Early Tang Period (618-712 CE)
617: Li Yuan rebels against the Sui Dynasty,
proclaims Yang You as puppet emperor, and
declares himself Grand Chancellor.
618: Li Yuan founds the Tang Dynasty, declares
himself Emperor Gaozu, and establishes
Chang'an (Xi'an) as the capital.
622: Li Shimin (later Emperor Taizong) defeats warlords
Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong, unifying central China.
626: Xuanwu Gate Incident: Li Shimin kills his brother,
Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, and forces Emperor Gaozu to abdicate.
627: Reign era renamed Zhenguan; begins the 23-year
Zhenguan Golden Age with land redistribution (juntian)
and imperial exams.
630: Tang conquers the Eastern Turks, captures Khan Jieli;
Emperor Taizong granted title "Heavenly Khan".
641: Princess Wencheng marries Tibetan King Songtsen
Gampo, stabilizing Tang-Tibet relations.
657: Emperor Gaozong builds Luoyang as the eastern capital
and expands Chang'an.
663: Battle of Baekgang: Tang-Silla alliance crushes Japanese
navy, securing Korean Peninsula influence.
668: Tang destroys Goguryeo (Korea), establishes the Andong Protectorate.
684: Empress Wu Zetian deposes Emperor Zhongzong,
installs Emperor Ruizong as a puppet.
690: Wu Zetian proclaims herself emperor, founds the
Zhou Dynasty, moves capital to Luoyang.
High Tang and Decline (712-755 CE)
712: Emperor Xuanzong ascends the throne; begins
the 29-year Kaiyuan Prosperity.
713: Establishes military governor (jiedushi) system, sowing
seeds of regional warlord dominance.
722: Mercenary recruitment replaces conscription,
dismantling the fubing militia system.
735: Chancellor Li Linfu begins 19-year authoritarian rule, stifling dissent.
742: An Lushan appointed military governor of Pinglu,
begins consolidating power.
751: Battle of Talas: Tang forces defeated by the Abbasid Caliphate;
paper-making technology spreads westward.
Late Tang Collapse (755-907 CE)
755: An Lushan Rebellion erupts; rebels capture
Chang'an in 756.
756: Mawei Station Mutiny: Emperor Xuanzong's
consort Yang Guifei is executed; Suzong declares himself emperor.
757: Siege of Suiyang: General Zhang Xun's 10-month defense delays rebel advances.
763: Rebellion ends with Shi Chaoyi's suicide; regional warlords (fanzhen) dominate.
780: Two-Tax System reforms revive state finances.
805: Yongzhen Reforms fail; reformist Wang Shuwen exiled.
817: Chancellor Pei Du suppresses the Huaixi
warlord Wu Yuanji, marking the peak of Yuanhe Restoration.
835: Sweet Dew Incident: Eunuchs massacre reformist officials.
845: Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution; 4,600 temples destroyed.
878: Huang Chao Rebellion erupts; rebels sack Chang'an in 883.
884: Zhu Wen defeats Huang Chao, granted title "Prince of Liang".
907: Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai to abdicate;
Tang Dynasty falls, replaced by the Later Liang.