During Emperor Gaozongs reign and the first reigns of Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong

Li Chongfu was probably born in 680. His father Li Zhe was then crown prince under his grandfather Emperor Gaozong. His mother's name was not recorded in history, but it is known that he was not a son of Li Zhe's wife Crown Princess Wei. On 1 August 683, he was created the Prince of Tangchang. Later that year, when Emperor Gaozong became ill at the eastern capital Luoyang, he summoned Li Zhe from the capital Chang'an to Luoyang; in Li Zhe's absence, Li Chongfu might have been nominally in charge of Chang'an, but with the chancellor Liu Rengui actually in charge.

Emperor Gaozong died later in December 683. Li Zhe succeeded him (as Emperor Zhongzong), but Li Chongfu's grandmother Empress Wu wielded actual power as empress dowager. In spring 684, when Emperor Zhongzong displayed signs of independence, she deposed him and reduced him to the title of Prince of Luling, replacing him with his younger brother Li Dan the Prince of Yu (as Emperor Ruizong). Li Zhe was subsequently exiled to Jun Prefecture (均州, in modern Shiyan, Hubei). It is not known whether Li Chongfu followed his father into exile, nor whether he, like his brother Li Chongzhao, was reduced to commoner rank.

During Wu Zetians reign

In 690, Li Chongfu's grandmother Empress Dowager Wu forced his uncle Emperor Ruizong to yield the throne to her, interrupting Tang dynasty and establishing her own Zhou dynasty with her as "emperor" (thereafter known as Wu Zetian). In 698, under the advice of the chancellor Di Renjie, she recalled Li Zhe to Luoyang, which had been made capital. Soon thereafter, Li Dan, who had been made crown prince when he yielded the throne, offered to yield the position of crown prince to Li Zhe. Wu Zetian agreed, and created Li Zhe crown prince, changing his personal name to Xian and further changing his surname to Wu. In 700, Li Chongfu was created the Prince of Ping'en.

In 701, Li Chongfu's brother Li Chongzhao (who had, by this point, changed his name to Li Chongrun to observe naming taboo of Wu Zetian's name), along with their sister Li Xianhui the Lady Yongtai and Li Xianhui's husband Wu Yanji (武延基) the Prince of Wei (Wu Zetian's grandnephew), were put to death for criticizing Wu Zetian's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong. Whether Li Chongfu was responsible for leaking their criticism to the Zhangs and therefore leading to Li Chongrun's death is not known. Li Chongrun's mother Crown Princess Wei, after she later became empress again, would later accuse Li Chongfu of leaking the information, although there appears to be no particular evidence Li Chongfu did so, and in the Zizhi Tongjian, it was asserted that her accusation against Li Chongfu was false.

In 704, Wu Zetian created Li Chongfu the greater title of Prince of Qiao.

During Emperor Zhongzongs second reign

In 705, a coup removed Wu Zetian from power and restored Emperor Zhongzong to the throne. Emperor Zhongzong's wife Crown Princess Wei was again empress. It was said that she despised Li Chongfu, particularly because his wife was a niece of Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong. She therefore accused Li Chongfu of being involved in Li Chongzhao's death. In response, Emperor Zhongzong first exiled Li Chongfu out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Pu Prefecture (濮州, roughly modern Heze, Shandong), but did not allow him to actually exercise prefect powers. He was later further exiled to be the prefect of Jun Prefecture, under the same conditions. Emperor Zhongzong also ordered that the prefectural governmental officials keep close watch on Li Chongfu.

During Emperor Zhongzong's reign, he had often issued pardons, and the exiled persons were generally all allowed to return to the capital. However, Li Chongfu was not, and lamenting the situation, he wrote a petition to Emperor Zhongzong in 709, stating:

The petition, however, was ignored.

Death

In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death that traditional historians assert was a poisoning at the direction of Empress Wei and her daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle, who wanted to be crown princess. Empress Wei took power as empress dowager while putting Li Chongfu's younger brother Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen on the throne (as Emperor Shang). She dispatched imperial guards to Jun Prefectures to watch Li Chongfu closely. Less than a month later, however, a coup headed by Li Chongfu's cousin Li Longji the Prince of Linzi (Li Dan's son) and Li Chongfu's aunt Princess Taiping overthrew and killed Empress Dowager Wei. Li Dan became regent and issued an order trying to comfort Li Chongfu. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Shang was deposed, and Li Dan took the throne again as Emperor Ruizong. Emperor Ruizong promoted Li Chongfu to be the prefect of Ji Prefecture (集州, roughly modern Bazhong, Sichuan).

Meanwhile, though, Li Chongfu's guest, the official Zheng Yin, who had been demoted by Emperor Zhongzong in 709 and had been passing through Jun Prefecture, prior to the coup, had been planning to rise in rebellion against Empress Dowager Wei with Li Chongfu and Zhang Lingjun (张灵均). Li Chongfu had not yet departed for Ji Prefecture when Zhang persuaded him that, as Emperor Zhongzong's oldest surviving son, he was entitled to the throne and that Emperor Ruizong was not. Zhang proposed that he make a surprise entry into Luoyang and try to seize the imperial troops there, and then take those troops west to attack Emperor Ruizong.

After Li Chongfu's plans were set, Zheng, who had been recalled to Chang'an but then redemoted again to be the prefect of Yuan Prefecture (沅州, roughly modern Huaihua, Hunan), intentionally stopped in Luoyang to wait for Li Chongfu. He also drafted several edicts for Li Chongfu, including one in Emperor Zhongzong's name ordering that Li Chongfu be given the throne, and one in Li Chongfu's name accepting the throne. On September 9, 710, Li Chongfu arrived at Luoyang and took over the mansion of his brother-in-law Pei Sun (裴巽), and the officials at Luoyang, surprised, largely began to flee. Li Chongfu began to try to take command of the imperial troops in Luoyang, but the official Li Yong (李邕) persuaded the imperial guards to reject Li Chongfu, and when Li Chongfu arrived at imperial guards' camps, they fired arrows at him. His attacks on the governmental offices were also repelled. He thereafter fled and tried to hide, but the next day, with troops closing in on his position, he jumped into a canal and drowned. Emperor Ruizong reduced him to commoner rank but buried him with ceremony due an official of the third rank.

Ancestry

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol.86.

• New Book of Tang, vol.81.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 203, 207, 208, 209, 210.

生平

虽是长子，但并不受中宗喜爱。683年，中宗即位前，李重福就被封为唐昌王，次年，李显被武太后（后世史称武则天）所废，其嫡子李重照本为唐高宗皇太孙，也被废为庶人。李重福是否被废不详。武则天再次立李显为太子后，圣历三年（700年）徙封李重福平恩王。

长安三年（703年），默啜遣使莫贺达干请求让女儿嫁给皇太子之子，武则天令李重福和义兴王李重俊在朝堂上见使者。

长安四年（704年）进封谯王。神龙元年，中宗复位。李重福的正妃是张易之的外甥女。此前在701年，韦皇后独子李重润（即李重照，避讳武则天名武曌而改名）与妹妹、妹夫议论张易之、张昌宗兄弟而被祖母武则天处死。而李重福夫妇都被嫡母韦皇后所讨厌，韦皇后诬陷称李重润之死系李重福与张易之兄弟所诬陷，中宗贬李重福为濮州（今山东鄄城）员外刺史，徙合（今重庆合川）、均（今湖北十堰）二州，并不让李重福领事，且屡次大赦天下都不赦免李重福，立储时也越过李重福而立了同样庶出的李重俊。李重福上表哀求回京见驾，无果。后来李重俊死于政变，储位空悬。

710年，中宗驾崩，韦后临朝，立中宗少子李重茂为帝，命左监门大将军兼内侍薛思简等率兵五百人驰驿戍均州，以防备李重福。后李隆基、太平公主政变杀韦后，李隆基派十道使赍玺书宣抚，去均州安抚李重福。后来李隆基和太平公主拥立唐睿宗复位，睿宗下诏李重福徙集州（今四川南江）。未及行，张灵均劝说李重福以中宗子身份夺取帝位。张灵均和秘书少监郑愔合谋，聚集数十人。郑愔新贬沅州刺史，留在洛阳等候李重福，为李重福草诏，立李重福为帝，改元中元克复，尊睿宗为皇季叔，被废的李重茂为皇太弟（李重福可能无子），郑愔为左丞相知内外文部尚书知吏部事，意欲恢复中宗一系的皇统。襄州刺史崔湜秘密给李重福写信，李重福赠以金带。李重福潜募勇士，和张灵均潜入东都洛阳，在郑愔安排下住在驸马都尉裴巽府上，意欲发左右屯营兵袭杀洛阳留守，占据东都。事情败露，侍御史李邕闭城据守，左右屯营兵乱箭射向李重福，李重福攻左掖门也未能攻克，只得遁去藏匿。次日，搜索李重福的军队接近李重福藏身之处，李重福投漕渠而死，年三十一，遭碎尸。追废为庶人，诏以三品礼葬。

年号

谯王李重福之年号中元克复（或作中宗克复，710年七月－八月）。

延伸阅读

参考书籍

• 《资治通鉴》卷209、卷210。

• 松桥达良，《元号はやわかり—东亜历代建元考》，砂书房，1994年7月，ISBN 4915818276

• 李崇智，《中国历代年号考》，中华书局，2001年1月 ISBN 7101025129

• 所功，《年号の历史―元号制度の史的研究》，雄山阁，1998年3月，ISBN 4639007116