the Founder (太祖) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify the Founder as a general, ruler, and warlord. This record brings together 66 passages from 2 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	the Founder	太祖	Tàizǔ
Temple	the Founder	太祖	Tàizǔ
Title	the Founder	太祖	Taizu
Temple name		太祖	Taizu

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:017:s0064
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiuwudaishi:020:s0003, jiuwudaishi:020:s0056

Roles

General
Ruler
Warlord

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 光啟四年至天祐三年 · Western Interval: Start: AD 888 · End: AD 906
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:017:s0143, jiuwudaishi:017:s0023
Source Date: Text: 唐中和四年夏 · Western Year: AD 884
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0041
Source Date: Text: 廣明初 · Western Year: AD 880
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0003
Source Date: Text: 開平元年 · Western Year: AD 907
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0031

Family

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

Parent of Princess Anyang (安陽公主)
Kinship Term: princess (imperial daughter) / 公主 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: daughter

Career and standing

Action: took the throne · Polity: Later Liang
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:017:s0064
Polity: Later Liang / 梁 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太祖受禪 · Western Year: AD 907
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0056

Places and affiliations

Polity Name: Later Liang · Relation: served-or-associated
Strongly inferred · jiuwudaishi:020:s0003, jiuwudaishi:020:s0056

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · About Person Ids: Jing Xiang (敬翔), Liu Han (劉捍), Kou Yanqing (寇彥卿)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0149
Kind: memorial · Role: author · Provenance: Mode: direct-speech · Speaker Person Id: the Founder (太祖) · Other Person Id: Tang Emperor (唐帝)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:017:s0023
Kind: speech · Role: speaker
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0010

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: actor · Action: defected-to-Hezhong · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 廣明初 · Western Year: AD 880
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0011
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Kou Yanqing (寇彥卿)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0142, jiuwudaishi:020:s0149
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Liu Han (劉捍)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0040
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Xie Tong (謝瞳)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0003, jiuwudaishi:020:s0004

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: Jing Xiang, Liu Han, and Kou Yanqing were born for me · Provenance: Mode: named-speaker · Speaker Person Id: the Founder (太祖)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0149
Item: black charger Ten-foot Crow / One Zhang Crow / 一丈烏 · Relation: bestowed · Other Person Id: Kou Yanqing (寇彥卿)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0151

References in the histories

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

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 17Volume 17 Book of Later Liang 17: Biographies 7: Cheng Rui, Du Hong, Tian Yun, Zhao Kuangning, Zhang Ji, Lei Man · 17 passages

Open chapter

天祐三年夏，太祖以汭歿於王事，上表於唐帝，請為汭立廟於荊門，優詔可之。 Tianyou 3, summer: the Founder had the Tang court approve a temple for Rui at Jingmen, honoring his death in service.

及為楊行密所攻，洪、傳首尾相應，皆遣求援於太祖； When Yang Xingmi attacked them, Hong and Chuan backed each other and both appealed to the Founder;

太祖遣朱友恭赴之，大破淮寇於武昌，二鎮稍寧。 The Founder sent Zhu Yougong, who routed the Huainan army at Wuchang and gave the two regions brief relief.

及行密乘勝急攻洪、鄂，洪復乞師於太祖； When Xingmi pressed the attack on Hong and E, Hong again begged the Founder for troops;

太祖命荊南成汭率荊、襄舟師以赴之。 The Founder ordered Cheng Rui of Jingnan to sail the Jing-Xiang fleet to his aid.

天祐三年夏，太祖表請為洪立廟於其鎮，優詔可之。 Tianyou 3, summer: the Founder won approval for a temple to Du Hong in his old command.

太祖即位，詔贈太傅。 After the Founder took the throne, Hong was posthumously named Grand Tutor.

太祖大悅，遽屯兵於宿州，以會其變。 The Founder was delighted and rushed troops to Suzhou to meet the plot.

唐光啟四年夏六月，德諲審宗權必敗，乃舉漢南之地以歸唐朝，仍遣使投分於太祖，兼誓戮力，同討宗權。 In summer, month 6 of Guangqi 4, Dexin saw Zongquan would fall, surrendered Hannan to Tang, sent envoys to the Founder, and swore to destroy Zongquan together.

時太祖為蔡州四面行營都統使，乃表德諲為副，仍領襄州節度使。 The Founder, then overall commander against Cai, made Dexin his deputy and confirmed him as Xiang commissioner.

光化初，匡凝以太祖有清口之敗，密附於淮夷，太祖遣氏叔琮率師伐之。 Early in Guanghua, after the Founder's defeat at Qingkou, Kuangning secretly sided with the Huai rebels and the Founder sent Shi Shucong against him.

俄而康懷英攻下鄧州，匡凝懼，遣使乞盟，太祖許之，自是附庸於太祖。 Kang Huaiying took Deng; Kuangning sued for peace, the Founder agreed, and he became a vassal.

太祖將期受禪，以匡凝兄弟並據藩鎮，乃遣使先諭旨焉。 As the Founder prepared to take the throne, he sent envoys ahead to the Zhao brothers holding the frontier commands.

使者復命，太祖大怒。 The envoy returned; the Founder flew into a rage.

八月，太祖親領大軍南征，仍請削匡凝在身官爵。 Month 8 the Founder marched south in person and had Kuangning stripped of rank.

初，匡凝好聚書，及敗，楊師厚獲數千卷於第，悉以來獻。 Kuangning had loved books; after his defeat Shihou seized thousands of scrolls from his house and presented them to the Founder.

天祐二年秋，太祖既平襄州，遣楊師厚乘勝以趨荊門。 Autumn, Tianyou 2, after Xiang fell the Founder sent Shihou on toward Jingmen.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 20Volume 20 Book of Later Liang 20: Biographies 10: Xie Tong, Si Maye, Liu Han, Wang Jinrao, Gao Shao, Ma Sixun, Zhang Cunjin, Kou Yanqing · 49 passages

Open chapter

廣明初，黃巢陷長安，遂投跡於太祖，洎居門下，未嘗一日不在左右。 When Huang Chao seized Chang'an in the first year of Guangming, Tong entered the Founder's service and from that day was never far from his side.

及太祖據同州，遂署右職。 Once the Founder held Tongzhou, he gave Tong a chief post on his staff.

其年秋，太祖與河中交戰，再不利，連上章請兵於巢，偽右軍都尉孟楷抑而不進。 That autumn, twice beaten fighting Hezhong, the Founder pleaded again and again to Chao for reinforcements, but the rebel Right Army commissioner Meng Kai blocked every dispatch.

瞳揣太祖有擇福意，乃進說曰：「黃家以數十萬之師，值唐朝久安，人不習戰，因利乘便，遂下兩京。 Reading the Founder's wish to change sides, Tong urged him: "Huang's army of hundreds of thousands took both capitals only because the Tang had grown soft in long peace and men had forgotten war.

太祖曰：「我意素決，爾又如是，復何疑哉！」 The Founder replied, "My mind was made long ago; hearing you say the same, what doubt could remain?"

秋罷，詣蜀行在，太祖遣人迎之。 When autumn brought his term to an end, he went to the imperial camp in Shu, and the Founder sent escorts to meet him.

龍紀二年，至東京，勞徠彌厚，賜第墅各一區，錢千緡，表為亳州團練使兼太清宮副使，加檢校工部尚書。 In Longji 2 he reached the Eastern Capital; the Founder received him with exceptional honors—a mansion, a country villa, a thousand strings of cash—and memorialized him Bozhou regimental commissioner and deputy head of the Grand Pure Palace, with acting rank as Minister of Works.

是年冬，太祖征淮南，過郡，因求侍府幕，表為宣義軍節度副使，充兩使留後。 That winter, as the Founder marched on Huainan and passed through his circuit, Tong asked to join his staff and was made vice-commissioner of the Xuanyi army and regent for both civil and military commissioners.

韓建傳判官司鄴昭宗之幸鳳翔也，太祖引兵入關，前鋒至左馮翊，鄴持印鑰迎謁道左。 Maye had served as Han Jian's administrative officer; when Zhaozong fled to Fengxiang and the Founder entered the Pass, Maye met the vanguard at Fengyi with seal and keys in hand.

太祖以兵圍華州，命入城招諭韓建，建果出降。 The Founder besieged Hua and sent Maye into the city to parley with Han Jian, who promptly surrendered.

又使於金州，說其帥馮行襲，俾堅攀附。 He was also sent to Jinzhou to bind Feng Xingxi firmly to the Founder's cause.