Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Emperor · Monarch · Poet
The second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, known as Li Shimin. He achieved a stable rule known as the Jogan no Chi, and solidified the foundations of the Tang Empire. This is important when considering the international order in the East Asian world.
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Birth
Chang'an
Work
Reign of Zhenguan
627–649
Political event · Leader
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
He was born as a son of Li Yuan during the period of turmoil at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and played a major role in the military campaigns that established the Tang Dynasty. He ascended the throne after a power struggle with his brothers, and demonstrated his military strength and political ability.
He appointed competent bureaucrats and promoted stable governance based on the Ritsuryo system and the Hitden system. He also demonstrated his power externally by subjugating the Eastern Turks, pushing Tang into a large international empire.
Taizong is said to be a ruler who respected the Wei Zheng of his retainers. The ideal image of an emperor accepting criticism became the standard by which great princes were evaluated in later Chinese politics.
When we study Li Shimin, we learn that the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty was supported not only by military conquest, but also by bureaucracy, legal systems, international diplomacy, and the promotion of human resources. It will serve as a base for understanding the relationship between the Ritsuryo states in East Asia and their surrounding countries.
