Background

Li Song was born in 761, during the reign of his great-grandfather Emperor Suzong, at the Eastern Palace (i.e., the palace of his grandfather Li Yu, then Crown Prince) at the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an. His father Li Kuo was Li Yu's oldest son, and he himself was Li Kuo's oldest son. His mother was Li Kuo's consort Lady Wang (who was later empress). Early in his life, he was created the Prince of Xuancheng. In 779, after the death of Li Yu (who was then emperor, as Emperor Daizong) and Li Kuo's ascension (as Emperor Dezong), Li Song was created the Prince of Xuan. In 780, he was created Crown Prince.

As crown prince

Li Song was described to be kind and lenient. He favored the study of arts, and was particularly good at calligraphy. He was also respectful to his teachers and often bowed to them despite his crown prince status. In 781, he married Lady Xiao, the daughter of his grandaunt Princess Gao and her husband Xiao Sheng (蕭升), as his wife and crown princess.

In 783, when a mutiny by soldiers from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in Pingliang, Gansu) forced Emperor Dezong to abandon Chang'an and flee to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), Li Song accompanied Emperor Dezong to Fengtian, and was said to have personally protected Emperor Dezong during the journey to Fengtian, along with his younger brother Li Yi (李誼) the Prince of Pu. After the Jingyuan soldiers supported the general Zhu Ci as their emperor (of a new state of Qin), Zhu put Fengtian under siege, and Li Song was said to have personally participated in the defense of Fengtian, including personally encouraging soldiers and attending to the wounded.

After the rebellion was put down and Emperor Dezong and his family returned to Chang'an, Li Song's position was endangered over an incident involving his grandaunt/mother-in-law Princess Gao. As of 787, the chancellor Zhang Yanshang had discovered that the imperial guard officer Li Sheng (李昇) was secretly visiting Princess Gao, and he came to suspect that Li Sheng, whose father Li Shuming (李叔明) was a political enemy of Zhang's, was having an affair with Princess Gao. Initially, at the advice of another chancellor, Li Mi—who feared that an investigation would taint Li Song—Emperor Dezong took no actions against anyone other than to transfer Li Sheng out of the imperial guards to avoid contact with Princess Gao. However, by fall 787, the incident had flared up in public, as accusations were made that Princess Gao, who often visited Li Song's palace, was having affairs not only with Li Sheng, but also with other officials Xiao Ding (蕭鼎), Li Wan (李萬), and Wei Ke (韋恪); worse, she was also accused of secretly using witchcraft to curse Emperor Dezong. Emperor Dezong, in anger, imprisoned Princess Gao and became angry at Li Song. Li Song, fearing the taint, divorced Crown Princess Xiao, but Emperor Dezong's anger did not recede, and he considered replacing Li Song as crown prince with Li Yi. At Li Mi's earnest opposition, Emperor Dezong ultimately decided not to do so. The former crown princess was later killed on Emperor Dezong's orders, during a time when Li Song was ill.

In 795, after the former chancellor Lu Zhi and several of his associates was exiled due to false accusations by Emperor Dezong's favorite Pei Yanling, the imperial scholar Yang Cheng (陽城) led a group of junior officials in petitioning Emperor Dezong in protesting Lu's innocence, drawing Emperor Dezong's anger toward them. Emperor Dezong were initially set to punish Yang and the other junior officials, but after Li Song spoke on their behalf, Emperor Dezong did not do so. It was also said that it was Li Song's urging that Pei and another favorite of Emperor Dezong's, Wei Qumou (韋渠牟), who were poorly regarded by the people, were not made chancellors.

By 803, Li Song had become close to two of his staff members—Wang Pi, who was also a talented calligrapher, and Wang Shuwen, who was good at playing Go. It was said at that Wang Shuwen's suggestion, Li Song avoided drawing further suspicion from Emperor Dezong. (Li Song was set to speak to Emperor Dezong against Emperor Dezong's unpopular the Emperor's purchasing—where palace eunuchs were effectively requisitioning supplies from merchants while paying no or very little compensation, and Wang Shuwen pointed out that this would cause Emperor Dezong to suspect Li Song of trying to be popular at his expense.) At Wang Shuwen's suggestion, Li Song also began to gather a group of junior officials that Wang Shuwen had befriended and considered capable of being important officials and generals in the future, including Wei Zhiyi, Lu Chun (陸淳), Lü Wen, Li Jingjian (李景儉), Han Ye, Han Tai, Chen Jian, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, Ling Zhun (凌準), and Cheng Yi, in anticipation of his future reign.

In winter 804, Li Song suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. When subsequently, Emperor Dezong became ill as well, members of the imperial family attended to him, but Li Song was unable to do so. This saddened Emperor Dezong greatly and caused his own conditions to grow worse, and he died on February 25, 805. Initially, the palace eunuchs expressed the opinion that perhaps Li Song should not succeed to the throne, but after the imperial scholar Wei Cigong (衛次公) spoke firmly in Li Song's favor, and Li Song, despite his illness, appeared to show that he was not completely incapacitated, he was able to succeed to the throne (as Emperor Shunzong).

Reign

In his illness, Emperor Shunzong was unable to actually rule on everything submitted to him. He was attended to by the eunuch Li Zhongyan (李忠言) and his concubine Consort Niu, and it was said that the petitions submitted to him were ruled by him behind a screen. Li Zhongyan, Consort Niu, Wang Shuwen, Wang Pi, and the imperial scholar Wei Zhiyi (who was made a chancellor at Wang Shuwen's recommendation) formed a group who made decisions, with Wang Shuwen making rulings, giving them to Wang Pi to deliver to Li Zhongyan, and then Li Zhongyan issuing edicts in Emperor Shunzong's name approving Wang Shuwen's rulings, for Wei to execute. It was said that Wang Shuwen and his associates, including Han Tai, Liu Zongyuan, and Liu Yuxi were making decisions on personnel matters quickly, depending on their likes and dislikes.

Under this system, Emperor Shunzong quickly issued a number of orders that were intended to reform certain improper or unpopular measures of Emperor Dezong's reign:

• A general amnesty of taxes previously owed was declared.

• The "Palace Market" was abolished.

• The "Five Block Boys" (五坊小兒, imperial servants who had become arrogant over the people) were abolished.

• The institutions of tributes from regional governors and the central government's salt and iron monopoly bureau were abolished.

• A number of officials who had good reputation who were exiled by Emperor Dezong, including Lu Zhi, Zheng Yuqing, Han Gao, and Yang Cheng, were recalled (although Lu and Yang died before they could be recalled and were later instead posthumously honored).

Wang Shuwen and his associates, however, drew resentment from other officials for their hold on power. They were particularly despised by several eunuchs who were powerful during Emperor Dezong's reign—Ju Wenzhen (俱文珍), Liu Guangqi, and Xue Yingzhen (薛盈珍). At the instigations of those eunuchs, the imperial scholars Zheng Yin, Wei Cigong, Wang Ya, and Li Cheng were summoned to the palace for the purpose of drafting an edict to create Emperor Shunzong's oldest son Li Chun—who was described to be intelligent and decisive and who was feared by Wang Shuwen's group, particularly Consort Niu—crown prince. Zheng Yin wrote down, "The Crown Prince should be the oldest son" and showed it to Emperor Shunzong, who nodded. On April 26, 805, the edict was promulgated, and Li Chun was officially installed as crown prince.

Meanwhile, Wang Shuwen tried to seize the control of the Shence Army from the powerful eunuchs by putting the senior general Fan Xichao (范希朝) in command of the Shence Army units on the western border, with Han Tai as Fan's deputy. However, the eunuchs realized this and ordered the Shence Army soldiers not to obey Fan's orders; when Fan arrived at his command, the officers would not even welcome him, and he and Han Tai were forced to return to Chang'an. The eunuchs also reacted by having Wang Shuwen technically promoted—to be the deputy minister of census—but stripped of his status as imperial scholar (which both he and Wang Pi had been made) to make it difficult for him to handle the affairs of state. Wang Shuwen also offended the regional warlords by trying to execute Yang Shi'e (羊士諤) and Liu Pi, two subordinate officials sent to Chang'an to make demands on the central government on behalf of their superiors (the executions were not carried out due to Wei Zhiyi's opposition). Liu Pi's superior Wei Gao, the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), subsequently submitted a harshly worded petition accusing Wang Shuwen and his associates of crimes, and also wrote a letter to Li Chun urging him to take over as regent. Wei Gao's petition was subsequently echoed by other military governors Pei Jun (裴均) and Yan Shou (嚴綬), causing much alarm for Wang Shuwen and his associates.

On July 19, Wang Shuwen was forced to leave governmental service when his mother died, to observe a period of mourning for her. Wang Pi made repeated attempts to have Wang Shuwen recalled to serve as chancellor, but his repeated petitions were unheeded. Realizing that their party was near defeat, Wang Pi himself claimed to have suffered a stroke and left governmental service as well. Thereafter, Wang Shuwen's and Wang Pi's other associates began to fall out of power. On August 26, Emperor Shunzong issued an edict making Li Chun regent, and on August 31, he issued another edict yielding the throne to Li Chun (as Emperor Xianzong). Emperor Shunzong himself took the title of Taishang Huang (retired emperor) while giving Li Chun's mother Consort Wang the title of Taishang Huanghou (太上皇后, "retired empress").

As retired emperor

In winter 805, the hermit Luo Lingze went from Chang'an to Purun (普潤, in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) and stated to Liu Yong the prefect of Qin Prefecture (秦州, which had its seat at Purun) that he had an edict from Emperor Shunzong ordering Liu to start a rebellion to depose Emperor Xianzong and support a new emperor. Liu arrested Luo and delivered him to Chang'an, where Luo and his associates were caned to death. There is no record in history suggesting that Emperor Shunzong approved or knew of Luo's actions. He died on February 11, 806.

The Old Book of Tang included a commentary by Han Yu about Emperor Shunzong:

Chancellors during reign

• Du You (805)

• Jia Dan (805)

• Gao Ying (805)

• Zheng Xunyu (805)

• Wei Zhiyi (805)

• Du Huangchang (805)

• Yuan Zi (805)

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Crown Princess Hui, of the Xiao clan of Lanling (惠皇太子妃 蘭陵蕭氏; d. 790), first cousin once removed

• Empress Zhuangxian, of the Wang clan of Langya (莊憲皇后 琊瑯王氏; 763–816)

　• Li Chun, Xianzong (憲宗 李純; 778–820), first son

　• Princess Hanyang (漢陽公主; d. 840), personal name Chang (暢), first daughter

　　• Married Guo Cong of Huayin, Duke Taiyuan (華陰 郭𫓩; d. 822)

　• Princess Lianggongjing (梁恭靖公主; d. 850), personal name Zixu (自虛), second daughter

　　• Married Zheng He of Xingyang (滎陽 鄭何; 780–824)

　• Li Wan, Prince Fu (福王 李綰; d. 861), 15th son

　• Princess Yun'an (雲安公主)

　　• Married Liu Shijing (劉士涇)

• First Imperial Concubine, of the Wang clan (昭儀 王氏)

　• Li Jing, Prince Tan (郯王 李經; d. 834), second son

• First Imperial Concubine, of the Wang clan (昭儀 王氏)

　• Li Zong, Prince Huan (郇王 李綜; d. 808), seventh son

　• Li Yue, Prince Shao (邵王 李約; d. 806), eighth son

　• Li Gun, Prince Yue (岳王 李緄; d. 828), 18th son

• First Imperial Concubine, of the Zhao clan (昭儀 趙氏)

　• Li Jie, Prince Song (宋王 李結; d. 822), ninth son

• First Imperial Concubine, of the Cui clan (昭儀 崔氏)

　• Princess Xunyang (潯陽公主), 18th daughter

• Second Imperial Concubine, of the Niu clan (昭容 牛氏)

• Third Imperial Concubine, of the Yan clan (昭訓 閻氏)

　• Li Xuan, Prince Heng (衡王 李絢; d. 826), 12th son

• Third Imperial Concubine, of the Cui clan (昭訓 崔氏)

　• Princess Linru (臨汝公主), 21st daughter

• Lady, of the Chen clan (陳氏)

　• Princess Wen'an (文安公主; 793–828), 17th daughter

• Unknown

　• Li Wei, Prince Jun (均王 李緯; d. 837), third son

　• Li Zong, Prince Xu (溆王 李縱; d. 837), fourth son

　• Li Shu, Prince Ju (莒王 李紓; d. 834), fifth son

　• Li Chou, Prince Mi (密王 李綢; d. 807), sixth son

　• Li Xiang, Prince Ji (集王 李緗; d. 823)

　• Li Qiu, Prince Ji (冀王 李絿; d. 835), tenth son

　• Li Qi, Prince He (和王 李綺; d. 833), 11th son

　• Li Ji, Prince Qin (欽王 李績), 13th son

　• Li Xun, Prince Hui (會王 李𫄸; d. 810), 14th son

　• Li Shan, Prince Zhen (珍王 李繕), 16th son

　• Li Hong, Prince Fu (撫王 李纮; d. 876), 17th son

　• Li Shen, Prince Yuan (袁王 李紳; d. 860), 19th son

　• Li Lun, Prince Gui (桂王 李綸; d. 814), 20th son

　• Li Chuo, Prince Yi (翼王 李綽; d. 862), 21st son

　• Li Ji, Prince Qi (蘄王 李緝; d. 867), 22nd son

　• Princess Dongyang (東陽公主)

　　• Married Cui Qi of Boling (博陵 崔杞)

　• Princess Xihe (西河公主)

　　• Married Shen Hui of Wuxing (吳興 沈翬), and had issue (one son)

　　• Married Guo Xian of Huayin (華陰 郭銛; 786–822)

　• Princess Xiangyang (襄陽公主)

　　• Married Zhang Keli (張克禮), and had issue (one son)

　• Princess Guo (虢公主)

　　• Married Wang Chengxi (王承系), the third son of Wang Shizhen, in 805

　• Princess Puyang (濮陽公主)

　• Princess Ping'en (平恩公主), 22nd daughter

　• Princess Shaoyang (邵陽公主), 23rd daughter

Ancestry

生平

上元二年（761年）陰曆正月十二日（陽曆761年2月21日），李誦生於長安之東內。當時他的高祖父唐玄宗李隆基作為太上皇仍在人世，被清人趙翼稱之為「一堂五天子」（唐玄宗、唐肅宗、唐代宗、唐德宗、唐順宗）。李誦初封宣城郡王。大曆十四年（779年）其祖父唐代宗駕崩，唐德宗繼位，六月，李誦進封宣王，十二月乙卯，立為皇太子。貞元二十一年（805年）正月即位，改元永貞。任用東宮舊人王伾、王叔文為翰林學士，在宰相韋執誼、韓泰、韓曄、柳宗元、劉禹錫、陳諫、凌准、程异等人支持下，從事改革德宗以來的弊政，貶斥貪官，廢除宮市，停止鹽鐵進錢和地方進奉，並試圖收回宦官兵權，史稱「永貞革新」。

順宗即位時已患中風，喑啞不能言，詔令皆出牛昭容手。同年八月，宦官俱文珍等勾結部分官僚和藩鎮，逼其退位，傳位于太子李純，貶王伾等人，史稱「永貞內禪」（順宗朝僅歷七月，舊制逾年改元，內禪暨革新失敗之後，方以太上皇詔，改元永貞）。又貶斥韓泰等八人，史稱「二王八司馬」。次年元和元年陰曆正月十九日（806年2月11日），崩於興慶宮之咸寧殿。官方說法為病死。野史認為順宗是被宦官謀殺而死，其事透過唐人傳奇《辛公平上仙》的影射以流傳後世。

唐順宗也是唐朝唯一一位以先帝嫡長子身份成為皇太子並最終繼位的皇帝，死後謚號為至德弘道大聖大安孝皇帝。

家庭

后妃

• 皇后

• 莊憲皇后王氏，原為良娣，生唐憲宗、李綰、漢陽公主、梁國恭靖公主、雲安公主。

• 妃嬪

• 董良媛，後為太上皇德妃。

• 趙昭儀，生李結，後為太妃。

• 王昭儀，生李總、李約、李緄，後為太妃。

• 王昭儀，原為承徽，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封，與李總母是否為同一人，無考

• 趙昭儀，原為承徽，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封，與李結母是否為同一人，無考

• 崔充儀，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封

• 楊充儀，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封

• 王昭媛，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封

• 王昭容，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封

• 牛昭容（記載于《資治通鑑 卷第二百三十六》）

• 牛修儀，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封

• 張美人，貞元二十一年五月甲辰由承徽封

• 張昭訓，生李經，元和元年八月甲子封為太妃，《舊唐書 列傳第一百 德宗順宗諸子》記為：「王昭儀生郯王經」。

• 閻昭訓，生李絢，元和元年八月甲子封為太妃，《舊唐書 列傳第一百 德宗順宗諸子》記為：「王昭訓生衡王絢」。

• 崔昭訓，又記為崔昭儀，生潯陽公主，元和元年八月甲子封為太妃。

• 崔昭訓，臨汝公主母，與潯陽公主母是否為一人，待考。

• 許氏，順宗逝後為美人

• 尹氏，順宗逝後為才人

• 段氏，順宗逝後為才人

• 陳氏，生第十七女文安公主

• 太子妃蕭氏，肅宗之女郜國公主和第二任駙馬蕭升生的女兒。唐德宗時，郜國公主被誣陷「巫蠱」牽連太子妃蕭氏，唐德宗李适多次要把太子妃廢掉，。但蕭妃最終沒能逃脫厄運，唐德宗擔心蕭妃因母親兄弟之事怨恨他，決定殺了蕭妃。等郜國公主一死，偏巧太子生病，唐德宗就乘機殺害了蕭妃，諡惠。

子女

子

順宗二十八子：莊憲皇后王氏生憲宗，王昭儀生李經，趙昭儀生李結，王昭儀生李綜、李約、李緄，閻昭訓生李絢，其他王子的生母資料已失，另有四王早薨無諡號。另有一子李謜，因為唐德宗所喜愛，作為德宗第八子。

• 廣陵郡王→皇太子→憲宗李純（初名李淳）

• 建康郡王→郯王李經（初名李渙）

• 洋川郡王→均王李緯（初名李沔）

• 臨淮郡王→漵王李縱（初名李洵）

• 弘農郡王→莒王李紓（初名李浼）

• 漢東郡王→密王李綢（初名李泳）

• 晉陵郡王→郇王李綜（初名李湜）

• 高平郡王→邵王李約（初名李漵）

• 雲安郡王→宋王李結（初名李滋）

• 宣城郡王→集王李緗（初名李淮）

• 德陽郡王→冀王李絿（初名李湑）

• 河東郡王→和王李綺（初名李浥）

• 衡王李絢

• 欽王李績

• 會王李纁

• 福王李綰（本名李浥）

• 洛交郡王→珍王李繕（本名李況）

• 撫王李紘

• 岳王李緄

• 袁王李紳

• 桂王李綸

• 翼王李綽

• 蘄王李緝

• 粗體字為追封

• 斜體字為新唐書記載，與舊唐書記載有出入

女

《新唐書》記唐順宗共有十三位女兒，而根據邵陽公主的墓誌銘，唐順宗至少有二十三個女兒：

• 漢陽公主李暢（母莊憲皇后，先封為德陽郡主，下嫁郭鏦，薨于開成五年）

• 梁國恭靖公主李自虛（母莊憲皇后，先封為咸寧郡主，又封為普安公主，下嫁鄭何）

• 東陽公主（先封為信安郡主，下嫁崔杞）

• 西河公主（先封為武陵郡主，下嫁沈翬，後再嫁郭銛，薨于咸通年間）

• 雲安公主（母莊憲皇后，下嫁劉士涇）

• 襄陽公主（先封為晉康縣主，下嫁張克禮）

• 虢國公主（先封為清源郡主，又封為陽安公主，下嫁王承系）

• 濮陽公主（後封濮陽大長公主）

• 文安公主（第十七女）

• 潯陽公主（母崔昭儀，大和三年出家為道士，第十八女）

• 臨汝公主（母崔昭訓，第二十一女，夭折）

• 平恩公主（第二十二女，夭折）

• 邵陽公主（第二十三女，夭折）