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Tang dynasty

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tang
Tang dynasty c. 669. Map of China during the Tang Dynasty.
Tang dynasty c. 669. Map of China during the Tang Dynasty.
Capital
Common languagesMiddle Chinese
Religion
GovernmentMonarchy
Emperor 
• 618–626 (first)
Emperor Gaozu
• 626–649
Emperor Taizong
• 712–756
Emperor Xuanzong
• 904–907 (last)
Emperor Ai
History 
June 18, 618
• Usurped
by Wu Zetian
690–705a
755–763b
• Abdication in favour of the Later Liang
June 1, 907
Area
715[1][2]5,400,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi)
Population
• 7th century
50 million
• 9th century
80 million
Currency
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Sui dynasty
Eastern Turkic Khaganate
Western Turkic Khaganate
Goguryeo
Later Liang
Wu
Wuyue
Min
Former Shu
Khitans
a October 8, 690 – March 3, 705.
b December 16, 755 – February 17, 763.
Tang dynasty
"Tang dynasty" in Han characters
Chinese唐朝

The Tang dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝; pinyin: Tángcháo) (18 June 618 – 4 June 907) was an imperial dynasty of China. It came after the Sui Dynasty and was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li (李) family, who came to power during the fall of the Sui Empire. The dynasty was interrupted for a short time by the Zhou dynasty (周)[3] (16 October 6903 March 705) founded by Empress Wu Zetian who managed to claim the throne, becoming the first and only Chinese Empress.

The Tang Dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an (today Xi'an), was the biggest city in the world at the time. It is considered by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization—maybe even greater than the earlier Han Dynasty—as well as a golden age of cosmopolitan culture.

Empress Wu, the first woman to ever rule in China, was also included in the Tang Dynasty. Her methods were sometimes vicious, but she was very intelligent and talented.

Other websites

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References

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  1. Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of World-systems Research. 12 (2): 222. ISSN 1076-156X.
  2. Taagepera, Rein (1997). "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia". International Studies Quarterly. 41 (3): 475–504. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00053. JSTOR 2600793. p. 492.
  3. That dynasty should be clearly distinguished from the Zhou Dynasty that began about 1050 BC.