The Tang dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum from 690 to 705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne as the Wu Zhou dynasty. Founded by Emperor Gaozu after the collapse of the Sui dynasty, the Tang is regarded by historians as a high point of Chinese civilization and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture, ruling from its capital at Chang'an, then the world's most populous city. Tang poetry, exemplified by Li Bai and Du Fu, flourished alongside advances in painting, historiography and woodblock printing, and the empire's cultural influence extended to Japan and Korea. The An Lushan rebellion of 755 to 763 devastated the empire and weakened central authority; the later rise of regional military governors and a succession of agrarian rebellions brought the dynasty to an end in 907.
Facts
Government TypeAbsolute monarchy under the Emperor 1 CapitalChang'an (present-day Xi'an); briefly Luoyang from 904 to 907 1 Government type (class) Classification
Status (Extant or Former) FAQs
Did the Tang dynasty rule China without a break from 618 to 907?
No, Empress Wu Zetian ruled as the Wu Zhou dynasty from 690 to 705.
Not quite. Between 690 and 705 the throne was held by Empress Wu Zetian, who founded her own Wu Zhou dynasty. Historians therefore describe the Tang as having an interregnum in those years, even though the Tang house returned to power and the dynasty is counted as running from 618 to 907.
Connections
Associated With
The golden age is the height of the Tang dynasty
In Era
Preceded By
Source Wikipedia: Sui dynasty
The Shenlong coup of 705 restored the Tang dynasty, the same polity entity that preceded Zhou; recorded as a second succeeded-by edge to the one Tang dynasty entity, one bracketing edge on each side of the interregnum.
Source Wu Zetian, 624-705 (Encyclopedia.com)
Ruled By
Source Wikipedia: Emperor Taizong of Tang
Succeeded By
Wu Zetian deposed her own son, the reigning Tang emperor, in 690 and ruled in her own right as Zhou's founder and emperor, not merely as a Tang regent.
Source Zhou dynasty, Wu Zhou (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Government Type
Also in Society and Culture Atlas: the government type of this subject.
Nationals Include
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Source Dongshan Liangjie (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
Dongshan Liangjie (807–869) (Chinese: 洞山良价; pinyin: Dòngshān Liángjiè; Wade–Giles: Tung-shan Liang-chieh; Japanese: Tōzan Ryōkai; Korean: Tongsan Lianggye; Vietnamese: Động Sơn Lương Giới) was a Chan/Zen Buddhist monk of the Tang dynasty.
Also in Divinity Atlas: a national of this subject.
Source Tonyukuk (Wikipedia)Infobox: birth_placeQuote, Infobox: birth_place
Yulin, Tang dynasty (modern day Inner Mongolia)
Also in Divinity Atlas: a national of this subject.
Source Wu Zetian (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
She had previously held power as the empress consort of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty from 660 to 683 and as empress dowager during the reigns of her sons, Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong, between 683 and 690. She was the sole ruler of the self-styled Zhou dynasty from 690 to 705. In her early life, Wu served as a concubine of Emperor Taizong.
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Source Zhanran (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
Zhanran helped define, defend, and popularize the Tiantai tradition during the Tang dynasty, further developing its doctrinal system based on Zhiyi's writings.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Tang Dynasty
WikipediaLead section, paragraph 1
The Tang dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point of Chinese civilisation, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture.
Infobox, government type field
Absolute monarchy
Lead section, paragraph 3
The Tang capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) was the world's most populous city for much of the dynasty's existence.
Lead section, paragraph 1, start date
The Tang dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907
Lead section, paragraph 1, end date
ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705
The Tang Dynasty: Status
The Tang dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum from 690 to 705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne as the Wu Zhou dynasty.
View the Source Zhou dynasty, Wu Zhou (Wikipedia)
WikipediaSucceeded By: Zhou dynasty (interregnum), Body section on the foundingQuote, Succeeded By: Zhou dynasty (interregnum), Body section on the founding
Zhou (Chinese: 周), known in historiography as the Wu Zhou (Chinese: 武周), was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty that existed between 690 and 705. The dynasty consisted of the reign of one female emperor, Wu Zhao (Wu Zetian), who usurped the throne of her son, the Emperor Ruizong of Tang, in 690.
Wu Zetian, 624-705 (Encyclopedia.com)
Encyclopedia.com (Gale)Preceded By: Zhou dynasty (interregnum), Article body, on the 705 Tang restorationQuote, Preceded By: Zhou dynasty (interregnum), Article body, on the 705 Tang restoration
in 705, when she was 81 years old, the combined forces of the Li-Tang family took advantage of her weakening grip on the state and removed her from power.
Wikipedia: Sui dynasty
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