Emperor Daizong (代宗)

Overview

Emperor Daizong was an emperor of Tang.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 770 大歷五年四月
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 119, passages 44, 49
AD 762 to AD 779 代宗
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 22, passage 99
AD 762 代宗
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 130, passage 22
AD 763 代宗出陝州
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 53, passage 57
AD 764 代宗廣德二年
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 44, passage 105
AD 762 to AD 779 代宗時
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 45, passage 170; New Book of Tang 52, passage 4

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AD 762 to AD 779 代宗時
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 175, passage 3
AD 766 大曆元年
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 22, passage 100
AD 779 大曆十四年
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 150, passage 5
AD 779 大歷末
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 131, passages 45-46
AD 763 廣德元年
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 119, passage 34; New Book of Tang 51, passages 145, 161; New Book of Tang 141, passage 182
AD 766 永泰二年
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 51, passages 157, 161
AD 765 to AD 766 永泰時
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 161, passage 77

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Emperor Suzong (肅宗)
eldest legitimate son 嫡長
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 130, passage 23
Parent of Dezong (德宗)
father 父
son 子
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 52, passages 4-5
Parent of Crown Prince Zhaojing Miao (昭靖太子邈)
son 子
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 150, passage 5

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Prince of Guangping 廣平王
Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 22, passage 99

Places and affiliations

Tang 唐
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 52, passage 4
Tang 唐
Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 119, passage 34; New Book of Tang 45, passage 170
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 44, passage 105
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Ruled
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 53, passage 57
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 51, passage 161

Works and attributed material

Edict · Author
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 44, passages 105-106
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 131, passage 46

Events and relationships

Ascended throne and commended Zhao Guozhen
Political · Ruler · With Zhao Guozhen (趙國珍)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 119, passage 34
Began acre based summer autumn tax assessment
Administrative · Ruler
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 52, passage 4
Expanded grain transport after returning from Shanzhou to a destitute Guanzhong
Administrative · Ruler
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 53, passage 57
Favored uyghurs horse trade
Diplomatic · Ruler
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 51, passage 161
Grieved for Cui Guan
Personal · Mourner · With Cui Guan (崔瓘)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 119, passage 49
Plotted against
Political · Plotter · With Yu Chao'en (魚朝恩)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 51, passage 164

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Recalled students
Administrative · Issuer
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 44, passages 105-106
Recovered two capitals
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 22, passage 99
Relation Turned against · Person Yuan Zai (元載)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 51, passage 165

Assessments and attributes

Assessment neglected frontier finance for ritual and Buddhist copying · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 51, passage 166
Assessment personally frugal · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 51, passage 167

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 44, passage 105; New Book of Tang 45, passage 170; New Book of Tang 51, passage 161
From Prince of Guangping 廣平王 · To Prince of Cheng 成王
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 130, passage 22

References in the histories

Search passages

History

23 passages

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 119Volume 115 Biographies 65: Cui Qi, Zhao Guozhen, Cui Guan, Jing Kuo, Wei Yuanfu, Wei Shaoyou, Wei Boyu, Li Cheng · 2 passages

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代宗踐祚，特嘉之，召拜工部尚書。 When Emperor Daizong took the throne he singled Guozhen out for praise and summoned him to court as minister of works.

代宗聞其事，悼惜久之。 When Daizong heard the news, he grieved for him a long while.

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 130Volume 126 Biographies 76: Li Kui, Li Han, Chen Shaoyou, Lu Yue, Pei Xu · 7 passages

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時代宗自廣平王改封成王，張皇后有子數歲，陰有奪宗之議。 At that time Daizong, formerly Prince of Guangping, had been redesignated Prince of Cheng. Empress Zhang had a young son, and quietly there was talk of setting him up as heir instead.

揆因對見，肅宗從容曰：「成王嫡長有功，今當命嗣，卿意何如？」 On another audience Kui was present when Suzong said casually: "The Prince of Cheng is the eldest legitimate son and has earned distinction. It is time to name the heir. What do you think?"

寶應元年，初平河朔，代宗以涵忠謹洽聞，遷左庶子、兼御史中丞、河北宣慰使。 In the first year of Baoying, as Hebei was brought back under control, Daizong, knowing Han for loyalty and steady judgment, made him left attendant of the heir apparent, censor-in-chief, and pacification commissioner for Hebei.

使還，請罷官終喪制，代宗以其毀瘠，許之。 On his return he asked leave to complete the full mourning period. Daizong, seeing how grief had wasted him, consented.

代宗以為忠，待之益厚。 Daizong took this for loyalty and treated him all the more favorably.

代宗居陜，谞步懷考功及南曹二印赴行在，上見而謂之曰：「疾風知勁草，果信矣。」 When Daizong was at Shaan, Xu walked on foot to the mobile court carrying the seals of the Bureau of Evaluations and the Southern Bureau. The emperor said: "A fierce wind reveals the tough grass—how true that proves."

時關輔大旱，谞入計，代宗召見便殿，問谞：「榷酤之利，一歲出入幾何？」 A great drought afflicted the Guanzhong region. When Xu came to present accounts, Daizong received him in the side hall and asked: "What are the yearly receipts and expenditures of the wine monopoly?"

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 131Volume 127 Biographies 77: Yao Lingyan, Zhang Guangcheng, Yuan Xiu, Qiao Lin, Zhang She, Jiang Zhen, Hong Jinglun, Peng Yan · 1 passage

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代宗密謂之曰：「北蕃縱橫日久，當思所禦之計。」 Daizong said to him privately: "The northern barbarians have run rampant for many years—you must think of measures to check them."

New Book of Tang, Chapter 22Volume 22 Treatises 12: Rites and Music 12 · 1 passage

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代宗繇廣平王復二京，梨園供奉官劉日進制《寶應長寧樂》十八曲以獻，皆宮調也。 When Daizong, as Prince of Guangping, recovered the two capitals, Pear Garden officer Liu Rijin offered eighteen Precious Response Long Peace pieces, all in palace mode.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 44Volume 44 Treatises 39: Selecting and Appointing Officials 1 · 1 passage

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代宗廣德二年，詔曰：「古者設太學，教胄子，雖年穀不登，兵革或動，而俎豆之事不廢。 In 764, Emperor Daizong issued an edict: "In antiquity the Imperial Academy was founded to instruct the sons of officials. Though harvests failed or armies took the field, sacrificial rites were never abandoned.

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

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肅、代以後兵興，天下多故，官員益濫，而銓法無可道者。 After Suzong and Daizong, war and turmoil multiplied officials until evaluation law collapsed entirely.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 51Volume 51 Treatises 47: Finance and Economics 1 · 5 passages

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時回紇有助收西京功，代宗厚遇之，與中國婚姻，歲送馬十萬匹，酬以縑帛百余萬匹。 The Uyghurs had helped retake Chang'an; Daizong favored them with marriage alliances; they sent a hundred thousand horses yearly, paid for with over a million bolts of silk.

而中官魚朝恩方恃恩擅權，代宗與宰相元載日夜圖之。 Eunuch Yu Chao'en abused imperial favor; Daizong and Yuan Zai plotted against him day and night.

及朝恩誅，帝復與載貳，君臣猜間不協，邊計兵食，置而不議者幾十年。 After Chao'en's death, emperor and minister turned on each other; frontier defense and supply went undiscussed for nearly a decade.

而諸鎮擅地，結為表裏，日治兵繕壘，天子不能繩以法，顓留意祠禱、焚幣玉、寫浮屠書，度支稟賜僧巫，歲以鉅萬計。 Regional warlords seized territory, armed themselves, and defied the court; the emperor turned to sacrifices, burning jade offerings, and copying sutras—the treasury gave monks and shamans tens of thousands yearly.

然帝性儉約，身所禦衣，必浣染至再三，欲以先天下。 Yet the emperor was personally frugal, wearing his robes until they were washed threadbare, hoping to set an example.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 52Volume 52 Treatises 48: Finance and Economics 2 · 1 passage

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自代宗時，始以畝定稅，而斂以夏秋。 Under Daizong, taxes were first assessed by acre and collected in summer and autumn installments.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 53Volume 53 Treatises 43: Finance and Economics 3 · 1 passage

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及代宗出陝州，關中空窘，於是盛轉輸以給用。 When Daizong escaped through Shanzhou, Guanzhong was destitute and transport was massively expanded to feed the court.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 141Volume 141 Biographies 66: Cui, Deng, Wei, Wei, Li Han, Lu, Gao · 1 passage

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廣德元年，代宗幸陜，以伯玉有幹略，可方面大事，乃拜荊南節度使，進封城陽郡王。 In the first year of Guangde, when Daizong visited Shan, considering Boyu had capacity and resolve fit for a major regional command, he was appointed military commissioner of Jingnan and advanced to prince of Chengyang commandery.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 161Volume 161 Biographies 86: Zhang, Zhao, Li, Zheng, Xu, Wang, Feng, Yu · 1 passage

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始，永泰時，禁中火，近東宮，代宗疑之。 Originally, in the Yongtai era, a fire broke out in the forbidden palace near the Eastern Palace, and Daizong harbored suspicions.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 175Volume 175 Biographies 100: Dou, Liu, Two Zhangs, Yang, Xiong, Bai · 1 passage

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父叔向，以詩自名，代宗時，位左拾遺。 His father Shuxiang was famed for his verse; under Emperor Daizong he served as Left Reminder.