Emperor Ai of Tang

Background

Li Zuo was born in 892 at the main palace in Chang'an, the ninth son of Emperor Zhaozong and Consort He. His older brother Li Yu was the oldest son. In 897, Li Zuo was created Prince of Hui, and later that year Consort He became empress. By 903, the warlord Zhu Quanzhong had taken control of the court at Chang'an.

Emperor Zhaozong initially wanted to make Li Yu Generalissimo, but Zhu preferred a younger prince, so Li Zuo was appointed instead. In 904, Zhu forced the court to move to Luoyang and then had Emperor Zhaozong assassinated. Bypassing Li Yu and other older princes, Zhu had an edict issued creating Li Zuo crown prince and changing his name to Li Chu. Shortly after, Li Chu took the throne as Emperor Ai, and his mother was honored as empress dowager.

Reign

Emperor Ai's reign was dominated by Zhu Quanzhong's associates. In 905, under edicts in Emperor Ai's name, about thirty aristocrats were gathered at Baima Station and ordered to commit suicide; their bodies were thrown into the Yellow River. Victims included former chancellors Pei Shu, Dugu Sun, Cui Yuan, Lu Yi, and Wang Pu. Nine of Emperor Ai's brothers, including Li Yu, were also killed on Zhu's orders.

Liu Can and others prepared ceremonies for Emperor Ai to yield the throne, first having him bestow the title Prince of Wei and the nine bestowments on Zhu. Zhu, wanting the throne faster, had Liu Can, Jiang Xuanhui, and Zhang Tingfan put to death.

Empress Dowager He was falsely accused of an affair with Jiang and killed; Emperor Ai was forced to posthumously demote her to commoner rank. In 907, Zhu forced Emperor Ai to abdicate, ending the Tang dynasty. Several regional warlords refused to recognize Zhu's Later Liang and continued using Emperor Ai's era name.

Death

After the Later Liang took power, Li Chu was made the Prince of Jiyin and sent to Cao Prefecture, where his residence was fenced with thorns and kept under tight watch. In 908, he was poisoned to death and given the posthumous name Ai. Years later, under Later Tang’s Emperor Mingzong, a temple was built for him at Cao Prefecture in 928.

The following year, officials proposed a fuller posthumous title, Emperor Zhaoxuan Guanglie Xiao, along with the temple name Jingzong. Because his shrine was not part of the main imperial ancestral temples, the temple name was rejected, though the new posthumous name was accepted. Historical records usually call him Emperor Ai, but sometimes Emperor Zhaoxuan.