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Liu Yanhao () (died 937''
Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynas ...
'', vol. 280.
Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...
br>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter
) was an official and general of the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen concu ...
state
Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four ...
, serving briefly as the chief of staff (''
Shumishi Shumishi (), or shumi, was an official title in imperial China important in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Liao dynasty, the Song dynasty and the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). ''Shumishi'' managed the Bureau of Military Affairs ...
'') for its last emperor and his brother-in-law
Li Congke Li Congke () (11 February 885 – 11 January 937), also known in historiography as the Last Emperor of Later Tang (), Deposed Emperor of Later Tang (), Wang Congke () (particularly during the succeeding Later Jin dynasty, which did not recogni ...
.


Background

It is not known when Liu Yanhao was born, but it is known that he was from Ying Prefecture (應州, in modern
Shuozhou Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the northwest. It is situated along the upper reaches of the Fen River. The prefecture as a whole has an area of about and, in 2010, a popu ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
). His grandfather Liu Jianli () and father Liu Maocheng () both had accomplishments as army officers.''
Old History of the Five Dynasties The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' (''Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ'') was an official history mainly focus on Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern China. And it also includes some history of other south states during th ...
'', vol. 69.
(The biography of his older sister Lady Liu, who married
Li Congke Li Congke () (11 February 885 – 11 January 937), also known in historiography as the Last Emperor of Later Tang (), Deposed Emperor of Later Tang (), Wang Congke () (particularly during the succeeding Later Jin dynasty, which did not recogni ...
at some point, in the ''
New History of the Five Dynasties The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'', gave their father's name as Liu Maowei ().) When Li Congke was commissioned the military governor (''
Jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", " legate ...
'') of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern
Baoji () is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi. Geography The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a population of 3,321,853 accordin ...
,
Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ning ...
) by his adoptive father, then-emperor
Li Siyuan Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reign ...
, in 932,''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 278. he had Liu Yanhao made an officer at Fengxiang. Liu Yanhao, while serving under Li Congke at Fengxiang, developed a reputation for being kind and tolerant.


During Li Congke's reign

In 934, Li Congke overthrew then-emperor
Li Conghou Li Conghou () (914–934), posthumous name Emperor Min of Later Tang (), childhood name Pusanu (菩薩奴, "slave of a Bodhisattva"), was an emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, ruling between 933 and 934. He was overthrown by his adopte ...
(his adoptive brother and Li Siyuan's biological son) and became emperor. He created Liu Yanhao's sister Lady Liu empress.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 279. Because of his status as the empress' brother, as well as his reputation for being kind and tolerant, Li Congke initially commissioned Liu Yanhao as the director of palace grounds (宮苑使, ''Gongyuanshi''), and then the more important office of director of palace affairs (宣徽使, ''Xuanhuishi''). In 935, he commissioned Liu as the minister of justice (刑部尚書, ''Xingbu Shangshu'') and chief of staff. Shortly after, he commissioned Liu as the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern
Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shan ...
,
Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...
). It was said that, after Liu took over the Tianxiong command, his disposition changed. He seized many people's properties and spent much time in feasts. He also did not regularly provide salaries to his soldiers, leading to much resentment from them. In summer 936, by which time Li Congke's brother-in-law
Shi Jingtang Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name Gaozu (), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
(the husband of Li Siyuan's daughter Princess of Jin) the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern
Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
) had rebelled against Li Congke, Liu's officer Zhang Lingzhao (), seeing the soldiers' resentment, led a mutiny against him, intending to seize Tianxiong and join the Hedong rebellion. Liu fled to the capital
Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
. Li Congke, in anger, wanted to exile him. However, with Empress Liu interceding for him, Li Congke only removed him from his posts and ordered him back to his mansion. (Zhang's mutiny was later suppressed by
Fan Yanguang Fan Yanguang () (died September 30, 940),''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 282. courtesy name Zihuan () (per the '' History of the Five Dynasties'')'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 97. or Zigui () (per the ''New History of the Five Dynasties'') ...
.) However, he did not appear to completely fall out of favor with Li Congke, as later in the year, after the general
Zhang Jingda Zhang Jingda (張敬達) (died December 25, 936''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 280.Academia Sinica Chinese ...
, whom Li Congke had initially sent against Shi, was defeated by the joint forces of Shi and his backer, Emperor Taizong of Later Tang's northern rival
Khitan Empire The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...
, Liu, along with
Zhang Yanlang Zhang Yanlang () (died January 14, 937?'' Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 280.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter) was an official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period states Later Liang and Later Tang. He had his most ...
and Liu Yanlang (), were said to be proponents of Li Congke personally leading an army against Shi.


Death

However, after another general Li Congke had sent,
Zhao Dejun Zhao Dejun () (died 937), né Zhao Xingshi (), known as Li Shaobin () during the reign of Li Cunxu, formally the Prince of Beiping (), was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Tang (and Later Tang's predecessor ...
, was also defeated by the joint Khitan/Hedong forces, the morale in Li Congke's own army collapsed. Li Congke, finding the situation hopeless, returned to Luoyang, and committed suicide by fire with his family, including Liu Yanhao's sister Empress Liu. Liu Yanhao initially hid. However, after Shi (who had declared himself emperor of a new state of Later Jin) entered Luoyang, Shi issued an edict that largely pardoned Li Congke's subjects, but condemning Zhang Yanlang, Liu Yanlang, and Liu Yanhao. Liu Yanhao, apparently finding it impossible to continue his hiding, committed suicide by hanging several days later.


Notes and references

* ''
Old History of the Five Dynasties The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' (''Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ'') was an official history mainly focus on Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern China. And it also includes some history of other south states during th ...
'', vol. 69. * ''
Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynas ...
'', vols.
279 __NOTOC__ Year 279 ( CCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probus and Paternus (or, less frequently, year 1032 ...
,
280 __NOTOC__ Year 280 ( CCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Messalla and Gratus (or, less frequently, year 1033 '' ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Yanhao 937 deaths Politicians from Shuozhou Generals from Shanxi Later Tang shumishi Later Tang jiedushi of Tianxiong Circuit Later Jin (Five Dynasties) people Suicides by hanging in China Year of birth unknown Suicides in Later Jin (Five Dynasties) Suicides in Later Tang