Li Gao

Reign

400 – 417

Born

351

Died

417

Full name
Family name: Lǐ (李) Given name: Gǎo (暠)
Era dates
Gēngzì (庚子) 400–405 Jiànchū (建初) 406–417
Posthumous name
Prince Wǔzhāo (武昭王)
Temple name
Tàizǔ (太祖)

Dynasty

Western Liang

Full name
Family name: Lǐ (李) Given name: Gǎo (暠)
Era dates
Gēngzì (庚子) 400–405 Jiànchū (建初) 406–417
Posthumous name
Prince Wǔzhāo (武昭王)
Temple name
Tàizǔ (太祖)

Li Gao (Chinese: 李暠; 351–417), courtesy name Xuansheng (玄盛), nickname Changsheng (長生), formally Prince Wuzhao of (Western) Liang ((西)涼武昭王), was the founding duke of the Chinese state Western Liang. (While he claimed only the title of duke during his reign, he was posthumoustly honored with the princely title.) He was initially a Northern Liang official, but in 400, he seceded from Northern Liang's prince Duan Ye's rule and established his own independent state. His state only lasted for 21 years, but his descendants would remain key officials and nobles throughout Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui dynasty, and one of them, Li Yuan, would found the Tang dynasty in 618. After the founding of the Tang dynasty, he was posthumously honored as Emperor Xingsheng (興聖皇帝).

Li Gao was born in 351, and was a posthumous child of his father Li Chang (李昶), who traced his ancestry to the Han dynasty general Li Guang. After Li Chang's death, Li Gao's mother married a man named Song, and she bore him at least one son, Song Yao (宋繇). In Li Gao's youth, he was known to be studious, rational, and open-minded. When he grew older, he also studied the military strategies of Sunzi and Wu Qi. He had, for a time, lived in the same house with his half-brother Song Yao and Guo Nen (郭黁), a minister of Later Liang's founding emperor Lü Guang known for his magical and prophetic abilities. Guo once told Song, "Your place will be among the most honored of all subjects, but Mr. Li will one day found an independent state. This will happen when a mare bears a pony with a white forehead."

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Wikipedia