Background

It is not known when Wei Wen was born. His father was Wei Xuanyan (韦玄俨), who served as a prefectural prefect late in the reign of Emperor Gaozong. Wei Wen's cousin—the daughter of Wei Xuanyan's younger brother Wei Xuanzhen (韦玄贞) -- was the wife and crown princess of Emperor Gaozong's son Li Zhe the Crown Prince, and on that account was quickly promoted. After Emperor Gaozong's death in 683, Li Zhe took the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong), but soon ran afoul of his mother Empress Dowager Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), who retained power as regent, partly over his desire to promote Wei Xuanzhen to be chancellor. In spring 684, she deposed Emperor Zhongzong to be the Prince of Luling and exiled him and his wife. (She subsequently took the throne herself as "emperor" in 690.) Wei Wen thus, for the time being, received no help from his relationship with his cousin, and when he served as a probationary official, he was accused of receiving bribes and removed from his office.

During Emperor Zhongzongs second reign

In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown, and Li Zhe, then carrying the title of crown prince and having changed his name to Li Xian, returned to the throne. His wife again became empress, and Wei Wen, as her closest male relative (as her father Wei Xuanzhen had died in exile and her brothers Wei Xun (韦洵), Wei Hao (韦浩), Wei Dong (韦洞), and Wei Ci (韦泚) had been killed by the local tribal chieftain Ning Chengji (宁承基)), was made the minister of rites (礼部尚书, Libu Shangshu) and created the Duke of Lu. Many of his relatives also were honored, as Empress Wei wanted to promote her relatives.

In 709, Wei Wen was made Taizi Shaobao (太子少保), an advisor to the crown prince (but entirely honorary post at that time, as there was no crown prince) and given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中书门下三品), making him a de facto chancellor.

Death

In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning carried out by Empress Wei and her daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle, so that Empress Wei could eventually be "emperor" like Wu Zetian, and Li Guo'er could be crown princess. Empress Wei initially did not announce Emperor Zhongzong's death, and immediately put Wei Wen in overall command of the imperial guards, with his cousin Wei Xuan (韦璇) and nephews Wei Bo (韦播) and Gao Song (高嵩) in command as well.

Meanwhile, though, under a plan drafted by Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping and concubine Consort Shangguan Wan'er, Emperor Zhongzong's son by another concubine, Li Chongmao would be named emperor. Empress Wei would serve as empress dowager and regent, while Emperor Zhongzong's younger brother Li Dan the Prince of Xiang, himself a former emperor, would serve as coregent; Consort Shangguan subsequently formalized this in a will she drafted posthumously for Emperor Zhongzong. Wei Wen and another chancellor, Zong Chuke, however, opposed this plan on the grounds that this would require her and Li Dan to frequently confer, which violated Confucian principles that a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law should not converse with each other. Under Zong's and Wei Wen's insistence, the other chancellors did not dare to oppose their will, and Li Dan was not made coregent. Li Chongmao soon took the throne (as Emperor Shang), with Empress Wei serving as empress dowager and regent.

Meanwhile, Zong feared Li Dan and Princess Taiping, and was advocating to Empress Dowager Wei and Wei Wen that Li Dan and Princess Taiping should be killed. At the same time, though, Princess Taiping and Li Dan's son Li Longji had received news of this and were planning a coup—which was facilitated by that Wei Bo and Gao were alienating the imperial guards by being harsh to the guards, trying to establish their authority. Li Longji took this opportunity to encourage the guard commanders to rise against the Wei party, and on July 21, Princess Taiping and Li Longji, with the imperial guards' support, rose in rebellion, killing Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. Li Dan was named regent. Wei Xuan, Wei Bo, and Gao were killed on during the coup, but Wei Wen was not executed until July 24, for reasons unclear in history. After his death, his clan was massacred.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 183.http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/tan20.htm

• New Book of Tang, vol. 206.http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/ntan22.htm

• Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 209.

家世

韦温生年不详。父韦玄俨在唐高宗末年为许州刺史。韦温叔父韦玄贞之女即韦温堂妹是高宗皇太子李哲的太子妃。弘道元年（683年）唐高宗崩后，李哲继位，即唐中宗，韦玄贞也因是皇后的父亲而被迅速提拔为豫州刺史。但不久中宗即和作为摄政维持实权的其母武太后（后称武则天）冲突，其中部分原因是他急于提拔韦玄贞为侍中。光宅元年（684年）二月，武太后废唐中宗为庐陵王，流放其夫妇。后她于天授元年（690年）自己夺取帝位为「皇帝」。韦温因此不能因堂妹得到帮助，还在为汴州司仓参军时因贪赃被杖责和免职。

唐中宗复位期间

神龙元年（705年），武则天被推翻，时为皇太子、已改名李显的李哲复位。他的妻子再度成为皇后。韦后的父亲韦玄贞已在流放中死去，弟弟韦洵、韦浩、韦洞、韦泚也已被蛮族首领宁承基所杀，韦温作为韦后最近的本家男性亲属，被提拔为礼部尚书，封鲁国公。因韦后想提拔亲属，他的很多亲戚也蒙受了荣宠。韦温后又兼扬州大都督，改封曹国公。

景龙二年（708年）三月，宰相宗楚客、纪处讷、韦后女安乐公主李裹儿丈夫太常卿武延秀、韦温等因封户多在河南道、河北道，说服朝廷诏两道如遇水旱，以蚕折租。

三年（709年）三月，韦温被任为太子少保（当时并无皇太子，这完全是荣衔），遥授兼扬州大都督，授同中书门下三品，为实质宰相。

韦温忌惮宰相苏瑰正直，不敢中伤他。他也想巩固权位，引用友党，公卿虽害怕，但他无能，不如武氏之凶炽。曾监修国史。

身亡

四年（710年）六月，中宗暴崩，传统史家相信这是韦后及李裹儿实施的毒杀，以使韦后最终能如武则天那样成为「皇帝」，李裹儿也能成为皇太女。韦后初不发丧，立即发府兵五万屯京师，提拔韦温为总知内外守捉兵马事，守卫和救援宫廷、掖庭，以韦温族弟卫尉卿韦璇、侄长安令韦播、外甥郎将高嵩分领左右羽林军。

在中宗妹太平公主和昭仪上官婉儿安排下，中宗庶子李重茂将被立为皇帝，韦后作为皇太后摄政，中宗弟曾是皇帝的相王李旦为太尉参谋政事。上官婉儿将这些内容写进了中宗的遗诏。韦后召宰相韦巨源、萧至忠、宗楚客、纪处讷、韦温、李峤、韦嗣立、唐休璟、赵彦昭、苏瑰、韦安石等十九人入宫会议。宗楚客反对遗诏，秘密对韦温说这将使得韦后和李旦要频繁磋商，有违「嫂叔不通问」的礼节。韦、宗率其他宰相上表请韦后临朝，苏瑰认为遗诏不可改，但当韦、宗发怒后也害怕，只得从之，于是李旦没有受任参谋政事。李重茂不久登基，即唐殇帝，韦后作为皇太后摄政。

宗楚客畏惧李旦和太平公主，劝韦太后和韦温杀掉他们，并与韦温和李裹儿、纪处讷等商议谋杀殇帝。太平公主和李旦之子临淄王李隆基闻讯，计划政变，而韦播、高嵩为了立威苛待万骑招怨使得政变更容易了。李隆基趁机鼓动万骑起事反对韦氏一党。7月21日，太平公主和李隆基起事，李隆基率公主子卫尉卿薛崇简、苑总监钟绍京、前朝邑尉刘幽求领万骑到左羽林军杀韦璇、韦播、高嵩，获取羽林军支持，乱兵杀韦太后和李裹儿。李旦辅政。但韦温却不知为何在24日才在东市之北被万骑处决。韦温死后，宗族遭戮。同时被杀的还有内将军贺娄氏、纪处讷、宗楚客、武延秀、散骑常侍马秦客、国子祭酒叶静能、司农卿赵履温、光禄少卿杨均、韦温侄掌左屯营驸马都尉韦捷、韦温族弟韦婴、宗楚客弟将作大监宗晋卿、卫尉卿王哲、太常卿李{王曳}、将作少匠李守质及武氏宗族等，韦巨源、殿中监张涉为乱兵所杀。韦嗣立险些遇害，仅因是李旦嫡长子宋王李成器的姨父而被其救护幸免。殇帝下诏大赦，称中宗系被韦温、马秦客、叶静能、宗楚客、纪处讷、武延秀、赵履温、杨均等鸩杀。

李旦后登基为唐睿宗，谥韦巨源为昭，户部员外郎李邕反驳，指韦巨源当初在辅政遗诏一事中迎合韦温，导致韦后临朝、韦温当国。后睿宗下诏立平王李隆基为皇太子时，在诏书中说「韦温、延秀，朋党竞起」。李隆基登基为唐玄宗后，开元二年（714年），国子祭酒韦嗣立、青州刺史韦安石、刑部尚书赵彦昭等因当初身为宰相不能制止宗楚客、韦温改遗诏之事被弹劾，被贬，韦安石愤激而死。约九年（721年），魏州刺史张廷圭上书，请求恢复河南道、河北道水旱旧制，获准。

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