Tian Huaijian () (b. 802) was a 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 ...

dynasty

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

, who, in his childhood, briefly served as the ruler of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern

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), which had been held by his family for generations. The soldiers soon overthrew him and replaced him with his distant relative Tian Xing, and he was delivered to the Tang capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

Background

Tian Huaijian was born in 802, during the reign of Emperor Dezong.''

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. 238. Prior to his birth, his family had held Weibo Circuit for generations, ruling it in a ''de facto'' independent manner from the imperial regime, with his great-grandfather

Tian Chengsi Tian Chengsi (705– March 4, 779), formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He served as a military general in the rebel state of Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, ...

, Tian Chengsi's nephew

Tian Yue Tian Yue () (751 – March 26, 784), formally the Prince of Jiyang (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician who, from 782 to 784, claimed the title of Prince of Wei independent from the Tang regime. Prior to that, he had already ...

, Tian Huaijian's grandfather Tian Xu, and father

Tian Ji'an Tian Ji'an (781 or 782– September 21, 812), courtesy name Kui and formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a general of the Tang Dynasty, who, as military governor (''Jiedushi''), ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) ...

successively serving as the military governors (''

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 Weibo. His mother was Tian Ji'an's wife Lady Yuan, a daughter of the general Yuan Yi ().'' New Book of Tang''
vol. 210
. He had least three brothers – Tian Huaili (), Tian Huaixun (), and Tian Huairang (), with the ''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kin ...

'' implying that he was older than his brothers''

''
vol. 141
. and the '' New Book of Tang'' implying that he was younger than his brothers. In 812, Tian Ji'an fell ill, and it was said that in his illness, he killed his subordinates at will, and the headquarters fell into chaos. Lady Yuan summoned the officers and had them support Tian Huaijian as deputy military governor, acting as military governor. Tian Ji'an was moved out of the headquarters into a separate residence, and he died a month later, on September 21, 812.

Brief reign of Weibo

After Tian Ji'an's death, one of the officers who had been supported by the soldiers, Tian Xing – a son of Tian Chengsi's cousin Tian Tingjie () – was recalled from his post to serve as the commander of the army. Meanwhile, because of Tian Huaijian's youth, the servant Jiang Shize () came to be making the key decisions, and Jiang made movements that were based on his own likes and dislikes, causing the soldiers to be disgruntled. Further, the reigning

Emperor Xianzong Emperor Xianzong of Tang (4 March to 1 April 778''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 14. – 14 February 820; r. 805 – 820), personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzon ...

(Emperor Dezong's grandson) was withholding the official commission for Tian Huaijian, hoping to cause a mutiny at Weibo. One morning, when Tian Xing was set to enter the headquarters to meet Tian Huaijian, the soldiers surrounding him bowed to him, asking him to be active military governor. Tian Xing agreed on condition that the soldiers would not harm Tian Huaijian and would be willing to submit to imperial orders, and the soldiers agreed. Tian Xing then executed Jiang and his associates and moved Tian Huaijian out of the headquarters. (While the date of this mutiny was not recorded in historical sources, the mutiny was reported to Emperor Xianzong by the imperial

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2n ...

stationed at Weibo on November 17, 812.)''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 239.

Aftermath

Tian Xing buried Tian Ji'an, and then delivered Tian Huaijian to the Tang capital

. Emperor Xianzong gave Tian Huaijian a general title, gave him a mansion at Chang'an, and granted a generous stipend of grain. No further historical references were made to Tian Huaijian, and it is not known when he died.

Notes and references

* ''

''
vol. 141
* '' New Book of Tang''
vol. 210
* ''

'', vols.

238 __NOTOC__ Year 238 ( CCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pius and Pontianus (or, less frequently, year 991 ''Ab ...

239 __NOTOC__ Year 239 ( CCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gordianus and Aviola (or, less frequently, year 992 '' ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Huaijian, Tian 802 births 9th-century deaths Tang dynasty generals from Hebei Tang dynasty politicians from Hebei Politicians from Handan