The Tang Dynasty: Founding and Golden Age (618-756)

The Tang dynasty was founded in 618 by Li Yuan, who took the reign name Emperor Gaozu, after the collapse of the short-lived Sui dynasty (581-618), which had reunified China but fallen apart under the crushing cost of the Grand Canal and failed campaigns against Goguryeo in Korea. Li Yuan, a Sui military governor, seized power amid widespread revolts and established his capital at Chang'an, with Luoyang serving as a secondary eastern capital. His son Li Shimin played a decisive role in the campaigns that consolidated the new regime, and in 626 he eliminated his rival brothers in the "Xuanwu Gate Incident," after which Li Yuan abdicated in his favor. Li Shimin became Emperor Taizong, and the Tang went on to rule China, with one interruption, from 618 to 907.