Background

Li Yi was born in 810, at Daming Palace, as the 13th of 20 known sons of then-reigning Emperor Xianzong. His mother was Emperor Xianzong's concubine Consort Zheng, who had previously been a concubine of the warlord Li Qi and who, after imperial forces defeated Li Qi in 807, was taken into Emperor Xianzong's palace to be a servant girl to Emperor Xianzong's wife Consort Guo, but who at some point bore Li Yi for Emperor Xianzong. Consort Zheng is not known to have borne any other children for Emperor Xianzong. After Emperor Xianzong died in 820, Li Yi's older brother Li Heng, born of Consort Guo, became emperor (as Emperor Muzong), and in 821, when Emperor Muzong created a number of his sons and brothers to be imperial princes, Li Yi was created the Prince of Guang.

As imperial prince

In Li Yi's youth, he was said to be shy and a poor speaker, and (falsely) considered by others to be unintelligent. Later, during the reigns of Emperor Muzong's sons Emperor Wenzong and Emperor Wuzong, Li Yi was said to try to hide himself from the political scene, and rarely spoke anything at all. When the emperors visited the imperial princes' residences, known as the Sixteen Mansions, they would, as a game, try to get Li Yi to speak, and they referred to him as "Uncle Guang." It was said that Emperor Wuzong, who had an outgoing personality, particularly disrespected Li Yi.

In early 846, Emperor Wuzong became extremely ill and was unable to speak. The palace eunuchs gathered and decided on Li Yi as Emperor Wuzong's successor, probably because they considered him simple-minded and therefore easier to control. They had an edict issued in Emperor Wuzong's name creating Li Yi crown prince and changing his name to Li Chen and putting him in charge of the imperial affairs. It was said that only when Li Chen met the officials in his role as crown prince that his appropriate expressions of sadness and actions on pending matters caused people to begin to see that he was truly intelligent. Soon thereafter, Emperor Wuzong died, and Li Chen took the throne (as Emperor Xuanzong).

Early reign

Emperor Xuanzong honored his mother Consort Zheng as empress dowager. Immediately after taking the throne, Emperor Xuanzong acted against the powerful chancellor Li Deyu, who had dominated the court during Emperor Wuzong's reign, as he despised Li Deyu for monopolizing power. Emperor Xuanzong removed Li Deyu from his chancellor position and sent him out of the capital Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), and also removed Li Deyu's fellow chancellor Zheng Su. Over the next few years, Emperor Xuanzong purged those officials he considered sympathetic to Li Deyu, and further pursued charges against Li Deyu based on Li Deyu having executed the minor official Wu Xiang on charges that should not have warranted death (Li Deyu was resentful of Wu Xiang's uncle Wu Wuling). Li Deyu was repeatedly demoted and sent farther and farther away from Chang'an, eventually dying in exile around the new year 850 in Yai Prefecture (崖州, in modern Haikou, Hainan). These actions were considered to have largely ended the factionalism among imperial officials known as the Niu–Li factional strife, which had plagued the imperial government ever since the reign of Emperor Muzong.

A number of policies that Emperor Wuzong and Li Deyu had pursued, including persecution against Buddhism and alliance with the Yenisei Kirghiz, were reversed. In Li Deyu's place, Emperor Xuanzong installed Bai Minzhong as the leading chancellor, and over the next few years, Bai recommended a number of other officials, including fellow chancellor Ma Zhi.

Meanwhile, Emperor Xuanzong also turned his attention to the Tibetan Empire, which had fallen into intense civil war after the death of its king Langdarma in 842. Starting in 848, and over a period of several years, Emperor Xuanzong commissioned border troops to recapture various prefectures lost to the Tibetan Empire since the An Lushan Rebellion, taking the region constituting modern eastern Gansu, southern Ningxia, and western Sichuan. Further, after the ethnic Han Chinese Zhang Yichao seized control of the Hexi Corridor from Tibetan officials and submitted to Emperor Xuanzong in 851, Tang had largely reversed the losses to the Tibetan Empire.

However, he initially had little success with rebellions by the Tanguts. After he came to realize that the Tanguts were repeatedly rebelling because of mistreatment by Tang officials, he modified the policies to install officials who were known for mild temper and honesty in the Tangut regions, and he further put Bai in charge of the operations against the Tanguts, giving him a large staff that included many well-known imperial government officials. With Bai overseeing the operations, the Tanguts largely submitted in 851. Bai, however, was not returned to chancellorship within Emperor Xuanzong's lifetime, and was effectively replaced by Linghu Tao.

Emperor Xuanzong was said to govern diligently, paying much attention to how his capable ancestor Emperor Taizong ruled and trying to follow Emperor Taizong's examples. He also took the time and effort to familiarize himself with imperial officials' capabilities, as well as the customs of the various prefectures throughout the realm, such that he could properly commission officials based on their abilities and review whether they were governing capably. He also encouraged frugality, and tried to demonstrate it by reducing the expenditures for the wedding of his favorite daughter Princess Wanshou to the imperial official Zheng Hao. It was said that throughout his reign, the imperial clan members and their relatives all carefully obeyed laws.

In 848, Emperor Muzong's mother Grand Empress Dowager Guo—whom Empress Dowager Zheng had previously been a servant for—died. Traditional historians noted that popular perception at the time was that Emperor Xuanzong might have murdered her. (It had said that she was depressed over Emperor Xuanzong's disrespect toward her, because Empress Dowager Zheng had resented her, and also because he suspected her and Emperor Muzong of having instigated the death of Emperor Xianzong at the hands of the eunuch Chen Hongzhi.) Initially, he would refuse to allow Grand Empress Dowager Guo to be buried with Emperor Xianzong or to be enshrined in Emperor Xianzong's temple, but eventually allowed her to be buried with Emperor Xianzong. (He would still refuse to enshrine her, however, with Emperor Xianzong, during his lifetime.)

Late reign

One of the major themes later in Emperor Xuanzong's reign was the high-level officials' concerns that he was not creating a Crown Prince, as this refusal to do so left the imperial succession uncertain. The issue was raised repeatedly, including by chancellors Wei Mo, Pei Xiu, and Cui Shenyou, but he rebuffed all of them, leading to Pei's resignation and Cui's removal. (The reason why Emperor Xuanzong repeatedly refused to create a crown prince was said to be his disfavor for his oldest son Li Wen the Prince of Yun and favor for his third son Li Zi the Prince of Kui. He wanted Li Zi to be his heir, but was hesitant to create Li Zi crown prince because Li Zi was not the oldest.)

Emperor Xuanzong was said to be careful in promoting and rewarding officials, such that it was not often that he rewarded officials with the highly honorable red and purple uniforms, and was also said to be fair in his promotions such that he did not unjustly favor those who were close to him. Further, he punished those who were close to him when they deserved to be punished, and did not spare them on account of their closeness to him. In order to make sure that the prefects that he commissioned were suitable for the prefectures, he required that they report to Chang'an to meet with him before heading to their posts. It was also said that he was stern, even with the chancellors, such that even though Linghu Tao was chancellor for 10 years, he continued to fear the emperor.

Meanwhile, Emperor Xuanzong also considered curbing the eunuchs' power, but could not think of a good way of doing so. On one occasion, when he conferred with the imperial scholar Wei Ao (韋澳), Wei told him that he was already the emperor who had exerted the most power over the eunuchs within recent memory—to which Emperor Xuanzong, appearing stressed, stated, "You are not correct. In reality, I am still fearful of them." He tried to promote eunuchs that he trusted such that they would wield power, but according to himself, this tactic was not particularly successful, as the eunuchs that he promoted, once they became highly ranked, joined with the less obedient powerful eunuchs as well. At one point, he discussed with Linghu the possibility of massacring the eunuchs, which Linghu opposed because Linghu feared that the innocent as well as the guilty would be harmed; Linghu instead suggested gradually reducing the eunuchs' numbers. Linghu's proposal was leaked to the eunuchs, and the eunuchs were said to continue to despise the imperial officials because of this.

Late in Emperor Xuanzong's reign, he came to favor certain alchemists who promised immortality, and he took pills that they made. It was said that as a result, he became paranoid and easily angered. By 859, as a side effect of those pills, he had a large ulcerous boil on his back, such that he was bedridden and could not meet with the chancellors or other officials. He entrusted Li Zi to three high-level eunuchs that he favored—the directors of palace communications (Shumishi) Wang Guizhang (王歸長) and Ma Gongru and the director of the southern court affairs (宣徽南院使, Xuanhui Nanyuanshi) Wang Jufang (王居方). After Emperor Xuanzong died, Wang Guizhang, Ma, and Wang Jufang did not initially announce his death, and were set to send one of the eunuch commanders of the Shence Armies, Wang Zongshi (王宗實), who was not on good terms with them, out of Chang'an to Huai'nan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) to serve as the eunuch monitor for Huai'nan. Wang Zongshi, however, reacted by intruding into the palace; finding that Emperor Xuanzong had already died from Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning, he arrested Wang Guizhang, Ma, and Wang Jufang for falsely issuing edicts, and then put them to death. He welcomed Li Wen to the palace, and then issued an edict in Emperor Xuanzong's name creating Li Wen crown prince and changing his name to Li Cui. The next day, Emperor Xuanzong's death was announced, and Li Cui became emperor (as Emperor Yizong).

Relations with Muslims

During Sulaiman al-Tajir's stay at the city of Guangzhou he noted that the Chinese used fingerprint records to maintain the identities of newly arrived foreigners and charged extortionate rates for imported goods, and that the route to China by sea was dangerous due to piracy and frequent rain. He mentioned that the local Muslim populace of Guangzhou had their own mosque and bazaars. He mentioned that the Muslim community had its own Imam and Judge (appointed by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang). He also observed the manufacturing of porcelain, the granary system of Guangzhou, and how its municipal administration functioned.

Legacy

Because of the prosperity of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, it was said that in subsequent years, including after Tang's eventual fall in 907, the people missed him bitterly, referring to him as "Little Taizong." The lead editor of the Old Book of Tang, the Later Jin chancellor Liu Xu, wrote of Emperor Xuanzong in glowing terms, while lamenting that much of the records from his reign had been lost by the time of Later Jin such that he could not write more. The lead editor of the New Book of Tang, Ouyang Xiu, however, commented that Emperor Xuanzong, while having good judgment, lacked kindness or grace.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign, Chinese chemists first experimented with fireworks.

Chancellors during reign

• Li Deyu (846)

• Li Rangyi (846)

• Li Hui (846–847)

• Zheng Su (846)

• Bai Minzhong (846–851)

• Lu Shang (846–847)

• Cui Yuanshi (847–848)

• Wei Cong (847–848)

• Ma Zhi (848–849)

• Zhou Chi (848–849)

• Cui Xuan (849–855)

• Wei Fu (849–850)

• Cui Guicong (850–851)

• Linghu Tao (850–859)

• Wei Mo (851–857)

• Pei Xiu (852–856)

• Zheng Lang (856–857)

• Cui Shenyou (856–858)

• Xiao Ye (857–859)

• Liu Zhuan (858)

• Xiahou Zi (858–859)

• Jiang Shen (858–859)

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Yuanzhao, of the Chao clan (元昭皇后 晁氏)

　• Li Cui, Yizong (懿宗 李漼; 833–873), first son

　• Princess Wanshou (萬壽公主), first daughter

　　• Married Zheng Hao of Xingyang (滎陽 鄭顥; 817–860) in 850, and had issue (one son)

　• Princess Guangde (廣德公主; d. 880), fourth daughter

　　• Married Yu Cong of Henan (河南; d. 881) in 858

• Zhaoyi, of the Wu clan (昭儀 吳氏)

　• Li Zi, Prince Tong (通王 李滋; 844–863), third son

• Jieyu, of the Liu clan (婕妤 柳氏)

　• Li Rui, Prince Zhao (昭王 李汭), eighth son

• Cairen, of the Shi clan (才人 史氏)

　• Li Yi, Prince Qing (慶王 李沂; 844–860), fourth son

• Cairen, of the Qiu clan (才人 仇氏; 828–851)

　• Li Wen, Prince Kang (康王 李汶; 851–866), ninth son

• Lady, of the Chen clan (陳氏)

　• Li Yong, Prince Guang (廣王 李澭; 854–877), 11th son

• Unknown

　• Li Mei, Crown Prince Jinghuai (靖懷皇太子 李渼; 836–852)

　• Li Jing, Prince Ya (雅王 李涇; b. 839), second son

　• Li Ze, Prince Pu (濮王 李澤), fifth son

　• Li Run, Prince E (鄂王 李潤; d. 876), sixth son

　• Li Qia, Prince Huai (懷王 李洽), seventh son

　• Li Guan, Prince Wei (衛王 李灌; d. 860)

　• Princess Yongfu (永福公主), second daughter

　• Princess Qigonghuai (齊恭懷公主), third daughter

　　• Married Yan Qi (嚴祁)

　• Princess Heyi (和義公主), fifth daughter

　• Princess Rao'an (饒安公主), sixth daughter

　• Princess Shengtang (盛唐公主), seventh daughter

　• Princess Pingyuan (平原公主; 834–863), 11th daughter

　• Princess Tangyang (唐陽公主)

　• Princess Xuchang Zhuangsu (許昌莊肅公主)

　　• Married Liu Zhi of Hedong (河東 柳陟)

　• Princess Fengyang (豐陽公主)

Ancestry

In fiction

Played by Moses Chan, a fictionalized version of Xuanzong was portrayed in 2009 Hong Kong's TVB television series, Beyond the Realm of Conscience.

生平

唐宣宗李忱原名李怡，母親鄭氏原為鎮海節度使李錡侍妾，李錡謀反失敗後，鄭氏被送入宮後當郭貴妃的侍兒，後來被唐憲宗臨幸，生下李忱，封為光王，故唐宣宗為唐穆宗之弟，唐敬宗、唐文宗、唐武宗之叔父。唐宣宗為光王時，居於十六宅，故作愚鈍，曾被唐文宗及其他宗室作弄。

傳說唐宣宗登基之前，為了逃避姪唐武宗的迫害而出家為僧，傳說他在河南淅川香嚴寺避難，法名瓊俊，齊安見其舉止不凡。

會昌六年（846年），唐武宗被道士上供的長壽丹毒死。光王李怡被宦官擁立為帝，改名為李忱，是為唐宣宗，年號大中。擁立唐宣宗的宦官本以為他愚鈍容易控制，豈料他登基為帝後立即勵精圖治，並貶謫李德裕，結束牛李黨爭。眾宦官、朝臣及宗室才驚覺唐宣宗以往是故作愚鈍，實際是非常賢明，有如其父唐憲宗。

唐宣宗時的唐朝國勢已暮氣沉沉，朝政腐敗，官吏貪污，宦官專權，四夷不朝。唐宣宗致力于改變這種狀況，勤儉治國，體貼百姓，減少賦稅，注重人才選拔，唐朝國勢小有起色，社會矛盾有所緩和，使晚唐呈現出「中興」的小康局面，史稱大中之治。但只靠政府支支節節的改革，未能完全解決問題。宣宗是唐朝中期以後少數比較有作為的皇帝，另外，唐宣宗還趁吐蕃、回紇衰微，加上張議潮的歸義軍起事反吐蕃；不僅出兵收複河湟，安定塞北，更一度大致重奪丟失多年的河西走廊（沙、瓜等河西十一州），國威稍振。

宣宗登基之初，為了打擊李黨，貶斥了能抑制神策軍的工部尚書薛元賞，導致宦官恢復對神策軍的掌控；後來為甘露之變遇害大臣平反的同時，又給在甘露之變中大殺大臣、死後被武宗削爵抄家的宦官仇士良平反。大中十一年之後，宣宗開始疏于政事，沉溺于長生術，「頗好神仙」。宦官權勢又呈複興之勢，甚至還從東南財賦之地攫取大量的經濟特權。大中十二年以來，南方軍亂不斷，容管、嶺南、湖南、江西、宣歙、武寧等藩鎮相繼爆發軍士逐帥事件。大中十三年，武寧（徐州）節度使康季榮因不恤士卒，被士卒所逐。大中十三年（859年）八月，宣宗因丹藥中毒駕崩，時年49歲。大中十三年，裘甫領導的農民起義更在浙東爆發，當時距唐懿宗繼位還不到半年。

《新唐書》認為：「唐亡，諸盜皆生于大中之朝。」唐宣宗繼位之時，唐朝處于唐武宗的會昌中興，漸漸恢復元氣。唐宣宗一反會昌之政，一味橫徵暴斂縱容地方大員豪強，造成嚴重後患，大中之治有溢美之嫌。

軼事

• 唐宣宗在位時，有一越州美女天姿國色。宣宗寵愛異常。不久，唐宣宗怕自己耽誤國事，把她賜死。

• 唐末的黃巢之亂和藩鎮戰爭使宣宗朝的實錄散失，使後人難以追查當年發生過的事。

• 傳說宣宗繼位之前曾在淅川香嚴寺當過和尚，所以對佛教極力推崇，據說曾在大中七年（853年）大拜釋迦牟尼的舍利。

• 唐末西川變民韓秀升在被高仁厚征服後，就曾坦言唐宣宗在位時天下尚有公道，唐宣宗故去之後就是勝者才有公道；高仁厚聞言後為之側目。可惜唐朝當時已是病入膏肓之軀，再沒有人能有力回天。

評價

• 歷史上評價宣宗在位曾經燒過三把火：「權豪斂跡」、「奸臣畏法」、「閽寺讋氣」，稱之為「明君」，有「小太宗」的外號。據說唐宣宗退朝後還會讀書到半夜，燭灺委積，近侍呼之為「老儒生」。

• 明末清初的大儒王夫之在《讀通鑑論》論「唐之亡，宣宗亡之」，「小說載宣宗之政，琅琅乎其言之，皆治像也，溫公亟取之登之於策，若有餘美焉。自知治者觀之，則皆亡國之符也。」評價與《舊唐書》和《資治通鑑》的大力稱頌，實有天壤之別。

家庭

家世

唐宣宗李忱的祖先

后妃

• 元昭皇后晁氏，原為晁美人，會昌六年（846年）五月廿三日冊封美人

• 吳昭儀，是否為夔王李滋生母無考，會昌六年五月廿三日冊封

• 張婕妤，會昌六年五月廿三日冊封

• 柳婕妤，除《唐會要·卷二十一·列傳第二十一》記陪葬正陵（應為「貞陵」）外，無其它記錄，是否為昭王李汭生母無考

• 梁美人，會昌六年五月廿三日冊封

• 羅才人，會昌六年五月廿三日冊封

• 史才人，會昌六年五月廿三日冊封，是否為慶王李沂生母無考

• 錢氏，封長城郡夫人，會昌六年五月廿三日冊封

• 曹氏，封武威郡夫人，會昌六年五月廿三日冊封

• 仇氏，封南安郡夫人。仇氏先生一女，大中五年（851年）生一男，因產而亡，年二十四，追贈才人。851年所生之子，可能是康王李汶。

姬侍

• 陳氏，廣王李澭母

• 越女，姓名不詳，越州刺史進獻，宣宗恐怕耽于女色，將她殺死，見《唐語林》

子女

子

新舊唐書皆雲，唐宣宗有十一子，但記為十二人，疑李渼非唐宣宗子。排行出于《舊唐書》和個人記載。正史僅記載過元昭太后生懿宗，出土墓誌銘記載仇氏生康王李汶、陳氏生廣王李澭，柳氏生昭王李汭，史氏生慶王李沂，吳氏生夔王李滋，其他王子的母親資料已失。

• 長子，懿宗李漼，初名溫，原封鄆王。母美人晁氏（追尊元昭皇后）。

• 某子，靖懷太子李渼，會昌六年（846年）封雍王，大中六年（852年）薨，追封。

• 次子，雅王李涇，會昌六年封王。

• 三子，夔王李滋，會昌六年封王。母吳氏，是否為吳昭儀無考。

• 四子，慶王李沂，會昌六年封王，墓誌稱第五子，會昌六年封王，大中十四年（846年）薨。母史氏，是否為史才人無考。

• 五子，濮王李澤，大中元年（847年）封王

• 六子，鄂王李潤，大中元年（847年）封王，乾符三年（876年）薨。

• 七子，懷王李洽，大中五年（851年）與昭、康二王一起封王。

• 八子，昭王李汭，墓誌稱第九子。母柳氏，是否為柳婕妤無考。

• 九子，康王李汶，墓誌稱第十子，乾符四年（877年）薨。母仇氏。

• 某子，衛王李灌，大中十一年（857年）與廣王一起封王，大中十四年薨。稱第三子，疑為第十子誤寫為第三子。

• 十一子，廣王李澭，乾符四年（877年）薨。母陳氏。

女

《新唐書》記唐宣宗有11位女兒，另仇才人生有一女，是否為其中一位公主，無考：

• 長女，萬壽公主（母元昭皇后晁氏，下嫁鄭顥）

• 次女，永福公主

• 三女，齊國恭懷公主（先封為西華公主，下嫁嚴祁）

• 四女，廣德公主母元昭皇后晁氏（下嫁于琮）

• 五女，和義公主，《新唐書 列傳第八》記為義和公主。

• 六女，饒安公主

• 盛唐公主

• 十一女，平原長公主（薨于咸通年間）

• 唐陽公主

• 許昌莊肅公主（下嫁柳陟，薨于中和年間）

• 豐陽公主

影視作品

     為第一主演