Chancellor of the Tang dynasty


The [Grand Grand chancellor (China)|chancellor (China)|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 [List of List of chancellors of Wu Zetian|chancellors of Wu Zetian|chancellors] of the short-lived Zhou dynasty of the empress Wu Zetian within the Tang.

Origins

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 :
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 headsthe two were generally regarded as the Sui chancellors. Ouyang further asserts, however, that the heads of the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery were also considered chancellors.

Development

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, naming his second son Li Shimin to the post. Li Shimin became emperor in 626 but his former post of 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. 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, whose Chinese name was changed to the . 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". These positions were given a formal designation in 643, reckoned "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials". The 20th-century historian Bo Yang called such officials de facto chancellors. 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 and the Chancellery as the, the additional chancellors were known as . 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". These were called de facto chancellors, second grade, 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 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", the "participator in secret matters", the "participator in governance matters". These were grouped by Bo as de facto chancellors, third class.

Function

Under the Tang, officials designated as chancellors met periodically at the Hall of Matters of Governance, 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", apparently employing a triple entendre as the terms could also refer to the combination of the Legislative Bureau and the Chancellery, 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.

List

These lists includes chancellors of Wu Zetian's 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 and Huo Huan ) were named and their specific titles were not given.

Heads of the Department of State Affairs

The executive bureau had these changes in name:Shangshu Sheng Zhong Tai Shangshu Sheng Wenchang Tai Wenchang Dusheng Wenchang Dutai Zhong Tai Shangshu Sheng
Correspondingly, the heads of the executive bureau, considered chancellors from 618 to 705, had these titles during those periods:Shangshu Ling Shangshu Puye Kuangzheng Shangshu Puye Wenchang Xiang Shangshu Puye Cheng Xiang Shangshu Puye
The men who held the office included :
After 705, the heads of the executive bureau were no longer considered chancellors unless they received the chancellor-de facto designation.

Heads of the Legislative Bureau

The leiglsative bureau had these changes in name:Neishi Sheng Zhongshu Sheng Xi Tai Zhongshu Sheng Feng Ge Zhongshu Sheng Ziwei Sheng Zhongshu Sheng
Correspondingly, the heads of the legislative bureau had these titles during those periods:Neishi Ling Zhongshu Ling You Xiang Zhongshu Ling Neishi Zhongshu Ling Ziwei Ling Zhongshu Ling You Xiang Zhongshu Ling
The men who held the office included:

Heads of the Chancellery

The Chancellery had these changes in name:Menxia Sheng Dong Tai Menxia Sheng Luan Tai Menxia Sheng Huangmen Sheng Menxia Sheng
Correspondingly, the heads of the Chancellery had these titles during those periods:Nayan Shizhong Zuo Xiang Shizhong Nayan Shizhong Huangmen Jian Shizhong Zuo Xiang Shizhong
The men who held the office included:

De facto chancellors

Prior to formalization

De facto chancellors of the first grade

The office was created in 643. The titles, as modified from time to time to reflect the names in changes of the Legislative Bureau and the Chancellery, included:Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin Tong Dong Xi Tai Sanpin Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin Tong Fengge Luantai Sanpin Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin Tong Ziwei Huangmen Sanpin Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin

De facto chancellors of the second grade

The office was created in 682. The titles, as modified from time to time to reflect the names in changes of the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery, included:Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi Tong Ziwei Huangmen Pingzhangshi Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi
It was often referred to in brief as Tong Pingzhangshi.

De facto chancellors of the third grade

The office recurred as variations of the pre-formalization titles, even after formalization of the de facto chancellor offices of the first and second grades, but did not regularly recur after 713. Liu Youqiu, who held the title as Zhi Junguo Zhongshi, was the last person to hold any variation of the title as chancellor as a regular title, although Pei Du would hold the title of Pingzhang Junguo Zhongshi briefly in 830. Toward the end of the dynasty, Li Zhirou was briefly put temporarily in charge of the Office of the Chancellors in 895 with the designation Quanzhi Zhongshu Shi and therefore could be regarded as a chancellor as well ; similarly, Lu Guangqi went through two similar titles.