Taizu (太祖) | 24 Histories

Overview

Taizu was an emperor and Founder of Later Liang.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Temple name	Liang founder	梁祖	Liang Zu

Life and dates

Death

AD 912 乾化二年
Assassination
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 10, passage 137
AD 912 乾化二年六月五日
died 崩
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passages 51, 58, 60
AD 912 太祖遇弑
Assassinated
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 167

Attested activity

AD 908 開平二年十一月
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 17, passages 224, 228
AD 906 天祐三年春
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 187
AD 912 乾化二年
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passages 51, 58, 60; New History of the Five Dynasties 10, passage 137
AD 911 乾化元年
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passage 7
AD 908 二年春
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 144, passage 24
AD 883 太祖初鎮宣武
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 178

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AD 907 太祖受禪
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 191; Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 162
AD 912 太祖遇弑
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 167
AD 907 梁開平初
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 144, passage 17
AD 908 開平二年
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passage 57
AD 910 開平四年
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passage 39

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Illustrious Ancestor Emperor Wen Mu (烈祖文穆皇帝)
Illustrious Ancestor 烈祖 · paternal line
Strongly inferred · Old History of the Five Dynasties 144, passages 17, 20

Key source chapters

Career and standing

demoted Kou Yanqing to middle-rank general of the Left Guard 責授左衛中郎將
AD 908 to AD 912 太祖受禪後歲餘餘後 · Demoted · Authority Taizu (太祖) · With Kou Yanqing (寇彥卿)
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passages 162-164
Received mandate
AD 907 太祖受禪
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 162
received the abdication 受禪
AD 907 太祖受禪
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 191
accepted abdication 受禪
AD 907 梁開平初
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 144, passage 17

Places and affiliations

Later Liang 後梁
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 162
Later Liang 後梁
Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 191
Later Liang 梁
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 144, passage 17
Tang 唐
Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passages 178, 187
Polity Later Liang 梁 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passage 7; New History of the Five Dynasties 10, passage 137
AD 906 天祐三年春
At Wei 魏 · Relation Entered
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 187

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AD 883 太祖初鎮宣武
At Xuanwu 宣武 · Relation Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 178

Works and attributed material

Edict · Author · With Ma Yin (馬殷), Gao Jichang (高季昌)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 17, passage 224

Events and relationships

Assassinated
AD 912 乾化二年 · Political · Victim
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 10, passage 137
Assassinated
AD 912 太祖遇弑 · Political · Victim
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 167
Avoided main hall in plain robes after solar eclipse omen
AD 911 乾化元年正月丙戌朔 · Ritual · Sovereign
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passage 8
Detested remonstrators' citation of Han Gaozu eclipse omen
AD 911 乾化元年 · Omen response · Sovereign
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passage 8
Established ancestral temple
AD 907 梁開平初 · Ritual · Ruler
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 144, passage 17
Executed guard army
AD 906 天祐三年春 · Military · Commander · At Wei 魏
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 187

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Ordered campaign
Military · Issuer of orders · Counterpart Person Ids Ma Yin (馬殷), Gao Jichang (高季昌), Ni Kefu (倪可福)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 17, passage 224
Prepared suburban sacrifice
AD 908 二年春 · Ritual · Ruler
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 144, passage 24
Received mandate
AD 907 太祖受禪 · Political · Sovereign
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 162
Relation Patron of · Person Kou Yanqing (寇彥卿)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passages 162, 164, 167

Assessments and attributes

Assessment heroically suspicious lord · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 16, passage 196

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 162; Old History of the Five Dynasties 139, passage 7; New History of the Five Dynasties 10, passage 137

References in the histories

Search passages

History

18 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 16Volume 16 Book of Later Liang 16: Biographies 6: Ge Congzhou, Xie Yanzhang, He Zhen, Zhang Guiba, Zhang Guihou, Zhang Guibian · 5 passages

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始與兄歸霸、歸厚同歸於太祖，得署為牙校。 At first he and his elder brothers Guiba and Guihou together gave allegiance to the Founder, and he was appointed a guard officer.

時太祖初鎮宣武，屢命歸弁結好於近境，頗得行人之儀。 When the Founder first held Xuanwu, he repeatedly ordered Guibian to knit good relations with the nearby borders, and he quite obtained the travelers' courtesy.

天祐三年春，太祖入魏誅牙軍，魏之郡邑多叛，歸弁與諸將等分布攻討，封境悉平。 Tianyou 3 spring he helped pacify Wei after the guard massacre.

而歸弁於高唐攻賊太猛，飛矢中於臆，太祖嘉之，命賜鞍勒馬一匹、金帶一條。 Wounded storming Gaotang he won a horse and gold belt from the Founder.

太祖受禪，改滑州長劍指揮使。 At the abdication he commanded Huazhou long-sword troops.

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 · 1 passage

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太祖詔湖南節度使馬殷、荊南節度使高季昌練精兵五千，遣將倪可福統之，下澧州，與潭兵合。 The Founder ordered Ma Yin and Gao Jichang to send five thousand elite troops under Ni Kefu to take Li and join the Tan army.

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 · 3 passages

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太祖受禪，為華州節度使，加檢校太保。 When the Founder received the mandate, he became military commissioner of Huazhou with Acting Grand Guardian.

一日，過天津橋，有老人誤衝其趨道者，排之，落橋而斃，為御史府所彈，太祖不得已，責授左衛中郎將。 Once on Tianjin Bridge an old man blundered into his path; Yanqing shoved him off the bridge to his death; the censors impeached him, and the Founder reluctantly demoted him to middle-rank general of the Left Guard.

及太祖遇弑，彥卿追感舊恩，圖御容以奠之。 After the Founder was murdered, Yanqing painted his portrait and made offerings in memory of old kindness.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 139Volume 139: Treatises 1 Astronomy · 6 passages

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梁太祖乾化元年，正月丙戌朔，日有蝕之。 In the first year of Qianhua under Liang Taizu, on the new moon of the first month (bingxu), the sun was eclipsed.

時言事諸臣，多引漢高祖末年日蝕於歲首，太祖甚惡之，於是素服避正殿，百官各守本司。 The remonstrating ministers of the day mostly invoked the solar eclipse at the year's opening in the closing years of Han Gaozu; Taizu took this as a very bad omen, put on undyed robes, withdrew from the main audience hall, and ordered every official to remain at his post.

梁太祖開平四年，十二月十四日夜，先是，司天奏：「是日月蝕，不宜用兵。」 In the fourth year of Kaiping under Liang Taizu, on the night of the fourteenth of the twelfth month, the astronomical office had reported in advance: "A lunar eclipse is due; troops should not be deployed."

◎彗孛梁太祖乾化二年，四月甲戌夜，彗見於靈臺之西。 Comets and Broom Stars. In the second year of Qianhua under Liang Taizu, on the night of jiaxu in the fourth month, a comet appeared west of the Observatory Terrace.

◎五星淩犯梁太祖開平二年，正月乙亥，歲星犯月。 Encroachments of the Five Planets. In the second year of Kaiping under Liang Taizu, on yihai of the first month Jupiter crossed the moon's path.

其年六月五日，帝崩。 That year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, the emperor died.