A study of Li Ke’s struggle for crown-princeship and his treason case of 653 = 李恪與儲位之爭和永徽四年謀反案探析

Abstract

 Li Ke (619-653), known as the Prince of Wu, was the third son of Emperor Taizong of Tang dynasty. According to the historical books, Li Ke was highly honored and was once considered as a possible candidate for the position of crown prince after Li Chengqian was deposed. However, the proposal was abandoned and Li Zhi eventually inherited the throne. In 653, Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi)'s fourth year on the throne, Li Ke was accused of treason plotted by Princesses Gaoyang and her husband Fang Yi'ai. In the end, Li Ke was ordered to commit suicide. The struggle for crown-princeship and his treason case are the two main issues throughout Li Ke's life, which will be analyzed and discussed in this study. The paper contains two parts. The first part focuses on Li Ke’s struggle for crown-princeship of 643. In fact, imperial succession is caused by multiple factors. For the objective factors, the lineal primogeniture system and the status of princes' maternal line are included. Besides, there are also some subjective factors, for instance, political concern and emperors' favour, which is usually neglected by scholars. In this part, the reason why Li Ke failed to become crown prince will be discussed. The second part mainly focuses on the treason case of 653. In this case, the character of Li Ke, Zhangsun Wuji and Li Zhi will be analyzed. The role they played in this case is the key to lead us to shape their true historical image. For the purpose of investigating the relationship between Le Ke's destiny and the political situation of early Tang dynasty, and also giving Li Ke a fair and objective evaluation, the author has managed to re-explore in related issues with relevant existing materials such as historical books and papers of scholars' studies.