JUI-TSUNG

born 662 died 716 Pinyin Rui Zong (temple name, or miao-hao), personal name (hsing-ming) Li Tan fifth emperor of the T'ang dynasty of China, who was placed on the throne by his mother, Wu Hou, in 684, before she decided to set him aside and rule the country herself in 690. This was the first such usurpation in Chinese history. Although Jui-tsung had been made Wu Hou's heir, his brother Chung-tsung, under the domination of a clique of court officials, succeeded to the throne in 705, after a palace coup overthrew the empress. A further coup led by Jui-tsung's son put Jui-tsung back on the throne in 710. He ruled for two years before abdicating to his son.