Zhao Yanzhao (),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Huanran (奐然), was an official of the Chinese

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

and Wu Zhou dynasty, serving as a

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

during the reigns of Emperor Zhongzong, Emperor Shang, and Emperor Ruizong.

Background

It is not known when Zhao Yanzhao was born, but it is known that his family was originally from Gan Prefecture (甘州, roughly modern

Zhangye Zhangye ( zh, s=张掖, t=張掖, p=Zhāngyè), Postal Map Romanization, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized as Changyeh and also formerly known as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Gansu provinces of China, Province in the ...

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

). His father Zhao Wumeng (趙武孟) was known for favoring hunting during youth. On one occasion, when Zhao Wumeng had killed some fresh prey and presented it to his mother (Zhao Yanzhao's grandmother), Zhao Wumeng's mother wept and stated, "You do not study and only hunt all day. I feel hopeless." She refused the food. After that incident, Zhao Wumeng became studious and passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

. He later served as an imperial censor during the reign of

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...

and authored a 10-volume work on the notable people of the

Hexi Corridor The Hexi Corridor ( ), also known as the Gansu Corridor, is an important historical region located in the modern western Gansu province of China. It refers to a narrow stretch of traversable and relatively arable plain west of the Yellow River's O ...

, the region he was from. Zhao Yanzhao himself was known for literary talent and being high-spirited. He passed the imperial examination as well, and was made the sheriff of Nanbu County (南部, in modern

Nanchong Nanchong ( zh, c=南充 , p=Nánchōng , w=Nan-ch'ung; Sichuanese: lan2cong1) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of Sichuan province, China, with an area of . At the 2020 census it was home to 5,607,565 people, of whom 1,936,534 liv ...

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

). It was around this time that he became a friend of several later prominent politicians,

Guo Yuanzhen Guo Yuanzhen (郭元振; 656–713), formal name Guo Zhen () but went by the courtesy name of Yuanzhen, was an official, general, and diplomat of Tang and Zhou dynasties of China, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and ...

Xue Ji Xue Ji (; 649 – July 29, 713), courtesy name Sitong (嗣通), was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and politician of the Tang dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Ruizong. He was considered one of the four greatest ...

, and Xiao Zhizhong. He later served as the magistrate of Xinfeng County (新豐, in modern

Shaoguan Shaoguan is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong Province ( Yuebei), South China, bordering Hunan to the northwest and Jiangxi to the northeast. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch Huineng. Its built-u ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

), before he was recalled to serve as ''Jiancha Yushi'' (監察御史), a mid-level imperial censor.

During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign

In 709, during the reign of Wu Zetian's son Emperor Zhongzong, Zhao Yanzhao was promoted to be ''Zhongshu Shilang'' (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省) and given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事), making him a

''de facto''.Zhao Yanzhao's biography in 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 Kingdo ...

'' indicated that he was given the greater designation of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin'' (同中書門下三品), but such designation was typically reserved for officials serving as chancellors whose main office was one of the third grade or above, and Zhang's main office of ''Zhongshu Shilang'' was not. His biography in the ''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'' indicated that he was given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'', and the ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'' followed this. Compare ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 92, with ''New Book of Tang'', vol. 123 and ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 209. He was also made an imperial scholar at the Xiuwen Pavilion (修文館). In 710, Emperor Zhongzong was set to marry Princess Jincheng, the daughter of his nephew

Li Shouli Lĭ Shǒulĭ (672–741) () was the second son of Li Xián, who was also known as Crown Prince Zhanghuai of Tang. Born Li Guangren (李光仁), during the Chuigong era of his youngest uncle Emperor Ruizong of Tang's reign when his grandmoth ...

the Prince of Yong, to Tufan's king

Me Agtsom Me most often refers to: * Me (pronoun), the first-person singular pronoun, referring to the speaker Me, M.E. or ME may also refer to: Language * Me (cuneiform), a sign in cuneiform writing * Me (kana), a letter in Japanese script * Middle En ...

. He initially ordered the chancellor Ji Chuna to escort Princess Jincheng to Tufan, but after Ji declined, ordered Zhao to do so. Zhao did not want to go—believing that if he left the capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

, the favors that Emperor Zhongzong had shown him might wane in his absence. At the suggestion of Zhao Lüwen (趙履溫), he asked Emperor Zhongzong's powerful daughter Li Guo'er the

Princess Anle Princess Anle (; 684? – 21 July 710), personal name Li Guo'er (), was a Chinese princess of the Tang dynasty. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Zhongzong and his wife Empress Wei. Popular history holds that she was doted upon heavily ...

to speak on his behalf, and Emperor Zhongzong sent the general Yang Ju (楊矩) instead.

During Emperor Shang's reign and Emperor Ruizong's second reign

Later in 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning carried out by his powerful wife Empress Wei and Li Guo'er, so that Empress Wei could eventually be "emperor" like Wu Zetian and Li Guo'er could be

crown princess A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown princ ...

. For the time being, Emperor Zhongzong's son by a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

Li Chongmao Emperor Shang of Tang (695 or 698 – 5 September 714), also known as Emperor Shao (少帝), personal name Li Chongmao, was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 710. Li Chongmao was the youngest son of Emperor Zhongzong, ...

the Prince of Wen, was named emperor, but Empress Wei retained power as

empress dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother; ) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a monarch, especially in regards to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarchs in the Chines ...

and

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

. Zhao Yanzhao continued to serve as chancellor. Less than a month later, a coup led by Emperor Zhongzong's sister

Princess Taiping Princess Taiping (, lit. "Princess of Great Peace", personal name unknown, possibly Li Lingyue (李令月) (after 662 – 2 August 713) was a royal princess and prominent political figure of the Tang dynasty and her mother Wu Zetian's Zhou dyna ...

and nephew

Li Longji Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was an Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. Throu ...

the Prince of Linzi killed Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. Subsequently, Li Longji's father Li Dan the Prince of Xiang, a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong), displacing Emperor Shang. Shortly after Emperor Ruizong took the throne, Zhao was demoted to be the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (絳州, part of modern

Yuncheng Yuncheng () is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

), but was almost immediately recalled to again serve as ''Zhongshu Shilang'' and chancellor. Later that year, however, he was again demoted, this time to be the prefect of

Songzhou Songzhou or Song Prefecture () was a '' zhou'' (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Shangqiu, Henan, China. It existed (intermittently) from 596 to 1006. The Song dynasty was named after this prefecture because its founder Emperor T ...

. Later, for reasons unclear, he was further demoted to be the prefect of Gui Prefecture (歸州, roughly modern

Yichang Yichang ( zh, s= ), Postal Map Romanization, alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a prefecture-level city located in western Hubei province, China. Yichang had a population of 3.92 million people at the 2022 census, making it the third most pop ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

). Later, he was promoted to be the commandant at Liang Prefecture (涼州, roughly modern

Wuwei, Gansu Wuwei ( zh, c=武威 , p=Wǔwēi) is a prefecture-level city in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinc ...

). He was said to be stern at Liang Prefecture, instilling much fear in his subordinates. He was subsequently recalled to serve as the deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, ''Libu Shilang''), and later the chief imperial censor (御史大夫, ''Yushi Daifu'').

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

In 712, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to Li Longji, who took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong, but Emperor Ruizong retained actual powers as ''

Taishang Huang In Chinese history, a Taishang Huang or Taishang Huangdi is an honorific and institution of a retired emperor. The former emperor had, at least in name, abdicated in favor of someone else. Although no longer the reigning sovereign, there are ins ...

'' (retired emperor). In 713, locked in a rivalry with Princess Taiping, Emperor Xuanzong carried out a purge of her party and forced her to commit suicide, and Emperor Ruizong yielded powers to him. Two of the officials involved in Emperor Xuanzong's purge who served chancellors, Guo Yuanzhen and Zhang Shuo, were friendly with Zhao Yanzhao, and they claimed that he was part of the plot as well. Zhao was therefore made the minister of justice (刑部尚書, ''Xingbu Shangshu'') and created the Duke of Geng. It was around this time that Zhang, who feared that another official, Yao Yuanzhi, might be made chancellor as well, asked Zhao to submit an indictment against Yao, but Emperor Xuanzong summarily dismissed the indictment. Yao was subsequently made chancellor, and Zhang was demoted. Zhao was himself made a commanding general to the north of the capital. In 714, the imperial censor Jiang Hui (姜晦), pointing out that at the time of Emperor Zhongzong's death and that Empress Wei's cousin

Wei Wen Wei Wen (韋溫) (died July 24, 710) was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a Chancellor of the Tang dynasty, chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Zhongzong's son ...

and fellow chancellor

Zong Chuke Zong Chuke (宗楚客) (died July 24, 710), courtesy name Shu'ao (叔敖), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian, her son Emperor Zhongzong, and her grandso ...

altered Emperor Zhongzong's will to remove Emperor Ruizong as coregent, Zhao,

Wei Sili Wei Sili (韋嗣立; 654–719), courtesy name Yan'gou (延構), formally Duke Xiao of Xiaoyao (逍遙孝公), was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty, serving as a chancellor of Tang Dynasty, cha ...

Wei Anshi Wei Anshi (; 651–714), posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Xun (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zhou dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian, her sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong, and her gr ...

, and Li Jiao were all chancellors and did nothing to stop them, had his subordinate Guo Zhen (郭震) file an indictment against the former chancellors. Guo's indictment further accused Zhao of honoring the witch Zhao Wuniang (趙五娘) as an aunt and secretly meeting her, while wearing women's clothing, with his wife, to ask her to use witchcraft to have him made chancellor, during Emperor Zhongzong's reign. These former chancellors were all demoted, with Zhao reduced to being the secretary general of Jiang Prefecture (江州, roughly modern

Jiujiang Jiujiang, formerly transliterated Kiukiang and Kew-Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level ...

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

). He died while still at Jiang Prefecture, but it is not known when that occurred.

Notes

References

* ''

'', vol. 9

* ''

'', vol. 12

* ''

'', vols. :zh:s:資治通鑑/卷209, 209,

210 Year 210 ( CCX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Faustinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 963 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 210 for this y ...

211 Year 211 ( CCXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, in the Roman Empire it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Terentius and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 964 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomin ...

External links

Book 102
of the ''

Quan Tangshi ''Complete Tang Poems'' (or ') is the largest collection of Tang poetry, containing some 49,000 lyric poems by more than twenty-two hundred poets. In 1705, it was commissioned at the direction of the Qing dynasty Kangxi Emperor and published un ...

'' (which collects Zhao Yanzhao's poems) at the

Chinese Text Project The Chinese Text Project (CTP; ) is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Chinese Philosophical Book Digitization Project", showing its focus on books ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao, Yanzhao Chancellors under Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Shang of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Ruizong of Tang Tang dynasty historians 8th-century Chinese historians Tang dynasty generals Tang dynasty poets