Li Yichang () (d. 909/910) was an ethnically-

Dangxiang The Tangut people ( Tangut: , ''mjɨ nja̱'' or , ''mji dzjwo''; ; ; mn, Тангуд) were a Tibeto-Burman tribal union that founded and inhabited the Western Xia dynasty. The group initially lived under Tuyuhun authority, but later submitted ...

warlord of the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen concu ...

state Later Liang, ruling Dingnan Circuit (定難, headquartered in modern

Yulin, Shaanxi Yulin () is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the east, and Ningxia to the west. It has an administrative area of and as of the 2020 Chinese census had a pop ...

) from 908 to his death in 909 or 910, as its military governor (''

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" ...

'') in ''de facto'' independence.

Biography

It is not known when Li Yichang was born. The traditional histories conflict on Li Yichang's relationship with his predecessor

Li Sijian Li Sijian () (died 908), probably né Tuoba Sijian (), was an ethnically-Dangxiang warlord in the latter years of History of China, Chinese Tang Dynasty and Tang's successor state Later Liang (Five Dynasties), Later Liang of the Five Dynasties and T ...

. The '' History of the Five Dynasties'','' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 132. the ''

New History of the Five Dynasties The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...

'',''

'', vol. 40. and the ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...

''''

'', vol. 267. all indicated that he was Li Sijian's son. However, the '' History of Song'' indicated that he was the grandson of Li Sijian's predecessor and older brother

Li Sigong Li Sigong (李思恭) (d. 886?''New Book of Tang'', vol. 221, part 1.), né Tuoba Sigong (拓拔思恭), formally the Duke of Xia (夏國公), was a Tangut warlord of the late Tang dynasty, who, for his contributions against the rebel Huang Chao, w ...

.'' History of Song'', vol. 485. In any case, when Li Sijian died in 908, Li Yichang claimed the title of acting military governor of Dingnan. Shortly after, Later Liang's emperor

Zhu Quanzhong Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (), personal name Zhu Quanzhong () (December 5, 852 – July 18, 912), né Zhu Wen (), name later changed to Zhu Huang (), nickname Zhu San (朱三, literally, "the third Zhu"), was a Chinese military general, mona ...

bestowed on him the title of full military governor. Li Yichang's rule of Dingnan was short. In 909 or 910, his officer Gao Zongyi () mutinied and killed him. The officers and soldiers of Dingnan then killed Gao and supported Li Renfu—a relative of Li Yichang's, one generation higher—as the new ruler of Dingnan. Li Renfu was thereafter made the new military governor by Zhu Quanzhong. (Li Yichang's death year was given as 909 by the ''History of the Five Dynasties'' and the ''New History of the Five Dynasties'' and 910 by the ''Zizhi Tongjian''.)

Notes

Later Liang (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Dingnan Circuit People from Northwest China 9th-century births 10th-century deaths Tang dynasty people 10th-century Tangut people 9th-century Tangut people {{China-mil-bio-stub