Li Kening (李克寧) | 24 Histories

Overview

Li Kening was a Royal Family Member.

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Kening	克宁

Life and dates

Death

AD 908 二月二十日
Executed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 116
AD 908 莊宗初嗣晉王位
Executed for conspiracy
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passage 202

Attested activity

AD 908 五年正月
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 84
AD 894 to AD 898 乾寧初
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 82
AD 908 二月二十日
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 112
AD 904 to AD 907 天祐初
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 83
AD 878 to AD 908 太祖四弟
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 98
AD 908 开平前后
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 12, passage 170

Show 3 more source-backed claims

AD 908 武皇厭代
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 93, passage 11
AD 908 莊宗初嗣晉王位
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passages 200, 202
AD 878 起雲中／黃花城
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 77

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Li Kexiu (李克修)
brother 弟 · Uncertain siblings
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 98
Sibling of Li Kegong (李克恭)
brother 弟 · Uncertain siblings
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 98
Sibling of Li Kerang (李克讓)
brother 弟 · Uncertain siblings
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 98
Spouse of Lady Meng (孟夫人)
wife 妻
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 101
Sibling of Martial Emperor (武皇)
younger brother 弟 · Uncertain siblings
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 93, passage 11
Sibling of Taizu (太祖)
younger brother 弟 · Uncertain siblings
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passages 94, 97-98
Sibling of Li Keyong (李克用)
youngest brother 季弟
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 76

Kinship Role parents · Quantity unspecified
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 98

Key source chapters

Career and standing

acting grand guardian 檢校太保
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 83
acting minister of education 檢校司徒
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 82
commissioner of the Fengcheng Army 奉誠軍使
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 77
military commissioner of Zhenwu 振武節度使
Appointed · From Source Date: Text: 天祐初 · Western Interval: Start: AD 904 · End: AD 907
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 83
overall commissioner for inner and outer affairs 內外都製置
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 83
prefect of Liaozhou 遼州刺史
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 81

Show 6 more source-backed claims

defender of Yunzhou 雲州防禦使
Promoted
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 81
military commissioner of Datong 大同節度
Requested concurrent
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 102
prefect of Xinzhou 忻州刺史
Transferred · From Source Date: Text: 乾寧初 · Western Interval: Start: AD 894 · End: AD 898
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 82
Inflicted
Killed · With Li Cunzhi (李存質)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 102
Suffered
AD 908 二月二十日 · Execution
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 116
Suffered
AD 908 莊宗初嗣晉王位 · Execution
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passage 202

Places and affiliations

Polity Jin 晉 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passage 200
Polity Jin/Hedong 河東 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 93, passage 11

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passages 85, 92-93, 97-99, 115

Events and relationships

Defended
Military · Defender · At Huanghua Fort 黃花城
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 77
Held army and hoped to succeed
AD 908 武皇厭代 · Succession · Contender · With Martial Emperor (武皇)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 93, passage 11
Plotted rebellion
Political · Accused
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passages 105, 112
Secretly plotted to harm Zhuangzong and tried to win Jingrong to the plot
AD 908 莊宗初嗣晉王位 · Political · Conspirator · With Emperor Zhuangzong (莊宗), Shi Jingrong (史敬熔)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passage 200
Relation Aspiring successor of · Person Martial Emperor (武皇)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 93, passage 11

Assessments and attributes

Assessment kind-hearted but indecisive, therefore ruined · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 117
Assessment most noted among brothers for kindness and filial devotion · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 50, passage 80

Source notes

parents’ names unknown 不知其父母名號
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 98

References in the histories

Search passages

History

26 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 50Volume 50 Book of Later Tang 26: Biographies 2: Imperial Family · 21 passages

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克寧，武皇之季弟也。 Ke Ning was Li Keyong's youngest brother.

初從起雲中，為奉誠軍使，赫連鐸之攻黃花城也，克寧奉武皇及諸弟登城，血戰三日，力盡備竭，殺賊萬計。 He had followed Li Keyong from the first rising in Yunzhong and served as commissioner of the Fengcheng Army. When Helian Duo attacked Huanghua Fort, Ke Ning helped Li Keyong and his brothers onto the walls. For three days they fought hand to hand until strength and supplies were spent, killing rebels by the tens of thousands.

燕軍之攻蔚州，克寧昆仲嬰城拒敵，晝夜輟寢食者旬餘。 When the Yan army besieged Weizhou, Ke Ning and his brothers held the city and went more than ten days and nights with scarcely any sleep or food.

及鎮太原，授遼州刺史，累至雲州防禦使。 When Li Keyong held Taiyuan, Ke Ning was made prefect of Liaozhou and later promoted to defender of Yunzhou.

天祐初，授內外都製置、管內蕃漢都知兵馬使、檢校太保，充振武節度使，凡軍政皆決於克寧。 Early in the Tianyou era he was made overall commissioner for inner and outer affairs, commander of all Tangut and Chinese forces in the circuit, acting grand guardian, and military commissioner of Zhenwu. Military and civil affairs alike were left to Ke Ning's decision.

五年正月，武皇疾篤，克寧等侍疾，垂泣辭訣。 In the first month of the fifth year Li Keyong fell gravely ill. Ke Ning and the others kept vigil at his bedside, weeping as they bade him farewell.

克寧曰：「王萬一不諱，後事何屬？」 Ke Ning said, "If anything should happen to you, my lord, who is to take charge of what follows?"

因召莊宗侍側，謂克寧、張承業曰：「亞子累公等。」 He then had Emperor Zhuangzong brought to his side and said to Ke Ning and Zhang Chengye, "Yazi will be a burden on you all."

將發哀，克寧紀綱軍府，中外無嘩。 As mourning was proclaimed, Ke Ning took command of the military government, and neither within the yamen nor outside it was there any disturbance.

莊宗英察，懼及於禍，將嗣位，讓克寧曰：「兒年孤稚，未通庶政，雖承遺命，恐未能彈壓大事。 Emperor Zhuangzong was sharp-witted and feared for his life. As he was about to succeed, he offered the position to Ke Ning, saying, "I am young and alone, with no experience of government. Though I have my father's last command, I doubt I can hold the great affairs together.

克寧曰：「亡兄遺命，屬在我兒，孰敢異議者！ Ke Ning replied, "My late brother's last command placed everything in my nephew's hands. Who would dare object!

視事之日，率先拜賀。 On the day Zhuangzong took office, Ke Ning was the first to bow in congratulation.

莊宗嗣位，軍民政事，一切委之，權柄既重，趣向者多附之。 After Zhuangzong succeeded, he entrusted all military and civil affairs to Ke Ning. As Ke Ning's power grew, ambitious men flocked to his side.

李存顥者，以陰計幹克寧曰：「兄亡弟及，古今舊事，委父拜侄，理所未安，富貴功名，當宜自立，天與不取，後悔無及。」 Li Cunhao secretly urged Ke Ning, saying, "When the elder brother dies the younger brother succeeds—that is the old way of the world. For an uncle to bow to his nephew is unnatural. You should seize fortune and rank for yourself. If heaven offers and you refuse, you will regret it when it is too late."

克寧曰：「公毋得不祥之言， Ke Ning said, "Do not speak such ill-omened words!

克寧雖慈愛因心，而日為凶徒惑亂。 Though Ke Ning was by nature loving and kind, day by day the conspirators led him further astray.

群凶之妻復以此言幹克寧妻孟夫人，說激百端，夫人懼事泄及禍，屢讓克寧，由是愈惑。 The conspirators' wives used the same arguments on Ke Ning's wife, Lady Meng, pressing her from every angle. Fearing exposure and ruin, she repeatedly urged Ke Ning to act, and he grew only more unsettled.

會克寧因事殺都虞候李存質，又請兼領大同節度，以蔚、朔為屬郡，又數怒監軍張承業、李存璋； Ke Ning then killed the chief controller Li Cunzhi on a pretext, asked to take the Datong commission as well with Wei and Shuo as subordinate prefectures, and repeatedly provoked the army supervisors Zhang Chengye and Li Cunzhang;

二月二十日，會諸將於府第，擒存顥、克寧於坐。 On the twentieth day of the second month he assembled his generals at the residence and seized Cunhao and Ke Ning where they sat.

克寧泣對曰：「蓋讒夫交構，吾復何言！」 Ke Ning wept in reply, "Slanderers set us at odds. What more can I say!"

克寧仁而無斷，故及於禍。 Ke Ning was kind-hearted but indecisive, and so came to ruin.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 55Volume 55 Book of Later Tang 31: Biographies 7: Kang Junli, Xue Zhiqin, Shi Jiantang, Li Chengsi, Shi Yan, Gai Yu, Yi Guang, Li Chengxun, Shi Jingrong · 2 passages

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莊宗初嗣晉王位，李克寧陰構異圖，將害莊宗，事發有日矣，克寧密引敬鎔，以邪謀諭之。 When Emperor Zhuangzong first succeeded to the Jin throne, Li Kening secretly plotted against him and was on the verge of acting. Kening secretly summoned Jingrong and tried to win him to the conspiracy.

克寧等伏誅，以功累曆郡。 Kening and his conspirators were executed. For his service Jingrong rose through successive prefectural posts.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 93Volume 93 Book of Later Jin 19: Biographies 8: Lu Zhi, Li Zhuanmei, Lu Zhan, Cui Zhuo, Xue Rong, Cao Guozhen, Zhang Renyuan, Zhao Xi, Li Xia, Yin Yuyu, Zheng Yunsou · 1 passage

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武皇厭代，其弟克寧握兵柄，有嗣襲之望，質與張承業等密謀，同立莊宗為嗣，有翊贊之功。 After the Martial Emperor's death his younger brother Kening held the army and hoped to succeed him, but Zhi joined Zhang Chengye and others in a secret plot to install Zhuangzong as heir, earning merit for his loyal support.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 12Volume 12 Later Zhou Annals 3: Shizong, Emperor Gong · 1 passage

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梁之友珪反，唐戕克宁而杀存乂、从璨，则父子骨肉之恩，几何其不绝矣。 When Liang’s Yougui rebelled, Later Tang slew Kening and put Cunyi and Congcan to death—the tie between father and son, bone and blood, was all but severed.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 14Volume 14: Taizu of Later Tang's Family · 1 passage

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太祖四弟，曰克讓、克修、克恭、克寧，皆不知其父母名號。 The four were Kerang, Kexiu, Kegong, and Kening; their parents’ names are lost.