Weibo (; alternatively written Wei–Bo), also known as Tianxiong (), was a province or circuit (, ''dào'') of the mid to late
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
.
The area was governed from the capital of Weizhou () in modern Daming County,
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
, and controlled the southern Hebei and northern
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
regions.
In the post–
An Lushan
An Lushan (; 20th day of the 1st month 19 February 703 – 29 January 757) was a general in the Tang dynasty and is primarily known for instigating the An Lushan Rebellion.
An Lushan was of Sogdian and Göktürk origin,Yang, Zhijiu, "An Lushan ...
period,
Tang Suzong
Emperor Suzong of Tang (''yihai'' day, 711 – 16 May 762; r. 756 – 762), personal name Li Heng, né Li Sisheng (), known as Li Jun () from 725 to 736, known as Li Yu () from 736 to 738, known briefly as Li Shao () in 738, was an emperor of t ...
combined Weizhou and
Bozhou
Bozhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and Henan to the north. Its population was 4,996,844 at the ...
() under the command of the Weibo Army, and
Tian Chengsi
Tian Chengsi (705– March 4, 779), formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He served as a military general in the rebel state of Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, ...
became the first ''
jiedushi
The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", ...
'' or military governor of Weibo. The Weibo region, ruled autonomously by the Tian family, subsequently became one of the revolting garrisons of Hebei.
Weibo features prominently in the film ''The Assassin'' (2015 film).
History
Tian Chengsi (r. 763–779)
Tian Chengsi
Tian Chengsi (705– March 4, 779), formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He served as a military general in the rebel state of Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, ...
was originally from
Lulong
Lulong County, formerly Yongping, is a county of Qinhuangdao City, in northeastern Hebei Province, China.
Administrative divisions
The county administers 6 towns and 6 townships.
Towns:
* Lulong (), Panzhuang (), Yanheying (), Shuangwang ...
(
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
). He was a general under
An Lushan
An Lushan (; 20th day of the 1st month 19 February 703 – 29 January 757) was a general in the Tang dynasty and is primarily known for instigating the An Lushan Rebellion.
An Lushan was of Sogdian and Göktürk origin,Yang, Zhijiu, "An Lushan ...
that surrendered to the Tang twice. Post-rebellion, he took control of Weibo in 763 and rebelled against the court twice.
Tian Yue (r. 779–784)
Tian Yue
Tian Yue () (751 – March 26, 784), formally the Prince of Jiyang (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician who, from 782 to 784, claimed the title of Prince of Wei independent from the Tang regime. Prior to that, he had already ...
was the nephew of Tian Chengsi. He succeeded Chengsi as commander of Weibo in 779. In 781, he joined
Li Weiyue
Li Weiyue (李惟岳) (died March 9, 782) was the son of the Chinese Tang Dynasty general Li Baochen. After Li Baochen's death in 781, Li Weiyue tried to succeed his father as the ''de facto'' ruler of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in mo ...
of
Chengde
Chengde, formerly known as Jehol and Rehe, is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, situated about 225 km northeast of Beijing. It is best known as the site of the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden and palace formerly used by t ...
against the Tang court and declared himself Prince of Wei in 782. He was killed by his cousin,
Tian Xu
Tian Xu ( 220–264) was a military officer of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Tian Xu was from Wuzhong County (無終縣), Youbeiping Commandery (右北平郡), which is in present-day Jizhou District, Ti ...
.
Tian Xu (r. 784–796)
Tian Xu
Tian Xu ( 220–264) was a military officer of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Tian Xu was from Wuzhong County (無終縣), Youbeiping Commandery (右北平郡), which is in present-day Jizhou District, Ti ...
was the son of Tian Chengsi. He killed his cousin, Tian Yue, in a coup in 784. He was confirmed
jiedushi
The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", ...
of Weibo by the Tang court and married
Emperor Daizong of Tang
Emperor Daizong of Tang (9 January 727 According to Daizong's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the 13th day in the 12th month of the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 9 Jan 727 i ...
's daughter, the Princess of Jiacheng.
Tian Ji'an (r. 796–812)
Tian Ji'an
Tian Ji'an (781 or 782– September 21, 812), courtesy name Kui and formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a general of the Tang Dynasty, who, as military governor (''Jiedushi''), ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) ...
was the son of Tian Xu by a concubine. He was adopted by the Princess of Jiacheng when she married his father in 785 since she had no child of her own. It was said that Ji'an was cruel and ferocious.
Tian Hongzheng
Tian Hongzheng () (764 – August 29, 821), né Tian Xing (), courtesy name Andao (), formally Duke Zhongmin of Yi (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty. Under his governance, Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered i ...
, a nephew of Tian Chengsi, urged Ji'an to stop his wanton cruelty. This gained the ire of Ji'an who sought to kill Hongzheng. When Ji'an died in 812, his son
Tian Huaijian Tian Huaijian () (b. 802) was a general of the History of China, Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who, in his childhood, briefly served as the ruler of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had been held by his family for ...
succeeded him.
Tian Huaijian (r. 812)
Tian Huaijian Tian Huaijian () (b. 802) was a general of the History of China, Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who, in his childhood, briefly served as the ruler of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had been held by his family for ...
was the son of Ji'an and succeeded his father at the age of 10 in 812. Due to his youth, the servant Jiang Shize made all the important decisions. This caused the soldiers to become angry and they went to Tian Hongzheng, requesting him to take over. Hongzheng agreed, executed Jiang, and moved Huaijian out of the headquarters.
Tian Hongzheng (r. 812–820)
Tian Hongzheng
Tian Hongzheng () (764 – August 29, 821), né Tian Xing (), courtesy name Andao (), formally Duke Zhongmin of Yi (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty. Under his governance, Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered i ...
was a nephew of Tian Chengsi and succeeded the 10-year old Tian Huaijian in 812. He submitted to imperial authority and aided the Tang in fighting
Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793''New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817Zhumadian
Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of An ...
) and
Li Shidao
Li Shidao (; died March 8, 819''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241.) was a Chinese military general and politician of the medieval Chinese Tang dynasty, who, as the successor to his brother Li Shigu, ruled Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern ...
of Pinglu (
Tai'an
Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng to ...
). In 820 he was transferred to Chengde (
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...
) and was killed by
Wang Tingcou
Wang Tingcou (王廷湊 or 王庭湊; died 834), formally the Duke of Taiyuan (), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who, in 821, during the reign of Emperor Muzong, took over control of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shi ...
.
Li Su (r. 820-821)
Li Su, the Tang general that had defeated Wu Yuanji of Huaixi, was transferred to Weibo, but grew ill soon after and died.
Tian Bu (r. 821-822)
Tian Bu
Tian Bu () (785 – February 6, 822), courtesy name Dunli (), was a Chinese military general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the son of the general Tian Hongzheng, and after Tian Hongzheng's death at the hands of Chengde Circuit (成德, headqu ...
, a son of Tian Hongzheng, took over command and tried to avenge his father by attacking Chengde. His troops mutinied and forced him to commit suicide.
Kumo Xi
The Kumo Xi (Xu Elina-Qian, p.296b), also known as the Tatabi, were a Mongolic steppe people located in current Northeast China from 207 CE to 907 CE. After the death of their ancestor Tadun in 207, they were no longer called Wuhuan but joined t ...
stock who had served in the army of Weibo, became the new commander with the support of Weibo's soldiers. In 827, the Tang court tried to enlist his help against
Li Tongjie Li Tongjie (李同捷) (died June 1, 829Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. ''. He joined Li instead. After Li's defeat, Shi was killed by rebellious troops.
He Jintao (r. 829–840)
He Jintao He Jintao () (died 840''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 246.) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who, as military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), ruled the circuit in ''de facto'' ind ...
was chosen leader of Weibo by the soldiers who had rebelled against Shi Xiancheng. It was said that he was favored by the people. He died in 840 and his son succeeded him.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 244.''
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
He Hongjing He Hongjing () (806?/807?-865?/866?The traditional historical sources indicated that He Hongjing died in 866 and did not indicate a birthdate. See ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 19, part 1 and ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 250. However, according to the ...
succeeded his father, Jintao, in 840. In 843, Hongjing was tasked by the Tang court with attacking Zhaoyi (
Changzhi
Changzhi () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the northeast and east, respectively. Historically, the city was one of the 36 administrative areas (see Administrat ...
). Although reluctant,
Emperor Wuzong of Tang
Emperor Wuzong of Tang (July 2, 814 – April 22, 846), né Li Chan, later changed to Li Yan just before his death, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, reigning from 840 to 846. Emperor Wuzong is mainly known in modern times for the r ...
forced Hongjing to contribute by threatening to send troops through Weibo if he did not obey. He died in 865 and was succeeded by his son.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 247.
He Quanhao (r. 865-870)
He Quanhao He Quanhao () (839-870) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) as its military governor (''Jiedushi'') in ''de facto'' independence from the imperial government fro ...
succeeded his father, Hongjing, in 865. He contributed troops to the suppression of
Pang Xun Pang Xun (龐勛) (died October 14, 869 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 251.) was the leader of a major rebellion, by soldiers from Xu Prefecture (徐州, in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu), against the rule of ...
in 868. It was said that Quanhao was cruel. His soldiers mutinied in 870 and killed him.''
Old Book of Tang
The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
Han Junxiong was a soldier in the Weibo army. After He Quanhao was killed by his soldiers in 870, Junxiong was selected as their commander. In 871, the Tang court acknowledged him as Weibo's commander. He died in 874 and his son succeeded him.''
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
Han Jian succeeded his father in 874 and was acknowledged by the Tang court in 875. When Wang Xianzhi and
Huang Chao
Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty.
Huang was a Salt in Chinese history, salt smuggler before ...
's rebellions started ravaging the Tang dynasty in the mid-870s, Han Jian expanded his territory by attacking and pillaging Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern
Jiaozuo
Jiaozuo ( ; postal: Tsiaotso) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Henan province, China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the south, Xinxiang to the east, Jiyuan to the ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
) in 882. He then tried to take Yunzhou (鄆州, in modern
Tai'an
Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng to ...
,
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
), the capital of Tianping Circuit (). After an unsuccessful siege lasting half a year, Heyang had been retaken by its military governor,
Zhuge Shuang Zhuge Shuang () (d. 886) was a general of the History of China, Chinese Tang Dynasty, who controlled Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) for some time and who vacillated between allegiance to Tang and to the Qi state of t ...
. Han lifted the siege and attempted to confront Zhuge, but was intercepted and defeated by Zhuge's officer. In 883, one of Han's officers, Le Xingda took over Weibo. It's uncertain how Han Jian died.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255.
List of ''jiedushi''
#
Tian Chengsi
Tian Chengsi (705– March 4, 779), formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He served as a military general in the rebel state of Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, ...
(705-779)
#
Tian Yue
Tian Yue () (751 – March 26, 784), formally the Prince of Jiyang (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician who, from 782 to 784, claimed the title of Prince of Wei independent from the Tang regime. Prior to that, he had already ...
(751-784)
#
Tian Xu
Tian Xu ( 220–264) was a military officer of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Tian Xu was from Wuzhong County (無終縣), Youbeiping Commandery (右北平郡), which is in present-day Jizhou District, Ti ...
(764-796)
#
Tian Ji'an
Tian Ji'an (781 or 782– September 21, 812), courtesy name Kui and formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a general of the Tang Dynasty, who, as military governor (''Jiedushi''), ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) ...
(781-812)
#
Tian Huaijian Tian Huaijian () (b. 802) was a general of the History of China, Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who, in his childhood, briefly served as the ruler of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had been held by his family for ...
(802-812)
#
Tian Hongzheng
Tian Hongzheng () (764 – August 29, 821), né Tian Xing (), courtesy name Andao (), formally Duke Zhongmin of Yi (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty. Under his governance, Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered i ...
Tian Bu
Tian Bu () (785 – February 6, 822), courtesy name Dunli (), was a Chinese military general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the son of the general Tian Hongzheng, and after Tian Hongzheng's death at the hands of Chengde Circuit (成德, headqu ...
He Jintao He Jintao () (died 840''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 246.) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who, as military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), ruled the circuit in ''de facto'' ind ...
He Hongjing He Hongjing () (806?/807?-865?/866?The traditional historical sources indicated that He Hongjing died in 866 and did not indicate a birthdate. See ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 19, part 1 and ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 250. However, according to the ...
(806-865)
#
He Quanhao He Quanhao () (839-870) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) as its military governor (''Jiedushi'') in ''de facto'' independence from the imperial government fro ...
Le Yanzhen Le Yanzhen () (d. 888), né Le Xingda (), was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) as its military governor (''Jiedushi'') from 883 to 888.
Background
It is n ...
(883–888)
#
Luo Hongxin Luo Hongxin () (836-898''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 181.), courtesy name Defu (), formally Prince Zhuangsu of Beiping (), was a warlord in the late Tang dynasty, who controlled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) as its mili ...
Luo Zhouhan Luo Zhouhan (), formally the Duke of Changsha (), was a teenage general of the Chinese state Later Liang of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He inherited Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) from his grandfa ...
(910–912)
#
Yang Shihou
Yang Shihou () (died April 23, 915Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), formally the Prince of Ye (), was a major general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Liang, serving as the main obstacle to th ...