A Study On The Political Order Of Abdication And The Power Of Retired Emperors In The Early Tang Dynasty

The political game between Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong did not stop immediately with the end of Xuanwu Gate coup,but continued to develop after Emperor Gaozu’s abdication.The third year of Zhenguan(629)was the turning point of the continuing game between Emperor Gaozu and his son since the Xuanwumen Coup,and ended when Emperor Gaozu moved to Da ’an Palace.The fourth year of Zhenguan(630)was the turning point of the relationship between Li Yuan and his son.Taking the opportunity of Emperor Taizong’s pacification of the East Turkue,Gaozu held a banquet in Lingyan Pavilion as a sign,indicating the gradual return of Li Yuan and his son from political opponents to family etiquette.After several twists and turns,the family affection and power game between Tang Gaozu and his son showed the characteristics of stage and compromise,and tended to be stable in the repeated balance between the two sides,and finally could maintain the superficial family etiquette.In her later years,Empress Wu Zetian was eager to establish a political order in which the imperial family coexisted with the Wu family.The political tradition of guaranteeing the surname of the heir and eventually returning to the Li family as emperor was the limit of Tang ministers’ recognition of Wu Zetian.From the ambition of reviving the Tang Dynasty to the practice of the plan of reviving the Tang Dynasty,the political ideals of the Tang ministers became more and more clear.They tried their best to fulfill the political responsibility of safeguarding the Tang imperial heirs and continuing the life of the Tang Dynasty.The succession of Wuzhou Dynasty by Tang Zhongzong and the revival of Tang Dynasty by Tang Ruizong were interwoven to form the political longitude and latitude network of Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong.The repeated adjustment of Empress Wu Zetian’s posthumous title by Emperor Zhongzong,Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong reflects their complicated and tangled political emotional attitude towards the Wu Zhou Dynasty.During the reign of Emperor Ruizong of Tang Dynasty,the political struggle between Princess Taiping and the crown prince became increasingly fierce.In October of the second year of Jingyun(711),the celestial phenomena with the meaning of civil unrest successively appeared,which made Emperor Ruizong of Tang Dynasty extremely worried and nervous.A series of events such as star change,demon illusion and disaster during the reign of Emperor Ruizong from Jingyun to Yanhe were the external reasons for the internal Zen of Emperor Ruizong,as well as the realistic connection and interaction with the internal political struggle of Emperor Tang,which formed the key factors for Emperor Ruizong’s abdication.After the congenital coup Ruizong returned to the reign of Xuanzong,the existing historical books about Ruizong’s activities are basically unrecorded,and the official history’s writing of Ruizong’s activities or names can reflect the shrinking of Ruizong’s political activity space and power to some extent.Under the coexistence of Xuanzong and Suzong,it was a general consensus that Tang officials and people recognized Suzong and respected Xuanzong at the same time.After returning to Chang’an from Bashu,Tang Xuanzong had a considerable range of activity space and activeness.The event of his visit to Changqing Tower was a great turning point for the political situation of Emperor Xuanzong.After moving to Ganlu Hall,Tang Xuanzong lost his old ministers and freedom and became a lonely and powerless retired emperor.As a landmark event for retired emperors in the early Tang Dynasty to stay away from the political center,the relocation of the palace symbolized the decline and even decline of the retired emperors’ power.The review of the political influence and power of the retired emperors in the early Tang Dynasty based on two dimensions of power and authority can be roughly classified into three types: non-power type,periodic power type,and authoritative.The frequency and level of the activities of the retired emperor are distinct differences between authoritative and the other two types,and whether the succeeding emperor has concerns about the legitimacy of the throne is another difference between authoritative and non-authoritative retired emperors.The precedent of abdication initiated by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty will bring some demonstration effect to the later emperors of the Tang Dynasty.This potential ancestral influence is a factor that can be paid attention to when considering the frequent abdication of emperors in the early Tang Dynasty.The four abdication of emperors in the early Tang Dynasty can be regarded as the product of political game and compromise,the abdication of Emperor Gaozu was the product of the special political pattern of his father and son in the early Tang Dynasty.The abdication of Empress Wu Zetian and Tang Ruizong was closely related to the changes and continuous turbulence of the central political pattern in the Tang Dynasty since the Wu-Zhou Dynasty.The abdication of Emperor Xuanzong was the result of his extreme suppression of the crown prince and the outbreak of the war in An and Shi.The abdication of emperors in the early Tang Dynasty was a prominent political phenomenon.The palace coup and the power state of the retired emperors were two significant features.