生平

天祚帝是辽道宗的孙子，他的父亲是道宗的太子耶律浚，母亲是贞顺皇后萧氏。六岁时他被封为梁王，九岁时封为燕国王。

寿昌七年正月十三日（1101年2月12日），道宗崩，临死前立耶律延禧为继承人，耶律延禧奉遗诏即皇帝位于柩前。延禧以「天祚皇帝」作为自己的尊号。二月壬辰改元乾统。

天祚帝继位后西夏崇宗因受到北宋攻击一再向辽求援，并求尚天祚帝女公主为妻，最后天祚帝于1105年将一个族女封为公主嫁给了夏崇宗，并派使者赴宋，劝宋对西夏罢兵。

1112年二月丁酉天祚帝赴春州，召集附近的女真族酋长来朝，宴席中醉酒后令女真酋长为他跳舞，只有完颜阿骨打不肯。天祚帝不以为意，但从此完颜阿骨打与辽国之间不和。从九月开始完颜阿骨打不再奉诏，并开始对其他不服从自己的女真部落用兵。1114年春，完颜阿骨打正式起兵反辽。一开始天祚帝不将阿骨打当作大威胁，然而1114年天祚帝所有派去镇压阿骨打的军队全部战败。

1115年天祚帝终于开始觉察到女真的威胁势力，下令亲征，但是辽军到处被女真打败，与此同时辽国国内也发生叛乱，耶律章奴在上京临潢府叛乱，虽然这场叛乱很快就被平定，但是这场叛乱分裂了辽国内部。此后位于原渤海国的东京辽阳府也发生叛乱自立。这场叛乱一直到1116年四月才被平定。但是在五月女真就藉机占领了辽阳和渖州。1117年女真攻春州，辽军不战自败。这年完颜阿骨打称帝，建立金朝。

1120年金攻克上京临潢府，留守降。到1121年辽已经失去了其疆域之半。而辽国内部又发生了因为皇位继承问题而爆发的内乱，1122年天祚帝杀了自己的长子耶律敖卢斡，这使得更多的辽国军人感到不安而投靠金朝。四月，金攻克辽西京大同府。由于战场上消息不通，辽国内部又以为天祚帝在前线阵亡或被围，于是在临潢立耶律淳为皇帝，进一步扩大了辽国内部的混乱。而辽国的大臣也各不自保，有的与北宋大臣童贯通气打算投降宋朝的，有的则想投降金朝。十一月居庸关失守，十二月辽南京被攻破。1123年正月上京叛金。

到1124年天祚帝已经失去了辽国的大部分土地而退出漠外，他的儿子和家属大多数被杀或被俘，虽然他还打算重新守护燕州和云州，但是实际上他已经没有多少希望了。保大五年二月二十日（1125年3月26日）天祚帝在应州为金人完颜娄室等所俘，八月被解送金上京，被降为海滨王。金太宗天会六年（1128年）病死。金皇统元年（1141年），改封豫王。皇统五年（1145年），葬于乾陵旁。

家庭成员

先祖

• 高祖父辽圣宗耶律隆绪

　• 曾祖父辽兴宗耶律宗真

　　• 祖父辽道宗耶律洪基

　　　• 父辽顺宗耶律浚

皇后

• 萧皇后萧夺里懒

妃嫔

• 德妃 萧师姑 生子耶律挞鲁

• 文妃 萧瑟瑟 生蜀国公主、晋王敖卢斡

• 元妃 萧贵哥 生三女

• 昭容 赵氏 耶律习泥烈母

子女

子

• 晋王耶律敖卢斡

• 梁王耶律雅里

• 燕国王耶律挞鲁

• 赵王耶律习泥烈

• 秦王耶律定

• 许王耶律宁

女

• 耶律氏

• 耶律骨欲，为金人所获

• 蜀国公主耶律余里衍，为金人所获

• 耶律斡里衍，为金人所获

• 耶律大奥野，为金人所获

• 耶律次奥野，为金人所获

评价

• 元朝官修正史《辽史》脱脱等的评价是：「辽起朔野，兵甲之盛，鼓行皞外，席卷河朔，树晋植汉，何其壮欤？太祖、太宗乘百战之势，辑新造之邦，英谋睿略，可谓远矣。虽以世宗中才，穆宗残暴，连遘弑逆，而神器不摇。盖由祖宗威令犹足以震叠其国人也。圣宗以来，内修政治，外拓疆宇，既而申固邻好，四境乂安。维侍二百馀年之基，有自来矣。降臻天祚，既丁末运，又觖人望，崇信奸回，自椓国本，群下离心。金兵一集，内难先作，废立之谋，叛亡之迹，相继蜂起。驯致土崩瓦解，不可复支，良可哀也！耶律与萧，世为甥舅，义同休戚，奉先挟私灭公，首祸构难，一至于斯。天祚穷蹙，始悟奉先误己，不几晚乎！淳、雅里所谓名不正，言不顺，事不成者也。大石苟延，彼善于此，亦几何哉？」

• 辽朝光禄卿李良嗣：「天祚皇帝，耽酒嗜音，禽色俱荒。斥逐忠良，任用群小。远近生灵，悉被苛政。」

逸闻

据南宋话本《大宋宣和遗事》，南宋绍兴二十六年（金朝正隆元年，1156年）六月，金朝皇帝完颜亮命令56岁的宋钦宗赵桓和81岁的耶律延禧去比赛马球，赵桓中途从马上跌下来，被马乱践而死，耶律延禧则因善骑术，企图纵马冲出重围逃命，结果被金人以乱箭射死。

Jurchen invasion

During the reign of Emperor Tianzuo, the Jurchen tribes led by Aguda established the Jin dynasty in 1115. Aguda formed the Alliance Conducted at Sea with the Han Chinese-led Northern Song dynasty against the Liao dynasty, and began to establish authority over former Liao territory in Mongolia. Emperor Tianzuo, however, proved incompetent in dealing with the Jurchen threat, and in 1115 a coup was attempted by Liao generals to install his uncle Yelü Chun to the throne but was thwarted. The Jurchens advanced from Manchuria in 1117, and captured the Liao supreme capital in 1120, then its central capital in 1122.

Another coup was attempted in 1121 to install Emperor Tianzuo's son, the prince of Jin, on the throne, but was again thwarted. The prince was executed, and most of the coup participants defected to the Jurchens. In 1122, Emperor Tianzuo fled from the Liao southern capital (present-day Beijing) to the western regions. His uncle Yelü Chun then formed the short-lived Northern Liao dynasty in the southern capital, but died soon afterwards, and the southern capital was conquered by the Jurchens at the end of 1122 or early 1123.

End of the Liao dynasty

After the end of the Northern Liao dynasty, a general Yelü Dashi rejoined Emperor Tianzuo. In 1123, the Jurchens captured Emperor Tianzuo's palace at Qingzhong (south of present-day Hohhot), capturing members of his family. Emperor Tianzuo fled to Western Xia and sought refuge there. Later, Emperor Tianzuo expressed his intention to attack the Jurchens, but Yelü Dashi withheld his support, considering it folly as the Jurchens were too strong. In 1124, Yelü Dashi fled to the west with a band of his followers, and established the Western Liao dynasty. In 1125, Emperor Tianzuo was captured by the Jin dynasty, ending the Liao dynasty.

Death

In 1156, in an act of humiliation, the Jin emperor who at the time was the Prince of Hailing ordered him and the former Emperor Qinzong of Song to compete in a match of polo. Emperor Qinzong was weak and frail, and thus quickly fell off the horse. Yelü Yanxi was more familiar with horse riding, and tried to escape, but was shot to death by Jurchen archers.

Titles

• Prince of Liang (1081–1084)

• Prince of Yan (1084–1101)

• Emperor of Jian (1101–1125)

• Prince of Haibin (1125)