Wei Zheng

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wei Zheng

Wei Zheng ( 魏徵 , Wèi Zhēng ; * 580 ; † 643 ) was a Chinese politician and advisor to Chinese emperors .

Life

Wei Zheng came from a family of small functionaries in today's Hebei , who first served the northern Wei and later the northern Qi .

From the counselor under Li Mi to Li Jiancheng

He himself served as an influential advisor on the personal staff of the honorable rebel Li Mi , who eventually submitted to the Tang . He was assigned to the personal staff of Li Jiancheng , the firstborn and official heir of Emperor Gaozu , who feared his son Li Shimin's claim to the throne. Li Jiancheng was murdered by Li Shimin in 626 during the Xuanwu Gate attack.

Imperial adviser under Taizong

Li Shimin, who had now become Emperor Taizong, asked some time later why Wei Zheng had quarreled with Li Jiancheng. Wei then responded with his known boldness that Li Jiancheng did not accept his plan of action and that he would not have been defeated had he followed it. Li Shimin, affected by this open-heartedness and aware of Wei Zheng's career and abilities, decided to spare him and take him on to his team: Wei Zheng was compensated, received a title of nobility and was appointed imperial advisor.

Through this fundamental change, the new Emperor Taizong turned the former advisor to the great rebel Li Mi and his brother and adversary Li Jiancheng into living proof of the successful reintegration of former rebels. Taizong appointed him ambassador to the northeastern plains, where numerous rebels were still holding. His well-known past, his diplomatic demeanor, as well as his reintegration and advancement made Wei Zheng the ideal ambassador to convince the last rebels to submit to Tang in exchange for office and responsible positions.

Moral authority of the emperor

Back in Chang'an he became the emperor's moral authority, who never shied away from giving the emperor Taizong a fiery reprimand. In 637 Taizong requested comparative criticism between his most recent reign and his early years in office, and Wei Zheng spontaneously proclaimed:

«Avant que l'Empire soit pacifié, vous faisiez de la droiture et de la vertu des notions centrales de votre action. Maintenant, pensant que l'Empire est sansproblemèmes, vous êtes progressivement devenus arrogant, dépensier, et suffisant. »

- German roughly: The Reich will not be pacified until you have made justice and virtue the central concepts of your deeds. Now that you assume that the realm has no problems, you have become more and more arrogant, wasteful and frugal.

Project management: the 'New Book of Rites', dynasty history, etc.

Wei Zheng also led large-scale knowledge projects, such as the compilation of a Nouveau Livre des Rituels (German: New Book of Rites (新 禮Xin Li , or 貞觀 禮 Zhenguan Li )), which he presented to Taizong in 636 . Furthermore, together with Fang Xuanling, he was responsible for compiling the dynasty stories (13) ( Histoires officielles des dynasties ) of the previous Sui and Chen dynasties .

Evaluation and historical classification

In the eyes of later historians and Confucians, Wei Zheng and the Wei Zheng / Taizong relationship were largely admired and glossed over. The open-heartedness and mutual respect, the role of the Emperor's Confucian beliefs, Taizong's listening were highlighted as characteristic of this idealized Zhenguan period (貞觀 之 wenn), considering that his advisory role was ranked high when in fact he was always was excluded from offices with concrete power. His symbolic role was ultimately more important than his actions and actual power.

See also

literature

  • Jiu Tang Shu ("Ancient History of the Tang Dynasty")
  • Xin Tang Shu ("New History of the Tang Dynasty")

Remarks

  1. ↑ Wei Zheng (魏徵 ， 580–643) - see CHOC: pp. 196–198, p. 843 (glossary index), search for "Wei Cheng" (Wade-Giles).
    Biographies in: JTS , vol. 71; XTS , vol. 97; and Howard J. Wechsler: Mirror to the Son of Heaven: Wei Cheng at the Court of T'ang T'ai-tsung (New Haven, 1974), p. 147 (Yale Historical Publ. Miscellany, 105) (German: Spiegel to Heaven: Wei Cheng at the court of T'ang T'ai-tsung )
  2. ↑ a b c CHOC, p. 196
  3. ↑ a b c d e CHOC, p. 197
  4. ^ HJ Wechsler, Mirror to the Son of Heaven: Wei Cheng at the Court of T'ang T'ai-tsung (New Haven, 1974), p. 147
  5. ↑ CHOC, p. 198
personal data
SURNAME Wei Zheng
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese politician and advisor
DATE OF BIRTH 580
DATE OF DEATH 643