Xuanwu Gate Incident: Li Shimin Ambushes and Kills His Brothers for the Throne
Two brothers died in an ambush at the palace's north gate, arrows finding their marks before they could draw swords. Li Shimin killed them himself on July 2, 626—his own siblings, Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng—because they'd plotted his death first. The father, Emperor Gaozu, watched his sons destroy each other. Two months later, September 4, he stepped down. Had no choice, really. His surviving son became Emperor Taizong and ruled China for twenty-three years, creating what historians call the dynasty's golden age. Fratricide launched an era of prosperity.
July 2, 626
1400 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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