last long: in December of 933 the emperor Li Siyuan died of an illness and was succeeded by the 19-year-old Li Conghou, and in the spring of 934 Meng declared himself the Emperor of a newly independent Shu.

Territorial Extent

The Later Shu kingdom held essentially the same territory as the Former Shu kingdom. The kingdom held most of present-day Sichuan, along with southern Gansu and Shaanxi, western Hubei and all of present-day Chongqing. As with the Former Shu, the capital of the kingdom was at Chengdu.

Succession

Meng Zhixiang died less than a year after declaring himself emperor of Shu. His son Meng Chang ruled for thirty years until the kingdom was invaded by and incorporated into the expanding Song empire in 965.

Rulers of the Later Shu

Rulers family tree

建国

同光三年（925年）后唐灭前蜀，孟知祥（874年－934年）被任为西川节度使，次年入成都，平定叛将李绍琛，整顿吏治，成都始安。长兴二年（931年），杀后唐派来的监军李严，与东川节度使董璋起兵叛乱，并击退唐明宗派来的军队。次年（932年），孟知祥与后唐朝廷和解，董璋不满，兴兵来攻，孟知祥反而败杀董璋，取得东川。

后唐闵帝应顺元年（934年），孟知祥在成都建都称帝，年号明德，国号蜀，史称「后蜀」，以别于王建的前蜀。同年，后唐凤翔节度使李从珂起兵推翻闵帝，后唐武定军节度使孙汉韶、山南西道节度使张虔钊因曾讨伐李从珂而不安，以本镇归后蜀。但孟知祥在位仅7个月后便卒。

二世即灭

其子孟昶嗣位，沿用明德年号，明德五年（938年）后改元广政，颇能励精图治，境内很少发生战争，是五代时期经济文化较发达的地区，后蜀维持近三十年和平。辽朝灭后晋时，晋雄武军节度使何重建不附辽，以辖区归附后蜀，后蜀又迫降凤州防御使石奉頵，达到之前前蜀的疆域。但后蜀随即被新建立的后汉所败，本已降蜀的凤翔节度使侯益亦因而投靠后汉；后来后汉叛将河中李守贞、长安赵思绾、凤翔王景崇也求援于后蜀，孟昶不顾劝阻出兵，但此次出师仍无功，三将叛乱被后汉平定。

晚年，孟昶生活日渐荒淫。广政十八年（955年），秦、阶、成、凤四州为后周攻占。

北宋乾德二年（964年）十一月宋太祖发兵攻蜀，次年（965年）正月孟昶向宋朝投降，同年去世。后蜀前后历二帝，共33年。

欧阳修《新五代史》中对此有「尽力不过二袋（代）」的典故。

君主

君主列表

君主世系图