#84 - Tang 3: The Khan Of Heaven

Li Shimin assassinated his two brothers and put his father out to pasture in order to snag the top job as Emperor Taizong. But a mere three weeks into his reign, this “rock star” monarch will face an existential challenge to his reign and the future of the Tang Dynasty as a whole: the wrath of the Göktürk Khaganate. It will prove to be a wild ride to determine whether Tang China will be doomed to remain a vassal of the Turks, or whether Taizong’s “true vision” will prove enough to rise to the challenge. Time Period Covered: 626-630 CE Major Historical Figures: Tang: Prince Li Shimin [Emperor Taizong] Retired Emperor Gaozu Göktürk Khaganate: Illig Khagan Tölis Khan Liang Dynasty (Turkic Vassal): Emperor Liang Shidu (d. 628) Xueyantuo Tribe (alt. Se-Yento, Syr-Tardush) Uyghur Tribe (alt. Huige, Hui-ho) Khitan Tribe Works Cited: Drompp, Michael. Tang China And The Collapse Of The Uighur Empire: A Documentary History Grousset, René. The Rise and Splendor of the Chinese Empire. Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3