Later Tang

Chinese imperial dynasty from 923 to 937

Not to be confused with Tang dynasty (618–907).

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Tang

923–937

Later Tang 後唐

Capital| Daming
(923)
Luoyang
(923–936)
Common languages| Chinese
Government| Monarchy
Emperor|

• 923–926

| Li Cunxu (Zhuangzong)

• 926–933

| Li Siyuan (Mingzong)

• 933–934

| Li Conghou

• 934–936

| Li Congke
Historical era| Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

• Established in Daming

| May 923

• Overthrown by Khitan and Shi Jingtang

| January 11, 937
Currency| Chinese coin, Chinese cash

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Jìn1

|

| Later Liang
| Qi
| Former Shu
| Later Jìn2 |

|

Jingnan |
Later Shu |
Today part of| China

1.The preceding entity of the Later Tang was the State of Jin, which was established by Li Keyong in 895 under the Tang dynasty and existed as an independent state in 907–923.
2.With the support of the Liao dynasty.

Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang (Chinese: 後唐; pinyin: Hòu Táng), was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.[1]

With the exception of its final ruler, the Later Tang was ruled by ethnically Shatuo Turk (沙陀) emperors.The name Tang was used to legitimize itself as the restorer of the Tang dynasty.[2] The official start of the Later Tang dynasty is in the year 923.

## Founding of the Dynasty

[edit]

The Later Tang dynasty emerged when Li Cunxu (李存勖), son of Shatuo Turk chieftain Li Keyong (李克用), conquered the Later Liang (后梁). After inheriting the Jin (晋) state, Li Cunxu waged a prolonged war against the Later Liang, culminating in the fall the Liang capital, Daliang (Kaifeng) in 923. His victory marked the first of the Five Dynasties' successive dynastic transitions.

The Later Tang dynasty was officially proclaimed in 923, though its origins lay in the precursor Jin dynasty (907-923), known in historiography as the Former Jin. Its founder Li Cunxu already possessed the Li surname - shared with the Tang emperors - which helped legitimize his claim as the Tang dynasty's rightful successor.

The Li Clan of Shatuo received the surname "Li" from Emperor Xianzong of Tang as a reward for their loyalty and military service.

By deliberately adopting the Tang dynastic name and emphasizing this genealogical connection, the Shatuo Turk ruler strengthened his regime's political legitimacy through symbolic continuity with the fallen Tang empire.

## Destruction of the dynasty

[edit]

Despite its initial military strength, the Later Tang dynasty eventually collapsed due to internal rebellions, administrative mismanagement, and external pressure from the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty. Li Cunxu, after founding the dynasty, increasingly focused on theatrical interests rather than governance, weakening central authority. His inability to restrain the power of regional military governors (jiedushi 节度使) led to widespread dissatisfaction.[3]

Following Li Cunxu's assassination in 926, subsequent rulers, including Mingzong (Li Siyuan), faced challenges such as corruption and factional infighting. The dynasty’s final collapse came in 937 when Shi Jingtang, a rebellious jiedushi, allied with the Khitan to overthrow Li Congke. Shi established the Later Jin Dynasty and ceded the strategic Sixteen Prefectures to the Liao, marking the end of the Later Tang.[4]

## Religion

[edit]

The Later Tang emperors, particularly Li Cunxu, were known for their patronage of Buddhism, continuing the Tang Dynasty's tradition. Buddhist monasteries remained influential, though the Later Tang did not have the same level of state-sponsored Buddhist projects as the earlier Tang.[5]

Rubbing from pillar carved with the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sutra \- Later Tang Dynasty - 4th year Tongguang Reign (926)

## Rulers

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Temple names | Posthumous names | Family names and given name | Durations of reigns | Era names and their according durations

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|
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Zhuāngzōng (莊宗) | Emperor Guāngshèng Shénmǐn Xiào (光聖神閔孝皇帝) Too Tedious; thus, unused when referring to this sovereign | Lǐ Cúnxù (李存勗) | 923–926 | Tóngguāng (同光) 923–926
Míngzōng (明宗) | Hewu (和武) | Lǐ Sìyuán (李嗣源) or Lǐ Dǎn (李亶) | 926–933 | Tiānchéng (天成) 926–930
Chángxīng (長興) 930–933
none | Mǐn (閔) | Lǐ Cónghòu (李從厚) | 933–934 | Yìngshùn (應順) 933–934
none | Mòdì (末帝) | Lǐ Cóngkē (李從珂) | 934–937 | Qīngtaì (清泰) 934–937

## Later Tang rulers family tree

[edit]

Later Tang rulers

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Adopted

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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Marriage
| | | | | | | | Li Keyong
李克用 856–908| | Li Ni 李霓| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | | | Li Cunxu
李存勖 885–926
Zhuangzong 莊宗
923–926| | Li Siyuan
李嗣源 867–933
Mingzong 明宗
926–933| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Li Congke
李從珂 885–937
Modi 末帝
934–937| | Li Congyi
李從益 931–947
Prince of Xu 許王| | Li Congrong
李從榮d. 933
Prince of Qin 秦王| | Li Conghou
李從厚 914–934
Mindi 愍帝
933–934| | Empress Li
d. 950| | Shi Jingtang 石敬瑭
Gaozu of
Later Jin 高祖
892–936–942
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Li Chongmei
李重美 d. 937
Prince of Yong 雍王| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Zurndorfer, Harriet T. (2010). "Efflorence? Another Look at the Role of War in Song Dynasty China". War in words transformations of war from antiquity to Clausewitz. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 92\. ISBN 9783110245424.
2. ^ Mote 1999, pp. 12–13.
3. ^ "The Fractured Legacy of Late Tang: War, Chaos, and the Rise of the Five Dynasties – Ancient War History". Retrieved 2025-06-21.
4. ^ Li, Li; He, Shengyu; Ji, Ruixin (2024-10-01). "Weakening of the state by occupying more lands: evidence from the Five Dynasties". The Journal of Chinese Sociology. 11 (1): 23. doi:10.1186/s40711-024-00223-x. ISSN 2198-2635.
5. ^ Sokolova, Anna (2021-04-05). "Building and Rebuilding Buddhist Monasteries in Tang China: The Reconstruction of the Kaiyuan Monastery in Sizhou". Religions. 12 (4): 253. doi:10.3390/rel12040253. ISSN 2077-1444.

### Sources

[edit]

* Mote, F. W. (1999). Imperial China: 900-1800. Harvard University Press.

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Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (Timeline)

Five Dynasties|

* Later Liang
* (Jin) / Later Tang
* Later Jin
* Later Han
* Later Zhou

Ten Kingdoms (Ten States)|

* Wu
* Former Shu
* Chu
* Wuyue
* Min / (Yin)
* Southern Han
* Jingnan
* Later Shu
* Southern Tang
* Northern Han

Other states|

* Qi
* Zhao
* Yan

De facto independent entities|

* Yiwu Circuit
* Dingnan Circuit
* Qingyuan Circuit
* Jinghai Circuit
* Wuping Circuit [zh]
* Guiyi Circuit
* Lulong Circuit

Neighboring states|

* Balhae
* Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom
* Liao dynasty
* Tibetan kingdoms
* Dali
* Đại Việt

Histories|

* Old History of the Five Dynasties
* Historical Records of the Five Dynasties
* Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms
* Wudai Huiyao

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