Emperor Xianzong (憲宗)

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Xianzong as a royal family member and ruler. This record brings together 21 passages from 8 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Xianzong	憲宗	Xianzong
Temple	Emperor Xianzong	憲宗	Xianzong
Temple	Emperor Xianzong	憲宗皇帝	Xianzong huangdi
Temple name	Emperor Xianzong	憲宗
Temple name	Emperor Xianzong	憲宗	Xiànzōng
Title	Emperor Xianzong	憲宗	Xianzong
Temple	Emperor Xianzong	憲宗	Xiànzōng
Title	Prince of Guangling	廣陵王
Temple name	Xianzong	憲宗	Xiànzōng
Temple	Xianzong	憲宗	Xianzong

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiutangshu:150:s0131, xintangshu:045:s0212, xintangshu:172:s0030
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:052:s0186, xintangshu:141:s0130, xintangshu:175:s0019
Value: male
Explicit · xintangshu:184:s0121

Roles

Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 嗣位 · Western Year: AD 805
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:141:s0130
Source Date: Text: 憲宗 · Western Interval: Start: AD 805 · End: AD 820
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:050:s0005, xintangshu:184:s0121
Source Date: Text: 憲宗 · Western Interval: Start: AD 805 · End: AD 820
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0186
Source Date: Text: 憲宗時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 805 · End: AD 820
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0212
Source Date: Text: 憲宗為廣陵王時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 805 · End: AD 820
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:175:s0179
Source Date: Text: 憲宗立 · Western Year: c. AD 805
Explicit · xintangshu:172:s0030
Source Date: Text: 憲宗立 · Western Year: AD 805
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:175:s0019
Source Date: Text: 貞元二十一年 · Western Year: AD 805
Explicit event contextual date · jiutangshu:150:s0131

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Child of Emperor Shunzong (順宗)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Child of Empress Zhuangxian (莊憲皇后王氏)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological
Parent of Princess Yongchang (永昌公主)
Kinship Term: Xianzong's Princess Yongchang / 憲宗永昌公主 · Parentage: biological

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0186
Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:045:s0212

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0192, xintangshu:052:s0193, xintangshu:141:s0131

Events and relationships

Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: abolished succession tribute and extralegal monopolies beyond two taxes
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0186
Kind: political · Role: grantor · Action: granted-residence · Other Person Id: Yizu (懿祖) · Place: Qinren Ward / 親仁坊
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:050:s0005
Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: wore washed clothes and reduced spending relying on Dezong stores
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0189

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: did not realize presentations weighed heavily on the people · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0194

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0212, xintangshu:172:s0030

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 150Volume 146 Biographies 96: Xue Bo, Bao Fang, Li Ziliang, Li Shuo, Yan Shou, Xiao Xin, Du Ya, Wang Wei, Li Ruochu, Yu Qi, Lu Zheng, Yan Ping, Zheng Yuan, Du Jian, Pei Bin, Xue Pi · 2 passages

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順宗子順宗二十三子：莊憲皇后王氏生憲宗皇帝； Shunzong had twenty-three sons. Empress Zhuangxian, Lady Wang, bore Emperor Xianzong.

母莊憲王皇后，憲宗同出。 His mother was Empress Zhuangxian, Lady Wang; he shared the same mother as Xianzong.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 50Volume 50 Book of Later Tang 26: Biographies 2: Imperial Family · 1 passage

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初，懿祖歸朝，憲宗賜宅於親仁坊，自長慶以來，相次一人典衛兵。 When the Virtuous Ancestor (Yizu) first submitted to the Tang court, Emperor Xianzong granted the family a residence in Qinren Ward. From the Changqing reign onward, a member of the clan in each generation held command of the palace guard.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 45Volume 45 Treatises 40: Selecting and Appointing Officials 2 · 1 passage

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憲宗時，宰相李吉甫定考遷之格，諸州刺史、次赤府少尹、次赤令、諸陵令、五府司馬、上州以上上佐、東宮官詹事諭德以下、王府官四品以上皆五考。 Under Xianzong, Li Jifu set review standards: prefects, secondary-capital officials, tomb directors, capital marshals, senior prefectural aides, Eastern Palace staff from grand tutor down, and fourth-rank princely officials—all required five reviews.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 52Volume 52 Treatises 48: Finance and Economics 2 · 3 passages

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憲宗又罷除官受代進奉及諸道兩稅外榷率； Xianzong ended succession tribute and circuit monopolies beyond the two taxes;

是時，因德宗府庫之積，頗約費用，天子身服澣濯。 Thanks to Dezong's hoard, Xianzong cut spending and wore patched robes.

帝喟然曰：「誠知非至德事，然兩河中夏貢賦之地，朝覲久廢，河、湟陷沒，烽候列於郊甸。 The emperor sighed: "I know this falls short of utmost virtue, yet the Two Rivers and the central plain are tribute lands whose court audiences have long been suspended; the He and Huang regions have fallen, and beacon posts line the capital's outskirts.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 141Volume 141 Biographies 66: Cui, Deng, Wei, Wei, Li Han, Lu, Gao · 2 passages

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憲宗在藩，疾之，既嗣位，全義大懼，願入覲，不復用，以太子少保致仕卒。 When Xianzong was still heir apparent he detested him; once he succeeded to the throne, Quanyi was greatly afraid and wished to enter for an audience, but was not again employed and died after retiring as grand guardian of the heir apparent.

憲宗患之。 Xianzong was troubled by him.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 172Volume 172 Biographies 97: Yu, Wang, Two Du's, Fan · 7 passages

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憲宗立，權綱自出，頔稍懼，願以子尚主，帝許之。 When Xianzong came to the throne and power flowed from the center again, Di grew uneasy and offered his son in marriage to a princess; the emperor agreed.

帝討蔡，頔獻家財以助國，帝卻之。 When the emperor campaigned against Cai, Di offered his family fortune to support the war effort, but the emperor refused.

帝初欲頔告老，宰相李逢吉謂得謝乃優禮，非所以示責。 The emperor first wanted Di to retire, but Chief Minister Li Fengji argued that granting retirement would look like an honor, not a punishment.

宰司將以太子少保官之，帝改署賓客。 The chief ministers planned to make him Junior Mentor to the Heir Apparent, but the emperor reassigned him as Retainer instead.

季友尚憲宗永昌公主，拜駙馬都尉。 Jiyou married Xianzong's Princess Yongchang and was appointed Commandant of the Imperial Sons-in-Law.

憲宗遣中使問狀，具對府政苛細，力不堪奉。 Xianzong dispatched an imperial messenger to investigate; Gao explained in full that the prefect's rule was petty and exacting beyond what he could endure.

代還，坐治第過制，憲宗薄不用，改光祿卿。 On recall he was charged with building a residence that exceeded regulations; Xianzong looked on him coldly and reassigned him as Grand Master of Splendid Happiness.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 175Volume 175 Biographies 100: Dou, Liu, Two Zhangs, Yang, Xiong, Bai · 4 passages

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憲宗立，轉膳部員外郎，兼侍御史知雜事。 Under Emperor Xianzong he became Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently Attending Censor with charge of miscellaneous business.

憲宗面覆登，得其情，大怒，將誅群，吉甫為救解，乃免，出為湖南觀察使。 Xianzong examined Deng face to face, learned the facts, flew into a rage and nearly put Qun to death; Jifu interceded, he was spared, and was demoted to observation commissioner of Hunan.

且憲宗及先帝皆長君，朝夕恪勤，四方猶有叛者。 Xianzong and the previous emperor were seasoned rulers who labored dawn to dusk, yet rebels still rose on every side.

憲宗為廣陵王時，因張茂宗薦尉，得出入邸中，誕譎敢言。 As Prince of Guangling, Xianzong took him in through Zhang Maozong as aide; he entered the mansion, sly and outspoken.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 184Volume 184 Biographies 109: Ma, Yang, Lu, Lu · 1 passage

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宣宗追加順、憲二宗尊號，有司議改造廟主，署新謚，詔百官議。 When Emperor Xuanzong added posthumous honorific titles for Emperors Shun and Xian, the relevant offices debated remaking temple tablets and affixing new posthumous designations, and an edict ordered all officials to discuss it.