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Chancellor of the Tang dynasty
The chancellor, also known by its Chinese name as the zaixiang, was a semi-formal designation for a number of high-level officials during China's Tang dynasty. This list also includes chancellors of the short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty, which is often considered an interregnum of the Tang.
Ouyang Xiu, the author of the New Book of Tang, asserts that the Tang dynasty inherited its bureaucracy from its dynastic predecessor, the Sui, whose founder the Wen Emperor divided his government into five main bureaus (省, shěng):
Under the Wen Emperor, the Department of State Affairs was regarded as the most important. He had his most honored officials such as Gao Jiong, Yang Su, and Su Wei lead it at various points. Its heads—the two shàngshū púshè (尚書僕射)—were generally regarded as the Sui chancellors. Ouyang further asserts, however, that the heads of the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery were also considered chancellors.
Emperor Gaozu, the founder of the Tang dynasty, initially followed the Sui's system of governance including the five-bureau organization. However, he established a single head for the Department of State Affairs, the shàngshūlǐng (尚書令), naming his second son Li Shimin to the post. Li Shimin became emperor in 626 (posthumously remembered as Emperor Taizong) but his former post of shangshuling had to be left vacant because none of his officials dared occupy it. The Department of State Affairs therefore reverted to its previous arrangement of being headed by two vice-directors, the shangshu pushe. Around 626, probably by Emperor Taizong's orders, the institution of multiple chancellors was also formalized, treating the office as an additional honorific for the vice-directors of the Department of State Affairs, the palace attendant of the Chancellery, and the director of the Legislative Bureau (中書令, Zhōngshū lǐng), whose Chinese name was changed to the Zhōngshū Shěng (中書省). The Chancellery and the Legislative Bureau themselves often had more than one head, so that there were frequently more than four chancellors in any given year. After 705, however, the vice-directors of the Department of State Affairs were no longer considered chancellors by default, although some continued to separately received the status as an additional title.
The Tang government began to designate certain high-level officials as additional chancellors with titles such as the "participator in administrative governance" (參豫朝政, cānyù cháozhèng). These positions were given a formal designation in 643, reckoned "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" (同中書門下三品, tóng Zhōngshū Ménxià sānpǐn). The 20th-century historian Bo Yang called such officials de facto chancellors (實質宰相, shízhì zǎixiàng). The names of the Legislative Bureau and the Chancellery changed names multiple times, such that the Chinese phrasing of the chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" also required frequent adjustment. Under Emperor Xuanzong, when the Legislative Bureau was briefly known as the Zǐwéi Shěng (紫微省) and the Chancellery as the Huángmén Shěng (黃門省), the additional chancellors were known as tóng Zǐwéi Huángmén sānpǐn ((同紫微黃門三品). A lesser designation with similar privileges was created in 682 under Emperor Gaozong, initially known as chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery participators" (同中書門下平章事, tóng Zhōngshū Ménxià píngzhāngshì). These were called de facto chancellors, second grade,[clarification needed] by Bo. The last additional chancellor "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" to be noted as such was Li Lin in the Chinese lunar year spanning late 757 and early 758. Lü Yin was also said to have carried such a title during his term as chancellor[which?] from 759 to 760 but he is not noted as such in the table of chancellors provided in the New Book of Tang. Meanwhile, following An Lushan's rebellion, the chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery participators" became very common.
Until the second reign of Emperor Ruizong began in 710, further variations on the "participator in administrative governance" continued to appear. These titles included the "participator in important matters" (參知機務, canzhi jiwu), the "participator in secret matters" (參掌機密, canzhang jimi), the "participator in governance matters" (參知政事, canzhi zhengshi, and 參謀政事, canmou zhengshi). These were grouped by Bo as de facto chancellors, third class.[clarification needed]
Under the Tang, officials designated as chancellors met periodically at the Hall of Matters of Governance (政事堂, Zhengshi Tang), originally located within the Chancellery. In 683, Pei Yan headed both the Chancellery and the Legislative Bureau and moved the hall to the Legislative Bureau. Under Emperor Xuanzong, the chancellor Zhang Shuo changed the hall's name to "Area within the Legislative Bureau" (中書門下, Zhongshu menxia), apparently employing a triple entendre as the terms could also refer to the combination of the Legislative Bureau (Zhongshu Sheng) and the Chancellery (Menxia Sheng), Chinese often employing asyndeton, or to disciples or students of central affairs. Zhang also created five offices under the chancellors to oversee the civil service, state secrets, military matters, governance, and criminal law. Under Emperor Suzong, the chancellors begin to rotate their off days so that at least one would always be on duty, although, when submissions were made to the emperor, they were signed in the names of all the chancellors whether on duty or not. The name of the meeting place also changed back to the Hall of Matters of Governance.
These lists includes chancellors of the Wu Zhou dynasty but not various regional governors who were given the titles as honorifics. The chancellors under the pretenders Li Yun and Li Yu, Prince of De are listed, but not the chancellors under the pretender Li Chenghong. Li Chenghong was said to have had multiple chancellors but only Yu Kefeng (于可封) and Huo Huan (霍環)) were named and their specific titles were not given.
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Chancellor of the Tang dynasty
The chancellor, also known by its Chinese name as the zaixiang, was a semi-formal designation for a number of high-level officials during China's Tang dynasty. This list also includes chancellors of the short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty, which is often considered an interregnum of the Tang.
Ouyang Xiu, the author of the New Book of Tang, asserts that the Tang dynasty inherited its bureaucracy from its dynastic predecessor, the Sui, whose founder the Wen Emperor divided his government into five main bureaus (省, shěng):
Under the Wen Emperor, the Department of State Affairs was regarded as the most important. He had his most honored officials such as Gao Jiong, Yang Su, and Su Wei lead it at various points. Its heads—the two shàngshū púshè (尚書僕射)—were generally regarded as the Sui chancellors. Ouyang further asserts, however, that the heads of the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery were also considered chancellors.
Emperor Gaozu, the founder of the Tang dynasty, initially followed the Sui's system of governance including the five-bureau organization. However, he established a single head for the Department of State Affairs, the shàngshūlǐng (尚書令), naming his second son Li Shimin to the post. Li Shimin became emperor in 626 (posthumously remembered as Emperor Taizong) but his former post of shangshuling had to be left vacant because none of his officials dared occupy it. The Department of State Affairs therefore reverted to its previous arrangement of being headed by two vice-directors, the shangshu pushe. Around 626, probably by Emperor Taizong's orders, the institution of multiple chancellors was also formalized, treating the office as an additional honorific for the vice-directors of the Department of State Affairs, the palace attendant of the Chancellery, and the director of the Legislative Bureau (中書令, Zhōngshū lǐng), whose Chinese name was changed to the Zhōngshū Shěng (中書省). The Chancellery and the Legislative Bureau themselves often had more than one head, so that there were frequently more than four chancellors in any given year. After 705, however, the vice-directors of the Department of State Affairs were no longer considered chancellors by default, although some continued to separately received the status as an additional title.
The Tang government began to designate certain high-level officials as additional chancellors with titles such as the "participator in administrative governance" (參豫朝政, cānyù cháozhèng). These positions were given a formal designation in 643, reckoned "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" (同中書門下三品, tóng Zhōngshū Ménxià sānpǐn). The 20th-century historian Bo Yang called such officials de facto chancellors (實質宰相, shízhì zǎixiàng). The names of the Legislative Bureau and the Chancellery changed names multiple times, such that the Chinese phrasing of the chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" also required frequent adjustment. Under Emperor Xuanzong, when the Legislative Bureau was briefly known as the Zǐwéi Shěng (紫微省) and the Chancellery as the Huángmén Shěng (黃門省), the additional chancellors were known as tóng Zǐwéi Huángmén sānpǐn ((同紫微黃門三品). A lesser designation with similar privileges was created in 682 under Emperor Gaozong, initially known as chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery participators" (同中書門下平章事, tóng Zhōngshū Ménxià píngzhāngshì). These were called de facto chancellors, second grade,[clarification needed] by Bo. The last additional chancellor "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" to be noted as such was Li Lin in the Chinese lunar year spanning late 757 and early 758. Lü Yin was also said to have carried such a title during his term as chancellor[which?] from 759 to 760 but he is not noted as such in the table of chancellors provided in the New Book of Tang. Meanwhile, following An Lushan's rebellion, the chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery participators" became very common.
Until the second reign of Emperor Ruizong began in 710, further variations on the "participator in administrative governance" continued to appear. These titles included the "participator in important matters" (參知機務, canzhi jiwu), the "participator in secret matters" (參掌機密, canzhang jimi), the "participator in governance matters" (參知政事, canzhi zhengshi, and 參謀政事, canmou zhengshi). These were grouped by Bo as de facto chancellors, third class.[clarification needed]
Under the Tang, officials designated as chancellors met periodically at the Hall of Matters of Governance (政事堂, Zhengshi Tang), originally located within the Chancellery. In 683, Pei Yan headed both the Chancellery and the Legislative Bureau and moved the hall to the Legislative Bureau. Under Emperor Xuanzong, the chancellor Zhang Shuo changed the hall's name to "Area within the Legislative Bureau" (中書門下, Zhongshu menxia), apparently employing a triple entendre as the terms could also refer to the combination of the Legislative Bureau (Zhongshu Sheng) and the Chancellery (Menxia Sheng), Chinese often employing asyndeton, or to disciples or students of central affairs. Zhang also created five offices under the chancellors to oversee the civil service, state secrets, military matters, governance, and criminal law. Under Emperor Suzong, the chancellors begin to rotate their off days so that at least one would always be on duty, although, when submissions were made to the emperor, they were signed in the names of all the chancellors whether on duty or not. The name of the meeting place also changed back to the Hall of Matters of Governance.
These lists includes chancellors of the Wu Zhou dynasty but not various regional governors who were given the titles as honorifics. The chancellors under the pretenders Li Yun and Li Yu, Prince of De are listed, but not the chancellors under the pretender Li Chenghong. Li Chenghong was said to have had multiple chancellors but only Yu Kefeng (于可封) and Huo Huan (霍環)) were named and their specific titles were not given.