Early background

After his father died in 1032, he became the leader of the Tangut.

He was described as a talented army general and had always wanted to establish a country for the Tanguts.

Military campaigns

Early in his leadership, Jingzong banished the surname Zhao which had been given by the Song dynasty, replacing it with the surname Weiming (Chinese: 嵬名, Tangut: ).

He had also started a revolution, changing the lifestyles of the Tangut people. He ordered Tangut men to shave their heads or they would face public execution. He also ordered a change of clothing and writing.

He took an aggressive stance with the Song dynasty. At its height, he claimed an army of 500,000 men.

In 1034 Jingzong attacked the Huanqing territories. He captured Song general Qi Zongju.

At this point, he changed his target to the Uyghur peoples of the West, and his efforts against them began in 1036.

From the Uyghurs, he took large portions of Gansu, and the Tangut people would control the Hexi Corridor for 191 years before being conquered by the Mongol Yuan.

In 1038 he declared himself the emperor of the Western Xia Dynasty whose capital was situated in Xingqing. Afterwards, he launched a campaign against the Song. Although the Tangut empire won a series of three large battles, the victories proved to be very costly and they found their forces depleted, due in part to a scorched earth policy by the Song. In 1044 the Tangut Empire signed a treaty with the Song dynasty resulting in the nominal acknowledgment of Song sovereignty by the Tangut and the payment of tribute by the Song.

Culture and politics

The Emperor led to a reorganization of much of the Empire with the help of Chinese advisors. The Empire created new departments and administrative services. The Emperor also knew Chinese and had Chinese works translated into his people's language. He accomplished this by supporting the development of a written language for the Tangut people.

However the Tangut script eventually went extinct after the Yuan conquest.

Nevertheless, Emperor Jingzong had strong opposition to the people imitating the Song dynasty too closely. He emphasized the value of their traditional nomadic way of life and discouraged any dependence on Song luxury items. Trade with the Song was minimized or cut off before the peace treaty that came four years before his death. Although Li used talented Song workers, to retain his own power and dynasty, he did not want to be conquered by the Song dynasty.

Later on the Tangut Li emperors would switch between multiple sides, Mongols, Jurchen Jin, and the Song in order to retain their power. Li's attacks weakened the Jin and Song dynasties to the extent that the Mongols would later be able to conquer China. For vacillating between multiple sides, colluding with Mongols and Jurchen, and launching attacks against the Song, Li Yuanhao is considered a traitor to the Chinese people.

However, the Mongols ultimately crushed the Western Xia dynasty, destroyed nearly any vestige of the empire, and ended Li's reign in Ningxia. The Mongols would then reunify China under the Yuan dynasty.

Succession and death

In 1048, both the Prime Minister, Mozang Epang (沒藏訛龐), and Prince Ninglingge (寧令哥) conspired to assassinate Jingzong. Prince Ninglingge attempted to kill Jingzong with a sword, but he only managed to slice off Jingzong's nose. Frightened by what he had done, Prince Ninglingge fled to Mozang for backup, but Mozang betrayed Ninglingge by turning him in as the assassin.

Although Jingzong initially survived the assassination, he succumbed to his wounds a few days later.

Family

Consorts:

• Empress Xiancheng, of the Yeli clan (宪成皇后野利氏; d. 1048)

• Empress, of the Meiyi clan (新皇后没移氏; d.1049)

• Empress Xuanmuhuiwen,of the Mozang clan (宣穆惠文皇后没藏氏, d.1056)

• Princess Xingping, of the Khitan Yelü clan (兴平公主耶律氏, d. 1038)

• Lady Suo (索氏)

• Lady Duola (多拉氏)

• Lady Mikemote (密克默特氏)

• Lady Miemi (咩迷氏)

Issue:

• Mouzi (某子), killed by Li Yuanhao

• Ali (阿哩, d.1045), born to lady Miemi and commited suicide together with his mother.

• Ningming (宁明, d.1042), born to Empress Xiancheng

• Crown Prince Ninglingge (太子宁令哥, 1032-1048), born to Empress Xiancheng

• Xili (锡狸), born to empress Xiancheng

• Emperor Yizong of Western Xia, personal name Ningling Liangcha (宁令两岔) vel Liangzuo (谅祚), born to Empress Xuanmuhuiwen

• One daughter

生平

李元昊少年時身型魁梧，而且勤奮好學，手不釋卷，尤好法律和兵書。通漢、蕃語言，精繪畫，多才多藝。其父在位時，他率軍不斷對外出戰，擴大勢力，野心勃勃。1032年以太子身份繼位，仍稱藩於宋朝。後來為表獨立，廢唐宋分別賜李姓、趙姓，改姓嵬名，改名曩霄，自稱「兀卒」（党項語天子之意），以元魏王室後裔自居，並以嚴酷手段徹底翦除守舊派。大慶三年十月十一日（1038年11月10日）自立為帝，自稱世祖始文本武興法建禮仁孝皇帝，改年號為天授禮法延祚，脫離北宋，國號「大夏」，亦稱西夏，定都興慶府。

建國後命大臣野利仁榮創西夏文，大力發展西夏的文化。推動教育，創蕃學，大啟西夏文教之風。開鑿「李王渠」，以便西夏國民耕種。他重用張元等漢人。他三次分別於三川口（今陝西延安西北）、好水川（今寧夏隆德東）及定川砦（今寧夏固原西北）的戰役中大敗北宋，並於遼夏第一次賀蘭山之戰，大勝遼國，奠定西夏與遼、宋兩國並列的地位。本來有意奪取關中之地，攻占長安，但因宋軍頑強抵抗，夏軍戰敗，直搗關中之美夢就此破滅。由於戰事繁多，西夏經濟破損，遂於1044年與北宋簽訂慶曆和議，向宋稱臣，被封為夏國王。為西夏建樹良多，堪稱一代英豪。

李元昊一朝文治武功達於鼎盛，但其人亦有不足之處。在位16年（1032年繼承王位起計），猜忌功臣，稍有不滿即罷或殺，反而導致日後母黨專權；另外，晚年沉湎酒色，好大喜功，導致西夏內部日益腐朽，眾叛親離。廢皇后野利氏、太子寧令哥，改立與太子訂親的沒移氏為新皇后，招致殺身之禍，延祚十一年正月初二（1048年1月19日），其子寧令哥趁元昊酒醉時，揮劍刺殺元昊，元昊後仰躲避，劍鋒削去其鼻子，元昊最後因失血過多而死，享年46歲，廟號景宗，謚號武烈皇帝，葬西夏陵泰陵。寧令哥後來因弒父之罪被處死。

妻妾子女

• 妻妾

• #默穆氏，又稱衛慕氏

• #索氏

• #多拉氏

• #密克默特氏

• #野利氏，即野利皇后，又稱葉勒氏

• #耶律氏，即遼國興平公主

• #沒移氏，即沒移皇后，又稱摩移克氏

• #沒藏氏，即沒藏太后

• 兒子

• #某子，因貌似他人被李元昊所殺

• #阿哩，被李元昊所殺

• #寧明，在李元昊生前因辟穀而氣忤死

• #寧令哥，封太子

• #錫狸，早死

• #李諒祚（寧令兩岔），西夏毅宗

• 女兒，史書無記載

影視形象

• 1988年電影 《敦煌》 飾

• 1993年電視劇 《包青天》（《狄青》單元） 趙樹海 飾

• 1994年電視劇 《碧血青天珍珠旗》 呂頌賢 飾

• 1997年電視劇 《賀蘭雪》（又名西夏王朝） 巫剛 飾

• 2006年電視劇 《大敦煌》 唐國強 飾

• 2010年電視劇 《包青天之七俠五義》（《北俠歐陽春》單元） 王文彥 飾

• 2017年電視劇 《將軍在上》 王策飾

注釋

參看

• 嵬名山遇

• 宋夏戰爭

• 遼夏戰爭