Li Chong (Tang Dynasty)

Li Chong (李沖) (died September 22, 688), formally the Prince of Langye (琅邪王), posthumously known during Wu Zetian's reign as Hui Chong (虺沖), was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. Along with his father Li Zhen, Li Chong rose against Wu Zetian, then empress dowager and regent, as they feared that she was about to slaughter the Tang imperial Li clan. Both he and Li Zhen were quickly defeated, however, and Li Chong was killed in battle.

It is not known when Li Chong was born. He was the oldest son of Li Zhen the Prince of Yue, a son of Emperor Taizong. It was not known when he was crowned the Prince of Langye, but it is known that he had successively served as prefects of Mi Prefecture, Ji (濟州, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong), and Bo (博州, also in modern Liaocheng) Prefectures, and was known for being capable. It was also said that he liked literature and was good at horsemanship and archery.

Li Chong's uncle Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by his son Li Zhe (as Emperor Zhongzong), but real power was in the hands of Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian). She took power as empress dowager and regent. In spring 684, when Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with his brother Li Dan the Prince of Yu, but thereafter held onto power even more tightly. She also gradually elevated the statuses of not only herself but also her Wu clan members, both past and present. This led members of the imperial Li clan to suspect that she planned slaughter them, overthrow the Tang Dynasty, and replace it with her own.

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