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Healing the Wounds of Succession In 626 AD, at the age of twenty-seven, Li Shimin ascended the throne as Emperor Taizong of Tang. Having seized power through a violent coup, he was acutely aware of the potential stigma of usurpation that could tarnish his legacy in the eyes of future historians. Determined to secure…
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The Shadow of Succession After Emperor Gaozu of Tang ascended the throne, he appointed his eldest son, Li Jiancheng, as Crown Prince; his second son, Li Shimin, as the Prince of Qin; and his fourth son, Li Yuanji, as the Prince of Qi. While this arrangement followed traditional primogeniture, it created a fundamental conflict.…