title: Ufa

text: According to the letter of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) No. 20-18 / 218 of 11.07.18: "In the framework of solving problems at the federal level in the implementation of the state monitoring of atmospheric air, the territorial office of Roshydromet - FGBU Bashkir UGMS monitors pollution of atmospheric air in Ufa at nine stationary posts of the state observation network located in different parts of the city to estimate the level of air pollution generated by the total release and stationary and mobile sources of pollutants. Suspended substances (dust) are measured at all nine posts of the state observation network. The results of observations of the pollutants content are presented on the official website of the Bashkir State Hydrometeorological Service in the section "Monitoring of environmental pollution" daily and monthly. In 2017, the maximum single concentration of suspended solids reached 4.6 MPC m. in March 2017, at the address: Oktyabrya Ave., 141, located near the motorway with heavy traffic, and in April 2017 at the post: Dostoyevsky St., 102/1, located in the area of the industrial enterprise. During 2017 almost all posts of the state observation network recorded exceedances of a single concentration of suspended substances. At the same time, in order to implement regional state environmental oversight aimed at preventing, detecting, and suppressing violations by public authorities, local authorities, and legal entities, individual entrepreneurs and citizens of requirements in the field of atmospheric air protection, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of the Republic Bashkortostan operates the State Bank of the Republic of Belarus "Office of State Analytical Control," to whose tasks, including GSI "organization of periodic environmental monitoring mobile laboratories in the areas where the population lives in the republic and in the zones of protective measures in the system of the general program of integrated environmental and sanitary-hygienic monitoring. " Going to the site found that all 9 posts of the state observational network of Roshydromet are located at a considerable distance from the area of Inors and Sipaylovo, from residential areas. Control of MPC and air quality in residential areas is not carried out.


title: Ufa

text: The major religions in the city are Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodoxy. The Bezpopovtsy strain of Russian Old Believers is also registered in Ufa.


title: Ufa

text: Ufa is a place of location of . In 1989, the Russian Islamic University was opened. One of the largest mosques in Europe, , is under construction in Ufa.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is predominantly used in the Catholic Church, followed by high-church Anglicans, Lutherans and some Western Rite Orthodox. In the Latin Church, the liturgical Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated the third Friday after Pentecost. The 12 promises of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus are also extremely popular.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The devotion is especially concerned with what the church deems to be the long-suffering love and compassion of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The popularization of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a Roman Catholic nun from France, Margaret Mary Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a series of apparitions to her between 1673 and 1675, and later, in the 19th century, from the mystical revelations of another Catholic nun in Portugal, Mary of the Divine Heart, a religious sister of the congregation of the Good Shepherd, who requested in the name of Christ that Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism, particularly with Gertrude the Great.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross, and bleeding. Sometimes, the image is shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Christ's passion, while the flames represent a furnace of ardent love.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Historically, the devotion to the Sacred Heart is an outgrowth of devotion to what is believed to be Christ's sacred humanity. During the first ten centuries of Christianity, there is nothing to indicate that any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. The revival of religious life and the zealous activity of Bernard of Clairvaux and Francis of Assisi in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, together with the enthusiasm of the Crusaders returning from the Holy Land, gave a rise to devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ and particularly to practices in honour of the Sacred Wounds.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Devotion to the Sacred Heart developed out of the devotion to the Holy Wounds, in particular to the Sacred Wound in the side of Jesus. The first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found in the eleventh and twelfth centuries in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries. It is impossible to say with certainty what were its first texts or who were its first devotees.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Bernard of Clairvaux ( 1153) said that the piercing of Christ's side revealed his goodness and the charity of his heart for humanity. The earliest known hymn to the Sacred Heart, , is believed to have been written by the Norbertine Herman Joseph ( 1241) of Cologne, Germany. The hymn begins: "I hail Thee kingly Heart most high."


title: Sacred Heart

text: From the 13th to the 16th centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have been embellished. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, and Carthusians. Among the Franciscans the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has its champions in Bonaventure ( 1274) in his ("Mystic Vine") and John de la Verna. Bonaventure wrote: "Who is there who would not love this wounded heart? Who would not love in return Him, who loves so much?" It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Holy Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Bonaventure's (a part from which is the reading for the Divine Office on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart) refers to the heart as the fountain from which God’s love poured into one's life:


title: Sacred Heart

text: According to Thomas Merton, Lutgarde ( 1246), a Cistercian mystic of Aywieres, Belgium, was one of the great precursors of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A contemporary of Francis of Assisi, she "entered upon the mystical life with a vision of the pierced Heart of the Saviour, and had concluded her mystical espousals with the Incarnate Word by an exchange of hearts with Him." Sources say that Christ came in a visitation to Lutgarde, offering her whatever gift of grace she should desire; she asked for a better grasp of Latin, that she might better understand the word of God and sing God's praise. Christ granted her request and Lutgarde's mind was flooded with the riches of psalms, antiphons, readings, and responsories. However, a painful emptiness persisted. She returned to Christ, asking to return his gift, and wondering if she might, just possibly, exchange it for another. "And for what would you exchange it?" Christ asked. "Lord, said Lutgarde, I would exchange it for your Heart." Christ then reached into Lutgarde and, removing her heart, replaced it with his own, at the same time hiding her heart within his breast.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Mechtilde of Helfta ( 1298) became an ardent devotee and promoter of Jesus' heart after it was the subject of many of her visions. The idea of hearing the heartbeat of God was very important to medieval saints who nurtured devotion to the Sacred Heart. Mechtilde reported that Jesus appeared to her in a vision and commanded her to love him ardently, and to honor his sacred heart in the Blessed Sacrament as much as possible. He gave her his heart as a pledge of his love, as a place of refuge during her life and as her consolation at the hour of her death. From this time Mechtilde had an extraordinary devotion for the Sacred Heart, and said that if she had to write down all the favors and all the blessings which she had received by means of this devotion, a large book would not contain them.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Gertrude the Great was an early devotee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Book 2 of the "Herald of Divine Love" () vividly describes Gertrude's visions, which show a considerable elaboration on the hitherto ill-defined veneration of Christ's heart. Bernard articulated this in his commentary on the "Song of Songs". The women of Helfta—Gertrude foremost, who surely knew Bernard's commentary, and to a somewhat lesser extent the two Mechthildes—experienced this devotion centrally in their mystical visions.


title: Sacred Heart

text: In the 16th century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius ( 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Benedictine Louis de Blois ( 1566) Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila ( 1569), and Francis de Sales ( 1622).


title: Sacred Heart

text: The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the Jesuits placing the image on the title-page of their books and on the walls of their churches.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The first to establish the theological basis for the devotion was Polish Jesuit Kasper Drużbicki (1590–1662) in his book ("The goal of hearts – Heart of Jesus"). Not much later John Eudes wrote an office, and promoted a feast for it. John Eudes is regarded as "tireless apostle of the devotion of the Sacred Hearts", entitling him as 'Father', doctor and apostle of the liturgical cult of the hearts of Jesus and Mary.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Hearts became distinct, and on 31 August 1670 the first feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun by Margaret Mary Alacoque at Paray-le-Monial, and the two merged.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), a nun of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, who claimed to have received apparitions of Jesus Christ in the Burgundian French village of Paray-le-Monial, the first on 27 December 1673, the feast of Saint John the Evangelist, and the final one 18 months later, revealing the form of the devotion, the chief features being reception of Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, Eucharistic adoration during a "Holy hour" on Thursdays, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. She said that in her vision she was instructed to spend an hour every Thursday night to meditate on Jesus' Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Sometime around 1681 Alacoque felt compelled to write a personal testament, passionately donating her life completely to Jesus with her own blood. With the permission of her superior she used a pocket knife to carve the name of Jesus into her breast and used the blood to sign the document. The following account recalls this event:


title: Sacred Heart

text: Upset by the fact that the wounds which she had cut into her breast were beginning to fade, she attempted to reopen the original wounds on more than one occasion using a knife. But, having failed to open them to her liking, she decided to burn her chest with fire. This incident placed her in the infirmary:


title: Sacred Heart

text: De la Colombière directed her to write an account of the apparition, which he discreetly circulated in France and England. After his death on 15 February 1682, his journal of spiritual retreats was found to contain a copy in his handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account – an "offering" to the Sacred Heart in which the devotion was explained – was published at Lyon in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray-le-Monial. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Along with the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins. The reported apparitions served as a catalyst for the promotion of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Jesuit priest Croiset wrote a book called , and Joseph de Gallifet promoted the devotion. The mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.


title: Sacred Heart

text: On the night of 14 February 1876 a domestic servant Estelle Faguette lay in Pellevoisin dying of pulmonary tuberculosis, and reportedly saw the Virgin Mary. Four days later, during the fifth apparition, Estelle seemed to be healed instantaneously. Altogether she said she experienced fifteen apparitions in the course of 1876. Estelle sought and was granted an audience with the Archbishop of Bourges, Monsignor de La Tour d'Auvergne. By 12 December 1876 she had received his permission to make and distribute copies of the Scapular of the Sacred Heart.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Another source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899), a religious sister from the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, who reported to have received several interior locutions and visions of Jesus Christ. The first interior locution Mary of the Divine Heart reported was during her youth spent with the family in the Castle of Darfeld, near Münster, Germany, and the last vision and private revelation was reported during her presence as mother superior in the Convent of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Porto, Portugal.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Based on the messages she said she received in her revelations of Christ, on 10 June 1898 her confessor at the Good Shepherd monastery wrote to Pope Leo XIII stating that Mary of the Divine Heart had received a message from Christ, requesting the pope to consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart. The pope initially attached no credence to it and took no action. However, on 6 January 1899 she sent another letter asking that in addition to the consecration, the first Fridays of the month be observed in honor of the Sacred Heart.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Mary of the Divine Heart died in her monastery in Portugal when the church was singing the first vespers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on 8 June 1899. The following day, Pope Leo XIII consecrated the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


title: Sacred Heart

text: After the death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on 17 October 1690, a short account of her life was published by Croiset in 1691 as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur". In 1693 the Holy See imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart, and in 1697 granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseille plague in 1720 furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of southern Europe followed the example of Marseille. In 1726 Rome was again asked for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own; this was refused in 1729, but granted in 1765. In that year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. In 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the Feast of the Sacred Heart to the Latin Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Latin Church to the double rite of first class. In 1928, Pope Pius XI raised the feast to the highest rank, double of the first class, and added an octave; the 1955 reforms of the General Roman calendar suppressed, among others, the octave of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


title: Sacred Heart

text: After Pope Leo XIII received several letters from Mary of the Divine Heart asking him to consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he commissioned a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. The outcome of this investigation was positive, and so in the encyclical letter "Annum Sacrum" (on 25 May 1899) he decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on 11 June 1899. The encyclical letter also encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the First Friday Devotions, established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart, and included the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race performed by Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pius XI in his encyclical letter "Miserentissimus Redemptor" (on 8 May 1928) affirmed the church's position with respect to Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "manifested Himself" to Alacoque and had "promised her that all those who rendered this honor to his Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces." The encyclical refers several times to the conversation between Jesus and Alacoque and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Pope Pius X also granted a Pontifical decree for the imposition of a golden crown to the lowly foot of a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Nevers Cathedral on 9 July 1908 (via the Archbishop of Nevers and Besancon, Francois Leon Gauthey, both signed and notarized by the Sacred Congregation of Rites).


title: Sacred Heart

text: Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pius IX's institution of the feast, instructed the entire Latin Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter "Haurietis aquas" (on 15 May 1956). On 15 May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical "Haurietis aquas". In his letter to Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Catholic acts of consecration, reparation, and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his papal bull "Auctorem fidei", Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, Leo XIII in his encyclical "Annum Sacrum" (25 May 1899), as well as on June 11, consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a nun of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since c. 1850, groups, congregations, and countries have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Ireland was consecrated to the Sacred Heart on Passion Sunday 1873 by the bishops of Ireland, which led to the Sacred Heart lamp becoming a common devotional object in Irish homes.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on 24 December 1800. A religious order of the Latin Church, the order carried out missionary work in Hawaii.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, on 30 May 1894.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Feast of the Sacred Heart, in the Catholic liturgical calendar since the changes from 1969 in Mysterii Paschalis , is now categorized as a solemnity and is celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost, which was up until the changes in the General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII referred to as the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. An image of the Sacred Heart that has been blessed, either a statue or a picture, is then placed in the home as a reminder. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations."


title: Sacred Heart

text: In the Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical "Miserentissimus Redemptor", Pope Pius XI stated: "The spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus." The "Golden Arrow Prayer" directly refers to the Sacred Heart.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of liturgical Latinisation.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the liturgical calendar of the Latin Church. It falls 19 days after Pentecost, on a Friday. Therefore, it is the last feast day of the year that is dependent on the date of Easter. The earliest possible date is 29 May, as in 1818 and 2285. The latest possible date is 2 July, as in 1943 and 2038. The devotion to the Sacred Heart is one of the most widely practiced and well-known Catholic devotions, taking Jesus Christ's physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological, and spiritual links in Catholic devotions between the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the seventeenth century by John Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological, and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the church, prior to the visions of Marguerite Marie Alacoque.


title: Sacred Heart

text: In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually, through the efforts of figures such as Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions and associated prayers grew into the twentieth century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima saying that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical "Haurietis aquas", Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical "Redemptor hominis," Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on 15 September 1985, John Paul II coined the term "The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary", and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.


title: Sacred Heart

text: "Sacred Heart" is a name used for many Catholic institutions, including schools, colleges, and hospitals in many countries. It is also the name of many Catholic parishes, religious orders, and stores selling Catholic religious goods.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Sacred Heart has also been involved in and depicted in apparitions such as those to Catherine Labouré in 1830, and appears on the Miraculous Medal, where the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Catholic, and sometimes in Anglican and Lutheran, homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee" is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her "Immaculate Heart". The dual images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.


title: Sacred Heart

text: During the month of June, which is traditionally devoted to the Sacred Heart, many observant Catholics have posted images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on social media in opposition to pride month, which they consider to be a celebration of sin by corporations, politicians, government agencies and other secular institutions. The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Catholics.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Margaret Mary Alacoque said that in her apparitions Jesus promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. The list was tabulated in 1863. In 1882 an American businessman spread the tabular form of the twelve promises throughout the world, in 238 languages. In 1890 Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in tabular form, which he said were different from the words and the meaning of the expressions used by Alacoque, and wanted the promises to be published in their original words.


title: Sacred Heart

text: On 16 June 1675, Margaret Mary Alacoque reports three specific requests for the temporal power, directly from his spiritual talks. These will have political and religious repercussions and will successively be realized under the regimes royal, imperial and republican French.


title: Sacred Heart

text: By a law voted on 24 July 1873, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre known as "National Vow", is declared of public utility by the National Assembly of 1871. On 16 June 1875, the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Guibert lay the first stone of the basilica, honoring after two hundred years the fourth request reported by Marguerite Marie Alacoque from June 16, 1675.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Mary of the Divine Heart said that in her mystical experiences Jesus Christ inspired her to build a shrine dedicated to his Sacred Heart. The imposing Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (also referred as Church of the Good Shepherd or Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) was built between 14 July 1957 and 21 April 1966, in the civil parish of Ermesinde in north Portugal, and consecrated to the Heart of Christ in fulfillment of the vow made by the nun. According to the writings of Sister Mary of the Divine Heart, Jesus had made this promise: "I will make it a place of graces. I will distribute copiously graces to all who live in this house [the Convent], those who live here now, those who will live here after, and even to their relatives." Jesus also promised her: "Know this, My daughter, that by the charity of My Heart I desire to pour out floods of graces through your heart over the hearts of others. This is why people will come to you with confidence; it will not be your personal qualities which will attract them, but Me. No one, even the most hardened sinner, will leave your presence without having received, in one way or another, consolation, relief, or a special grace."


title: Sacred Heart

text: The body of Mary of the Divine Heart, entombed for public veneration in the Church-Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ermesinde, was found incorrupt at its first exhumation.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. Prior to the existence of a formal Catholic devotional scapular, Margaret Mary Alacoque made and distributed "badges" bearing an image of the Heart of Jesus. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Following the claims by Estelle Faguette that the Virgin Mary had appeared to her at Pellevoisin in 1876 and requested a scapular of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a scapular of the proposed design was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side and that of the Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Many Eastern Orthodox Christians disapprove of the actual worship of the physical heart of Jesus as being a form of naturalism and Nestorianism; the Feast of the Sacred Heart has however been inserted in certain Calendars of Western Rite Orthodoxy. Pope Pius XII's encyclical "Haurietis aquas", in response to these criticisms, said that the Sacred Heart is venerated as belonging to the Divine Person of the Eternal Word and as "a symbolic image of his love and a witness of our redemption."


title: Sacred Heart

text: Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which he renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to those who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The enthronement is placing an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a place of honor in the home after a time of prayerful preparation.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Many families will also place an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in tandem with the Sacred Heart image.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Enthroning the Sacred Heart in a home should not be confused with the practice of having a priest (or other Christian minister) bless a home, which is customarily done when a family first occupies a new home, and is offered by a minister. The presence of a priest is not required for an Enthronement.


title: Sacred Heart

text: In 1907, R. Mateo Crawley-Boevey, a priest in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, visited the apparition chapel in France, where Jesus had appeared numerous times to Margaret Mary Alacoque. Crawley-Boevey, sick and exhausted, was restored in health and vigor while contemplating the image of the Sacred Heart. There he conceived a plan to "conquer the world" for the Sacred Heart. He presented the idea of Enthroning the Sacred Heart in homes to his superiors and ultimately, to Pope Pius X, who "commanded" him to devote his life to this mission. Thus, Crawley-Boevey became known as the Apostle of Sacred Heart Enthronements.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The National Enthronement Center, located in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, has been working to spread the devotion of Enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in homes throughout the United States of America since the mid-1960s. This organization received their Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur designation in 1962.


title: Sacred Heart

text: The Sacred Heart Apostolate, started by Gloria Anson, is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The apostolate is available for leading parish missions to encourage devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus throughout the United States and around the world. The apostolate also encourages and facilitates enthronements to the Sacred Heart over families, parishes, businesses and other institutions.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Sacred Heart Columbus, located in Columbus, Ohio, is an Apostolic Organization of Priests, Deacons, and Laymen, and Laywomen dedicated to bringing the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ into every home, school, and business in the Diocese of Columbus and the state of Ohio since 2010. The Sacred Heart Columbus apostolate conducts its ministry of Enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in homes, schools, and businesses by way of Sacred Heart Missionaries. Missionaries are priests, deacons and/or laymen & laywomen who go in teams of 2 to homes, schools and businesses to assist, witness and facilitate the Enthronement process. Sacred Heart Columbus is part of the national Sacred Heart Enthronement Network.


title: Sacred Heart

text: Sacred Heart Enthronement Network is a 501(c)(3) located in Columbus Ohio, that promotes the Sacred Heart devotion nationally. It offers a self-Enthronement kit that can be shipped in the mail with an easy to follow booklet. There is an outreach program to reach a wider audience and includes videos and resources.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: Edgar A. Bravo ("né" Cano; born May 15, 1970) is an American martial arts instructor, podcaster, stand-up comedian, and musician. After earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2003, Bravo began teaching his own self-developed style of jiu-jitsu and founded 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. He is also the creator of the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) grappling competition and the EBI ruleset. He is a recurring guest on "The Joe Rogan Experience" and the "Tin Foil Hat Podcast".


title: Eddie Bravo

text: Bravo was born on May 15, 1970. His original name was Edgar A. Cano, but he later legally changed his surname to Bravo, the name of his stepfather. Both of his biological parents are Mexican. Growing up, Bravo took to music and started to play the drums and guitar. He formed several bands with aspirations of one-day becoming a famous musician. Bravo also developed an interest in athletics playing American football and joining his high school's wrestling team.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: In 1991, Bravo moved to Hollywood, California to pursue a music career and formed a band titled Blackened Kill Symphony. He got a gym membership as he wanted to avoid "looking like a slob" while performing but only visited twice. Bravo then began taking karate classes. In 1994, after watching Royce Gracie win an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, Bravo decided to become a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, which he began under the tutelage of Jean Jacques Machado. Bravo also attended a Jeet Kune Do academy from 1996 to 1998.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: In 1998, Bravo decided to stop attending other martial arts schools to focus solely on Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Around this time, he received a blue belt and started developing ways to finish opponents with a "Twister", a specific spinal lock submission hold. In 1999, Bravo earned a purple belt and began developing his signature guard, the rubber guard.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: In 2003, Bravo entered the 145 lbs/66 kg division of the Abu-Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship as a brown belt after winning the North American trials. Bravo defeated Gustavo Dantas in the elimination round by rear naked choke in what was considered an upset.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: Bravo then faced four-time world champion and three-time ADCC champion Royler Gracie in the quarter-finals. Bravo traded comfortably top positions with Gracie throughout the match before deploying his game of rubber guard, and eventually winning via a triangle choke. Bravo would then lose to eventual-tournament champion Léo Vieira in the semi-finals.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: Upon his return to the United States after the competition, he was awarded a black belt by Jean Jacques Machado and subsequently opened his first 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu school in Los Angeles, California, a no-gi jiu-jitsu system.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: In 2014, after having both retired from competition for years, Bravo and Royler Gracie agreed to have another grappling contest. It was a twenty-minute submission-only match which took place at Metamoris III. The contest started with Bravo pulling quarter guard and defending Royler's top attacks before reversing to an offensive attack around the eight-minute mark. After a few reversals from both competitors, Bravo was able to deploy a series of techniques from half guard, and put Gracie into an "electric chair" maneuver. In the closing minutes, Bravo had Gracie in a calf slicer but Gracie declined to tap as time ran out and, thus, the match was ruled a draw.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: Also in 2014, Bravo founded the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI), a no-gi submission-only grappling tournament. In 2016, it was announced that the EBI and UFC partnered together to feature EBI events on the UFC's streaming service Fight Pass. Later, Bravo also introduced Combat Jiu-Jitsu to his events; an altered form of submission grappling which allows open-hand strikes while on the ground.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: After EBI 17 on September 29, 2018, Bravo took a break from running the organization and instead devoted his time to developing Combat Jiu-Jitsu. It was then that he began holding the Combat Jiu-Jitsu World Championships and continues to do so today. After several editions of the CJJ World Championship, Bravo announced that the Eddie Bravo Invitational would be returning in 2022 for the first event in almost four years.


title: Eddie Bravo

text: At the same time, Bravo embarked on a new project that would combine both the EBI and CJJ rulesets into a single event that would be available exclusively to female competitors. The result was Medusa Female-Only Jiu-Jitsu, which ran their first successful event on October 2, 2021, featuring an EBI Strawweight tournament and a CJJ Bantamweight tournament.


title: Mazda2

text: The Mazda2 is a subcompact/supermini (B-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Mazda since 2002, currently in its third generation. An entry-level model of the brand in markets outside Japan, the Mazda2 is positioned below the Mazda3. The Mazda2 has also been marketed as the Mazda Demio (a name it kept in the Japanese market until 2019), while its direct predecessor was exported as the Mazda 121.


title: Mazda2

text: The second-generation Mazda2 earned the 2008 World Car of the Year title, while the third-generation model was awarded the 2014–2015 Japanese Car of the Year.


title: Mazda2

text: The third-generation model was sold in North America as the Scion iA and Toyota Yaris, Yaris iA and Yaris R.


title: Mazda2

text: A separate, petrol-hybrid version based on the Toyota Yaris Hybrid has been sold in Europe under the same Mazda2 nameplate since 2022 alongside the petrol-powered third-generation Mazda2.


title: Mazda2

text: When it came to redesigning the Revue, Mazda came up with a tall hatchback, minivan-esque package. Introduced in a time full of negative press coverage, the Demio became a surprise hit for Mazda in Japan, and also foreshadowed the current crop of B-segment minivans such as the Opel Meriva, Fiat Idea and the Renault Modus. Sold as the 121 in most export markets, the DW's replacement was called the Mazda2 in most of the world. The Demio nameplate, however, continued to be used in Japan until 2019.


title: Mazda2

text: The second-generation Demio was redesigned in 2002. The Demio name continued in Japan, while for export markets Mazda dropped the 121 nameplate and other names in favor of "Mazda2". Since its debut, the 2 has been well received by the market, pushing its Japanese domestic sale to as far as seventh place.


title: Mazda2

text: Mazda developed the model from the B-segment Ford B3 platform, which is shared with the fifth-generation Ford Fiesta along with components such as suspension design. The development of the model was led by chief engineer Kiyoshi Fujiwara, which also oversaw the development of the B3 platform at Ford's European R&D. Production of the car for European market was consigned to the Almussafes Ford plant in Valencia, Spain since 20 January 2003.


title: Mazda2

text: All models are equipped with ABS and EBD, and stability control was optional. An innovative feature offered in Japan is e-4WD, a hybrid car-type system which uses an electric motor to power the rear wheels of this front wheel drive vehicle when needed. In the Demio, this system is used only as a traction aid, not for increased fuel economy as in most other vehicles.


title: Mazda2

text: There is also a big difference in floor pan and pedal box. The European-exclusive version of Mazda2 (DY) uses a pedal box directly sourced from Ford Fiesta rather than their own 4x108 bolt pattern instead of 4x100.


title: Mazda2

text: In Europe, trim levels were S, TS and TS2. The TS and TS2 were renamed Antares and Capella in 2004. The Japanese 1.3 and 1.5 gasoline engines are not available, but Ford's 1.25-liter 16-valve Sigma engine is used, and Mazda's 1.4 and 1.6 gasoline, plus Fords 1.4 TDCi diesel are offered but called 1.4 CDTi by Mazda.


title: Mazda2

text: In 2004, Mazda introduced the Verisa in Japan. The Verisa is based on the Demio/Mazda2 but was targeted further upmarket.


title: Mazda2

text: The second-generation Mazda2 was launched at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, and later at the 2007 Shanghai International Motor Show. It is built on the similar platform to the sixth-generation Ford Fiesta. It employs lightweight materials and reduces the overall dimensions of the car. This generation dropped the high-roof styling adopted by its predecessor, instead opting for a more conventional hatchback look. The lead designer for the second generation Mazda2 (or third generation Demio) was Ikuo Maeda, who was later promoted to Head of Design at Mazda in 2009.


title: Mazda2

text: For the Japanese domestic market, sales of the production vehicles began on 5 July 2007 at Mazda, Mazda ɛ̃fini and Autozam dealers.


title: Mazda2

text: A three-door variant was released for the European market in 2008 at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Engine choices include the MZR 1.3-liter and 1.5-liter gasoline, MZ-CD 1.4-liter common-rail turbo diesel. In some European countries such as the Netherlands, there was the option to buy the gasoline car in bi-fuel LPG version from the factory.


title: Mazda2

text: The North American version of the Mazda2 debuted at the 2009 LA Auto Show, and later at the 2010 Canadian International AutoShow. The Mazda2 became available in July, 2010 with the 1.5-liter, 100 hp four-cylinder and 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Mazda discontinued the Mazda2 in the United States after the 2014 model year.


title: Mazda2

text: The Chinese model of the Mazda2 in five-door hatchback body style launched at the 2007 Guangzhou Motor Show. A Chinese four-door sedan model of the Mazda2 was unveiled at the same event, with sales beginning in January, 2008.


title: Mazda2

text: The sedan body style was manufactured in Thailand and China and marketed only in Southeast Asia, Oceania, South America and the Caribbean.


title: Mazda2

text: In Australia, the sedan was introduced along with the facelifted hatchback in May 2010, with the sedan version being offered in a single 'Maxx' grade. In February 2011, Mazda Australia had reverted to Japanese sourced production, which led to the discontinuation of the sedan being offered after just 9 months on-sale.


title: Mazda2

text: Transmission choices include a five speed manual, a four speed automatic, a CVT (only available in Japan and Hong Kong) or a CVT with a sport mode featuring seven simulated ratios and paddle shifters (only available in Japan).


title: Mazda2

text: The Mazda2 received a "Good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in frontal crashes, "Acceptable" for side crashes, "Good" for roof strength, and "Acceptable" for rear crash protection.


title: Mazda2

text: The vehicles were built in Ujina Plant No.1 (U1) in Hiroshima, with additional Mazda2 began at the Ujina Plant No.2 (U2) in June 2007. Additional vehicles were built in Hofu, Japan.


title: Mazda2

text: Asia-Pacific region models were produced by AutoAlliance Thailand beginning in 2009. Mazda2 local assembly in Vietnam began in October 2011 at the Nui Thanh Quang Nam plant owned by Vina Mazda Automobile Manufacturing.


title: Mazda2

text: Updated models include premium seat upholstery, black meter panel, silver instrument panel garnish, expanded exterior body colors including Burgundy Red Mica, standard trip computer. The 15C (with CVT), 13C-V and 13C (with a four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission) models include Mazda's eco-lamp. Sport, 15C, 13C-V and 13C (with e-4WD) model grades include new three-point seatbelt and headrest on the second-row center seat as standard equipment. SPORT model includes 16-inch alloy wheels.


title: Mazda2

text: The 13-Skyactiv model includes the first Skyactiv engine, a 1.3-liter with 83 hp (62 kW) and 83 lb·ft (113 N·m) of torque, intelligent-Drive Master (i-DM), CVT transmission, 14-inch alloy wheels, Aquatic Blue Mica exterior body color option, dynamic stability control with brake assist, traction control.


title: Mazda2

text: The Demio EV is a limited (100 leased units) production electric vehicle for the Japanese market. It includes a 346-Volt 20kWh lithium-ion battery with driving range. Leasing began in October 2012.


title: Mazda2

text: The range extender test car was a version of the Mazda2 prototype electric car with a 0.33-liter rotary engine, lithium-ion batteries, 75 kW electric motor driving front wheels and 10-liter fuel tank. This would double the range of the Demio EV, meeting Japanese requirements that the fuel tank and engine not provide more range than the electric motor. The car would have a , 20 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, powering a / electric motor. The prototype range extender incorporates a rotary engine generator, a lightweight downsized single-rotor Wankel engine with displacement mounted on its side in the rear of the car. A fuel tank that can be filled with gasoline, butane, or propane was claimed to almost double the EV range to .


title: Mazda2

text: In July 2014, Mazda unveiled the third-generation Mazda2 hatchback. Its design was previously previewed by the Mazda Hazumi Concept model, which was showcased at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Designed under the lead of chief designer Ryo Yanagisawa, the vehicle adopted the "Kodo" design philosophy created by the brand, and built with Skyactiv-branded engines, transmissions, body, and chassis loosely derived from the CX-5. While the model features greater length and wider front and rear tracks, it offers decreased interior room for rear-seat occupants and less front head and legroom.


title: Mazda2

text: Production began at Mazda's Hōfu plant in the same month. Sales in Japan began in September 2014. The sedan version debuted at the Thailand International Motor Expo in November 2014.


title: Mazda2

text: Production of the Mazda2 for various North and South American markets began in October 2014 at the newly built Mazda de México Vehicle Operation (MMVO) factory in Salamanca, Guanajuato. Despite being produced in North America, Mazda did not sell the vehicle in Canada or the United States (except in Puerto Rico). Instead, the Mazda2 would be sold by Toyota Motor North America in those markets between 2016 and 2020 initially as the Scion iA and later the Toyota Yaris iA and simply Toyota Yaris.


title: Mazda2

text: In October 2014, the Demio was awarded the 2014–2015 "Car of the Year" by the Japan Car of the Year Committee.


title: Mazda2

text: The third-generation received a facelift in 2019 with various exterior changes, interior trim changes, revised suspension tuning to improve ride quality, improvements to the engine deceleration energy recovery system, adaptive headlights, and standard G-Vectoring Control Plus. With the facelift model, the Demio nameplate was discontinued in Japan in September 2019, and replaced by the Mazda2 moniker.


title: Mazda2

text: The facelift model went on sale in Mexico in October 2019 for the 2020 model year. It comes in three versions: i, i Touring, and i Grand Touring with automatic transmission.


title: Mazda2

text: The Mazda2 uses Mazda's "Skyactiv-Drive" six-speed automatic and "Skyactiv-MT" five- and six-speed manual gearboxes as well as stop-start technology ("i-STOP" turns the engine off when the car is stationary) and a brake energy regeneration system ("i-ELOOP" uses braking to charge a capacitor for all car electronics, in place of an alternator charging a battery).


title: Mazda2

text: The Mazda2 was initially offered with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine and a 1.5-liter diesel engine—the "Skyactiv-D", 1.5-liter diesel engine debuted at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. The gasoline engine will be available with 74 bhp, 89 bhp or 113 bhp, while the diesel will produce 104 bhp. The diesel engine was discontinued in Europe in 2019, and an additional 1.5-liter mild hybrid gasoline engine was offered since 2020. The later is only available with 6-speed manual transmission.


title: Mazda2

text: While the Mazda2 is produced in North America at Mazda's plant in Mexico, the company did not sell the vehicle in Canada or the United States (except in Puerto Rico). Instead, the Mazda2 was sold by Toyota Motor North America in those markets between 2015 and 2020. The rebadged Mazdas received different model codes starting with DA, DB, or DD.


title: Mazda2

text: In Canada, the vehicle was sold as the Yaris Sedan across all model years. In Mexico, the vehicle was sold as the Yaris R, alongside the larger and lower-priced Yaris Sedán (a variant of the Vios and later the Yaris Ativ). The Yaris R was sold in three versions.


title: Mazda2

text: In the United States, the sedan was sold under several names. In the initial 2016 model year, it was marketed under Toyota's youth-oriented Scion brand as the Scion iA, where it was the only 4-door sedan and only model not to be built in Japan to be marketed under the brand. After discontinuing the Scion brand, the car was rebranded as the Toyota Yaris iA for the 2017 and 2018 model years. For the 2019 and 2020 model years, the sedan was rebranded again as the Toyota Yaris Sedan.


title: Mazda2

text: When first introduced, like all Scion vehicles, the iA only had one trim level (monospec) and only offered buyers a choice of exterior color and a choice between 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmissions. For 2019, with the Yaris Sedan rebranding, the vehicle received a minor facelift, and L, LE and XLE trim levels were introduced with a variety of interior and exterior options.


title: Mazda2

text: The hatchback variant of the Mazda2 was not initially sold by Toyota, which instead offered a Yaris Liftback based on the Toyota Vitz (XP130). After the Vitz was discontinued, a model called the Yaris Hatchback, based on the Mazda2, went on sale in October 2019 for the 2020 model year.


title: Mazda2

text: Exports of both the sedan and hatchback to the United States were stopped in June 2020 due to new regulations and slow sales. In July, it was cancelled in the Canadian market. The Mazda2 based Yaris was also discontinued in Mexico on August 27, 2020, leaving only the Thai-imported XP150 series Yaris and Yaris Sedán as its indirect replacements.


title: Mazda2

text: The Mazda2 has ventilated front disc brakes. It also has seat belts, indicator lights, cushioned dash and windscreen wipers.


title: Mazda2

text: The Mazda2 Hybrid based on the XP210 Toyota Yaris Hybrid enters production in December 2021 and went on sale in Europe starting 2022 alongside the older Mazda-built, regular petrol-powered DJ model.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty for his role in encouraging Li Yuan, his father, to rebel against the Sui dynasty at Jinyang in 617. Taizong subsequently played a pivotal role in defeating several of the dynasty's most dangerous opponents and solidifying its rule over China.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Taizong is considered to be one of the greatest emperors in China's history and henceforth, his reign became regarded as the exemplary model against which all future emperors were measured. His era, the "Reign of Zhenguan ()" is considered a golden age in ancient Chinese history and was treated as required studying material for future crown princes. Taizong continued to develop imperial examination systems. He asked his officers to become loyal to the policies not people, in order to eliminate corruption. Under the Zhenguan era, Tang China flourished economically and militarily. For more than a century after his death, China enjoyed prosperity and peace brought about by the solidification of imperial protection over the Chinese regions. In territorial extent, it covered most of the territories previously held by the Han dynasty and parts of modern Korea, Vietnam, Russia, Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Central Asian regions. This era of consolidation and conquest laid the foundation for Xuanzong's reign, which is considered to be the height of the Tang dynasty.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In 630, Emperor Taizong sent his general Li Jing against the Eastern Turks, defeating and capturing their Jiali Khan Ashina Duobi and destroying their power. This made Tang the dominant power in East and Central Asia, and Emperor Taizong subsequently took the title of "Tengeri Qaghan" (, "Tenger Khan" or the God like Emperor). He also launched a series of campaigns against the oasis states of the Tarim Basin, and against the armies of their main ally, the Western Turks. During his reign, Tang armies annexed Karakhoja in 640, Karasahr in 644 and Kucha in 648. Eventually, the Tang defeated and annexed the Western Gokturk khaganate after Su Dingfang defeated Qaghan Ashina Helu in 657.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Unlike much of the nobility in his time, Emperor Taizong was a frank rationalist and scholar of logic and scientific reason, openly scorning superstitions and claims of signs from the heavens. He also modified important rites in order to ease the burden of agricultural labour. The modern Chinese historian Bo Yang opined that Emperor Taizong achieved greatness by enduring criticism which others would find difficult to accept whilst trying hard not to abuse his absolute power (using Emperor Yang of Sui as a negative example), as well as through his employment of capable chancellors such as Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and Wei Zheng. Emperor Taizong's wife Empress Zhangsun also proved to be a capable assistant.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Lǐ Shìmín was born in 598 at Wugong, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi). His father Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, was a general of the Sui Dynasty, and a nephew, by marriage, to Sui's founding emperor Emperor Wen. Li Shimin's grandmother Duchess Dugu was a sister of Empress Dugu, both of whom were daughters of Dugu Xin, a major Xianbei general during Sui's predecessor dynasty Northern Zhou. Li Shimin's mother, Li Yuan's wife Duchess Dou, was a daughter of Dou Yi (), the Duke of Shenwu, and his wife, Northern Zhou's Princess Xiangyang. Duchess Dou bore Li Yuan four sons—an older brother to Li Shimin, Li Jiancheng, and two younger brothers, Li Yuanba (), who would die in 614, and Li Yuanji – and at least one daughter (the later Princess Pingyang). Li Yuan named Li Shimin "Shimin" as a shortened form of the phrase "save the earth and pacify the people" (). Li Shimin apparently showed talent early in his life, and in 613, the official Gao Shilian, impressed with him, gave him a niece (the later Empress Zhangsun) in marriage as his wife; he was 14 and she was 12. In 615, when Emperor Wen's son and successor Emperor Yang was ambushed by Eastern Turkic ("Dongtujue") forces under Shibi Khan at Yanmen Commandery (present-day Daixian in Shanxi), a general call was made for men to join the army to help rescue the emperor. Li Shimin answered that call and served under the general Yun Dingxing (), apparently doing so with distinction. In 616, when Li Yuan was put in charge of the important city of Taiyuan, he brought Li Shimin with him to Taiyuan, while leaving at least three other sons—Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and Li Zhiyun (, by Li Yuan's concubine Lady Wan)—at the ancestral home Hedong (, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi).


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Emperor Yang was soon dissatisfied with Li Yuan and Wang Rengong (), the governor of Mayi Commandery (, roughly modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), over their inability to stop Eastern Turkic incursions and the growing strength of agrarian rebels, particularly the Eastern Turkic-supported Liu Wuzhou, who soon rose against Wang, killed him, and captured Emperor Yang's secondary palace near Taiyuan. Li Yuan also became fearful of a prophecy that the next emperor would be named Li — Emperor Yang had previously killed another official, Li Hun (), and Li Hun's clan over his fear that Li Hun's nephew, Li Min (), would seize the throne.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Fearful for his life, Li Yuan considered rebellion. However, he did not know that Li Shimin had also been secretly discussing plans for rebellion with Li Yuan's associates Pei Ji and Liu Wenjing. Once Li Shimin's plans matured, he had Pei inform Li Yuan of them—and also had Pei warn Li Yuan that if it were revealed that Li Yuan had had sexual relations with some of Emperor Yang's ladies in waiting at the secondary Jinyang Palace (, which Pei was in charge with and had allowed Li Yuan to do so), all of them would be slaughtered. Li Yuan agreed to rebel, and after secretly summoning Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji from Hedong and his son-in-law Chai Shao () from the capital Chang'an, he declared a rebellion, claiming to want to support Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You the Prince of Dai, nominally in charge at Chang'an with Emperor Yang at Jiangdu (, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), as emperor. He made both Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin major generals and advanced southwest, toward Chang'an. He gave Li Shimin the title of Duke of Dunhuang. After defeating local Sui forces loyal to Emperor Yang, he defeated a Sui army of 30,000 men under the command of a veteran general of the wars in Korea outside of modern-day Beijing.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: However, when Li Yuan arrived near Hedong, his army was bogged down by the weather. With food running out, there were rumors that the Eastern Turks and Liu Wuzhou would attack Taiyuan. Li Yuan initially ordered retreat, but at the earnest opposition by Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, continued to advance. After defeating Sui forces at Huoyi (, also in modern Yuncheng), he decided to leave a small contingent to watch over Hedong while advancing across the Yellow River into Guanzhong (i.e., the Chang'an region). Once he did, he headed for Chang'an himself, while sending Li Jiancheng to capture the territory around the Tong Pass region to prevent Sui forces at Luoyang from reinforcing Chang'an and Li Shimin north of the Wei River to capture territory there. Meanwhile, Li Shimin's sister (Chai's wife) had also risen in rebellion in support of him, and she was able to gather a sizeable army and capture some cities. She joined forces with Li Shimin and her husband Chai Shao. Soon, Li Yuan reconsolidated his forces and put Chang'an under siege. In winter 617, after defeating a large Sui army, he captured Chang'an from imperial forces and declared Yang You emperor (as Emperor Gong). He had himself made regent (with the title of grand chancellor) and created the Prince of Tang. (Meanwhile, most of the Sui territories and armies did not recognize Emperor Gong as emperor and continued to recognize Emperor Yang as emperor and not as retired emperor.) He made Li Shimin the Duke of Qin.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Li Yuan's control of the Chang'an region became almost immediately contested by the rebel ruler Xue Ju, the Emperor of Qin, who sent his son Xue Rengao toward Chang'an. Li Yuan sent Li Shimin to resist Xue Rengao, and Li Shimin defeated Xue Rengao at Fufeng, in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), temporarily causing Xue Ju to toy with the idea of surrendering to Li Yuan, although Xue was subsequently dissuaded by his strategist Hao Yuan () from doing so.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In spring 618, with Sui's eastern capital Luoyang (where the officials in charge did not recognize Li Yuan's authorities) under attack by the rebel ruler Li Mi the Duke of Wei, Li Yuan sent Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin to Luoyang, ostensibly to aid the Sui forces at Luoyang but instead intending to test whether Luoyang might submit to him. The officials at Luoyang rebuffed his attempt at rapprochement, and Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, not wanting to fight either them or Li Mi for control of Luoyang at this stage, withdrew. Li Yuan subsequently changed Li Shimin's title to Duke of Zhao.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In summer 618, when news arrived at Chang'an that Emperor Yang had been killed at Jiangdu in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji, Li Yuan had Emperor Gong yield the throne to him, establishing Tang Dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu. He created Li Jiancheng crown prince but created Li Shimin the Prince of Qin, also making him "Shangshu Ling" (), the head of the executive bureau of the government () and a post considered one for a chancellor, while continuing to have Li Shimin serve as a major general as well.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: The first thing that Li Shimin had to deal with was another incursion by Xue Ju, as Xue attacked Jing Prefecture (, roughly modern Pingliang, Gansu) and Emperor Gaozu sent Li Shimin to resist Xue. Li Shimin established his defenses and refused to engage Xue to try to wear Xue Ju out, but at that time, he was afflicted with malaria, and he let his assistants Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan () take command, ordering them not to engage Xue Ju. Liu and Yin, however, did not take Xue Ju seriously, and Xue Ju ambushed them at Qianshui Plain (, in modern Xianyang), crushing Tang forces and inflicting 50%–60% casualties. Li Shimin was forced to withdraw back to Chang'an, and Liu and Yin were removed from their posts. (This would be Li Shimin's only defeat recorded in historical records until the Goguryeo campaign of 645.) Xue Ju, in light of his victory, was ready to launch an assault on Chang'an itself, under Hao Yuan's advice, but suddenly died of an illness in fall 618 and was succeeded by Xue Rengao. Emperor Gaozu then sent Li Shimin against Xue Rengao. Three months after Xue Rengao took the throne, Li Shimin engaged him, and after a fierce battle between Li Shimin and Xue Rengao's major general Zong Luohou (), Li Shimin crushed Zong's forces, and then attacked Xue Rengao. Xue Rengao was forced to withdraw into the city of Gaozhi (, in modern Xianyang as well), and once he did, his soldiers began surrendering to Li Shimin en masse. Xue Rengao was himself forced to surrender. Li Shimin had him delivered to Chang'an, where he was executed. Around new year 619, Emperor Gaozu made Li Shimin "Taiwei" (, one of the Three Excellencies) and put him in charge of Tang operations east of the Tong Pass.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In spring 619, Liu Wuzhou launched a major offensive against Tang. He captured Taiyuan in summer 619, forcing Li Yuanji, who had been in charge there, to flee, and then continued his offensive south. Emperor Gaozu sent Pei Ji against him, but by winter 619, Liu had crushed Pei's forces and taken over nearly all of modern Shanxi. Emperor Gaozu, shocked at the development, considered abandoning the region altogether. Li Shimin opposed doing so and offered to lead the army against Liu. Emperor Gaozu agreed and commissioned him with an army. He crossed the Yellow River and approached Liu's major general Song Jingang () but did not engage him, choosing to try to wear Song out, only having his subordinates Yin Kaishan and Qin Shubao engage the other Dingyang generals Yuchi Jingde and Xun Xiang () in relatively low-level engagements. Eventually, in spring 620, when Liu and Song ran out of food supplies, they retreated, and Li Shimin gave chase, dealing Song a major defeat. Yuchi and Xun surrendered, and after Li Shimin chased further, both Liu and Song fled to the Eastern Turks. All of Dingyang territory fell into Tang hands.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In summer 620, Emperor Gaozu again commissioned Li Shimin against a major enemy—the former Sui general Wang Shichong, who had Sui's last emperor, Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong, yield the throne to him in 619, establishing a new state of Zheng as its emperor. When Li Shimin arrived at the Zheng capital Luoyang, Wang offered peace, but Li Shimin rebuffed him and put Luoyang under siege. Meanwhile, his subordinates took Zheng cities one by one. By winter 620, most of Zheng territory, other than Luoyang and Xiangyang, defended by Wang Shichong's nephew Wang Honglie (), had submitted to Tang. Wang sought aid Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, who controlled most of modern Hebei. Dou, reasoning that if Tang were able to destroy Zheng, his own Xia state would be next, agreed. He sent his official Li Dashi to try to persuade Li Shimin to withdraw, but Li Shimin detained Li Dashi and gave no response. Meanwhile, during the campaign, Li Shimin chose some 1,000 elite soldiers (), clad in black uniform and black armor, commanded by himself, to serve as advance troops, with Qin Shubao, Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Zhijie (), and Zhai Zhangsun () as his assistants.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: By spring 621, Luoyang was in desperate situation, and Xia forces had not yet arrived, but Tang troops had also suffered serious casualties, as Luoyang's defenses, aided by powerful bows and catapults, were holding. Emperor Gaozu, hearing that Dou had decided to come to Wang's aid, ordered Li Shimin to withdraw, but Li Shimin sent his secretary Feng Deyi to Chang'an to explain to Emperor Gaozu that if he did withdraw, Wang would recover and again be a major threat in the future. Emperor Gaozu agreed and allowed Li Shimin to continue to siege Luoyang. When Xia forward troops arrived first, Li Shimin surprised and defeated them, and then sent Dou a letter suggesting that he withdraw. Dou would not do so, and, against the advice of his wife Empress Cao and secretary general Ling Jing () that he should instead attack Tang's prefectures in modern southern Shanxi, he marched toward Luoyang. Anticipating Dou's maneuver, Li Shimin left a small detachment, commanded by Li Yuanji, at Luoyang, while marching east himself, taking up position at the strategic Hulao Pass. When the armies engaged at Hulao, Li Shimin defeated Dou and captured him. He took Dou back to Luoyang and displayed him to Wang Shichong. Wang, in fear, considered abandoning Luoyang and fleeing south to Xiangyang, but as his generals pointed out that his only hope was Dou, he surrendered. Xia forces, after initially fleeing back to their capital Mingzhou (now Guangfu, Hebei), also surrendered. Zheng and Xia territory were Tang's. Li Shimin returned to Chang'an in a grand victory procession and, to reward Li Shimin, Emperor Gaozu awarded both him and Li Yuanji three mints so that they could mint money of their own. He also bestowed on Li Shimin the special title of "Grand General of Heavenly Strategies" (). Meanwhile, Li Shimin's staff, already full of generals and strategists, were supplemented with a number of literary men.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: The former Xia territory did not remain in Tang hands for long. In the winter of 621, the Xia general Liu Heita rose against Tang rule, claiming to be avenging Dou, whom Emperor Gaozu had executed against Li Shimin's wishes after he had been brought back to Chang'an. Liu was allied with Xu Yuanlang, a former agrarian rebel general who was nominally under Wang Shichong and who had submitted to Tang after Wang's defeat. Liu dealt successive defeats to Emperor Gaozu's cousin Li Shentong (), the Prince of Huai'an; Li Xiaochang (), the Prince of Yi'an; and Li Shiji. By the end, he had recovered almost all of the former Xia territory, established his capital at Mingzhou, and proclaimed himself the Prince of Handong. Emperor Gaozu finally sent Li Shimin and Li Yuanji against him in 622 and, after some indecisive battles, Li Shimin defeated him by first erecting a dam across the Ming River and then destroying it, with the resultant flood destroying the rebel army. Liu fled to the Eastern Turks, while Li Shimin then headed east and defeated Xu. After leaving Li Shiji, Li Shentong, and Ren Gui () to continue attacking Xu, Li Shimin returned to Chang'an.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: By this point, Li Shimin and his older brother Li Jiancheng, who was created crown prince in 618, reportedly after Emperor Gaozu first offered the position to Li Shimin due to his contributions, were locked in an intense rivalry, as Li Shimin's accomplishments caused people to speculate that he would displace Li Jiancheng as crown prince, and Li Jiancheng, while an accomplished general himself, was overshadowed by his younger brother. The court became divided into a faction favoring the Crown Prince and a faction favoring the Prince of Qin. The rivalry was particularly causing problems within the capital, as the commands of the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qin, and the Prince of Qi (i.e., Li Yuanji) were said to have the same force as the emperor's edicts, and the officials had to carry conflicting orders out by acting on the ones that arrived first. Li Shimin's staff was full of talented men, but Li Jiancheng was supported by Li Yuanji, as well as Emperor Gaozu's concubines, who had better relationships with Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji than they did with Li Shimin.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Late in 622, when Liu Heita returned east after receiving aid from the Eastern Turks, defeating and killing Li Shimin's cousin Li Daoxuan (), the Prince of Huaiyang, he again regained most of former Xia territory. Li Jiancheng's staff members Wang Gui and Wei Zheng suggested that Li Jiancheng needed to enhance his own reputation in battle, and so Li Jiancheng volunteered for the mission. Emperor Gaozu thus sent Li Jiancheng, assisted by Li Yuanji, to attack Liu. Li Jiancheng defeated Liu around the new year of 623, and Liu was subsequently betrayed by his own official Zhuge Dewei () and delivered to Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng executed Liu in his former capital and returned to Chang'an in triumph. China was, by this point, roughly united under Tang rule.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: For the next few years, the rivalry intensified, although during the meantime both Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin served as generals when the Eastern Göktürks made incursions. In 623, when the general Fu Gongshi rebelled at Danyang (, in modern Nanjing, Jiangsu), Emperor Gaozu briefly commissioned Li Shimin to attack Fu, but soon cancelled the order and sent Li Shimin's cousin Li Xiaogong the Prince of Zhao Commandery instead.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In 624, when Li Jiancheng was found to have, against regulations, tried to add soldiers to his guard corps, Emperor Gaozu was so angry that he put Li Jiancheng under arrest. In fear, Li Jiancheng's guard commander Yang Wen'gan () rebelled. Emperor Gaozu sent Li Shimin against Yang, offering to make him crown prince after he returned. After Li Shimin left, however, Feng Deyi (now a chancellor), Li Yuanji, and the concubines all spoke on Li Jiancheng's behalf, and after Li Shimin returned, Emperor Gaozu did not depose Li Jiancheng, but instead blamed the discord between him and Li Shimin on Li Jiancheng's staff members Wang Gui and Wei Ting () and Li Shimin's staff member Du Yan, exiling them to Xi Prefecture (, roughly modern Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan).


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Later that year, Emperor Gaozu, troubled by repeated Göktürk incursions, seriously considered burning Chang'an to the ground and moving the capital to Fancheng, a suggestion that Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and Pei Ji agreed with. Li Shimin opposed, however, and the plan was not carried out. Meanwhile, Li Shimin himself was sending his confidants to Luoyang to build up personal control of the army there. After an incident in which Li Shimin suffered a severe case of food poisoning after feasting at Li Jiancheng's palace—an event that both Emperor Gaozu and Li Shimin apparently interpreted as an assassination attempt—Emperor Gaozu considered sending Li Shimin to guard Luoyang to prevent further conflict, but Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, after consulting each other, believed that this would only give Li Shimin an opportunity to build up his personal power there, and therefore opposed it. Emperor Gaozu therefore did not carry out the plan. Meanwhile, the rivalry continued. Traditional historical accounts also indicated that at one point, when Li Shimin visited Li Yuanji's mansion, Li Yuanji wanted to assassinate Li Shimin, but Li Jiancheng, who could not resolve to kill a brother, stopped the plot. There was yet another incident in which Li Jiancheng, knowing that a horse threw its rider easily, had Li Shimin ride it, causing Li Shimin to fall off from it several times.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: By 626, Li Shimin was fearful that he would be killed by Li Jiancheng, and his staff members Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Zhangsun Wuji were repeatedly encouraging Li Shimin to attack Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji first—while Wei Zheng was encouraging Li Jiancheng to attack Li Shimin first. Li Jiancheng persuaded Emperor Gaozu to remove Fang and Du, as well as Li Shimin's trusted guard generals Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Zhijie, from Li Shimin's staff. Zhangsun Wuji, who remained on Li Shimin's staff, continued to try to persuade Li Shimin to attack first.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In summer 626, the Göktürks were making another attack, and under Li Jiancheng's suggestion, Emperor Gaozu, instead of sending Li Shimin to resist the Göktürks as he first was inclined, decided to send Li Yuanji instead. Li Yuanji was given command of much of the army previously under Li Shimin's control, further troubling Li Shimin, who believed that with the army in Li Yuanji's hands, he would be unable to resist an attack. Li Shimin had Yuchi summon Fang and Du back to his mansion secretly, and then on one night submitted an accusation to Emperor Gaozu that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were committing adultery with Emperor Gaozu's concubines. Emperor Gaozu, in response, issued summonses to Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji for the next morning, convening the senior officials Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda to examine Li Shimin's accusations. As Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji approached the central gate leading to Emperor Gaozu's palace, Xuanwu Gate (), Li Shimin carried out the ambush he had set. He personally fired an arrow that killed Li Jiancheng. Subsequently, Yuchi Jingde killed Li Yuanji. Li Shimin's forces entered the palace and, under the intimidation of Li Shimin's forces, Emperor Gaozu agreed to create Li Shimin crown prince. Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's sons were killed, and Li Shimin took Li Yuanji's wife Princess Yang as a concubine. Two months later, with Li Shimin firmly in control of power, Emperor Gaozu yielded the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: One of the first actions that Emperor Taizong carried out as emperor was releasing a number of ladies in waiting from the palace and returning them to their homes, so that they could be married. He made his wife Princess Zhangsun the empress, and their oldest son Li Chengqian the crown prince.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Emperor Taizong also immediately faced a crisis, as the Eastern Turkic leader Jiali Khan Ashina Duobi, along with his nephew the subordinate Tuli Khan Ashina Shibobi (), launched a major incursion toward Chang'an, and just 19 days after Emperor Taizong took the throne, the two khans were just across the Wei River from Chang'an. Emperor Taizong, accompanied by Gao Shilian and Fang Xuanling, was forced to meet Ashina Duobi across the river and personally negotiate peace terms, including tributes to Eastern Turks, before Ashina Duobi withdrew.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Late in 626, Emperor Taizong ranked the contributors to Tang rule and granted them titles and fiefs, naming among the first rank of contributors Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Yuchi Jingde, and Hou Junji. When Li Shentong, as his distant uncle, objected to being ranked under Fang and Du, Emperor Taizong personally explained how Fang and Du's strategies allowed him to be successful, and this managed to get the other objectors to quiet down, as Emperor Taizong was even willing to rank low such an honored individual as Li Shentong. Emperor Taizong also buried Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji with honors due imperial princes and had their staff members attend the funeral processions. Meanwhile, he appeared to begin to reshuffle government further—which he had already begun after being created crown prince—by dismissing his father's trusted advisors Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda, making his own trusted advisors chancellors. (Xiao, however, was soon restored to being chancellor, although his career during Emperor Taizong's reign would see repeated dismissals and repeated restorations.) However, he also began to greatly pay attention to the officials' submissions and their criticism of imperial governance, making changes where he saw needed. He also particularly began to trust Wei Zheng, accepting much advice from Wei as far as his personal conduct was concerned. He was also willing to demote his own trusted advisors, as he demoted Gao Shilian after finding that Gao had held back submissions from his deputy Wang Gui. Viewing Sui's Emperor Yang as a negative example, he frequently solicited criticism, rewarding those officials willing to offer them, particularly Wei and Wang Gui. His openness to opposing ideas was also evident in his attempt to reconcile traditional Taoist religion and Buddhism, as demonstrated in his "Emperor's Preface to the Sacred Teachings" ().


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Also in 627, the general Li Yi the Prince of Yan—a late-Sui warlord who later submitted to Tang, who associated with Li Jiancheng—fearing that Emperor Taizong would eventually take action against him, rebelled at Bin Prefecture (, in modern Xianyang), but was quickly crushed by the official Yang Ji () and killed in flight. Later that year, when Emperor Gaozu's cousin Li Youliang () the Prince of Changle, the commandant at Liang Prefecture (, roughly modern Wuwei, Gansu), was accused of allowing his staff to oppress the people and to trade with Qiang and Xiongnu tribesmen, Emperor Taizong sent the chancellor Yuwen Shiji (Yuwen Huaji's brother) to investigate, and in fear, Li Youliang's staff members plotted to hold him hostage and rebel. When this was discovered, Emperor Taizong forced Li Youliang to commit suicide. Late in the year, Wang Junkuo (), the commandant at You Prefecture (, roughly modern Beijing), also rebelled, but was defeated quickly and killed in flight. However, although there were also reports that Feng Ang (), a warlord in the Lingnan region, was rebelling, Emperor Taizong, at Wei's suggestion, sent messengers to comfort Feng, and Feng submitted.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Also in 627, Emperor Taizong, seeing that there were too many prefectures and counties, consolidated and merged many of them, and further created another level of local political organization above prefectures—the circuit () – dividing his state into 10 circuits.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In 628, with Ashina Duobi and Ashina Shibobi having a falling out, Ashina Shibobi submitted to Emperor Taizong, as did the chieftains of Khitan tribes, who had previously submitted to the Eastern Turks. With their khaganate in turmoil, Ashina Duobi was no longer able to protect the last late-Sui rebel ruler who alone remained standing against Tang pressure – Liang Shidu the Emperor of Liang, and in summer 628, with the Tang generals Chai Shao and Xue Wanjun () sieging the Liang capital Shuofang (in modern Yulin, Shaanxi), Liang Shidu's cousin Liang Luoren () killed Liang Shidu and surrendered, finally uniting China. With the Eastern Turkic Khaganate weakened, their vassal Xueyantuo also broke away and formed its own khanate, and Emperor Taizong entered into an alliance with Xueyantuo's leader Yinan, creating Yinan the Zhenzhupiqie Khan (or Zhenzhu Khan in short).


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In late 629, believing the time ripe for a major attack on the Eastern Turks, Emperor Taizong commissioned the general Li Jing with overall command of a multi-pronged army, assisted by the generals Li Shiji, Li Daozong, Chai Shao, Xue Wanche (, Xue Wanjun's brother) and Su Dingfang, attacking the Eastern Turks at multiple points. The army was successful in its attacks, forcing Ashina Duobi to flee, and by late spring 630, Ashina Duobi had been captured, and Eastern-Turkic chieftains all submitted to Tang. Emperor Taizong spared Ashina Duobi but detained him at Chang'an, and he considered what to do with the Eastern Turks.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: The main opposing views were from the chancellors Wen Yanbo (who advocated leaving the Turks within China's borders to serve as a defense perimeter) and Wei (who advocated leaving them outside the borders). Emperor Taizong accepted Wen's suggestion and established a number of prefectures to accommodate the Turks, leaving them governed by their chieftains without creating a new khan to govern them.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In 631, Emperor Taizong established a feudal scheme, where the contributors to his reign were given, in addition to their current posts, additional posts as prefectural governors, to be passed on to their descendants. Soon, however, receiving much opposition to the plan, the strongest of which came from Zhangsun Wuji, Emperor Taizong cancelled the scheme.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: After the conquest of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Emperor Taizong's officials repeatedly requested that he carry out sacrifices to heaven and earth at Mount Tai, and Emperor Taizong, while at times tempted by the proposal, was repeatedly dissuaded from doing so by Wei, who pointed out the expenses and the labors that would be imposed on the people as a result, and also that this would open China's borders to attack.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In 634, Emperor Taizong sent 13 high level officials, including Li Jing and Xiao Yu, to examine the circuits to see whether the local officials were capable, to find out whether the people were suffering, to comfort the poor, and to select capable people to serve in civil service. (Li Jing initially recommended Wei Zheng, but Emperor Taizong declined sending Wei, stating that Wei needed to stay to point out his faults and that he could not afford to have Wei away even for a single day.)


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Around this time, Tang was having increasing conflicts with Tuyuhun, whose Busabo Khan Murong Fuyun, under instigation by his strategist the Prince of Tianzhu, had been repeatedly attacking Tang prefectures on the borders. At one point, Murong Fuyun sought to have a Tang princess marry his son the Prince of Zun, but the marriage negotiations broke down over Emperor Taizong's insistence that the Prince of Zun come to Chang'an for the wedding. In summer 634, Emperor Taizong had the generals Duan Zhixuan and Fan Xing () lead forces against Tuyuhun, but with Tuyuhun's forces highly mobile and avoiding direct confrontation, Duan, while not defeated, could not make major gains. Once Duan withdrew, Tuyuhun resumed hostilities. In winter 634, with the Tibetan king Songtsän Gampo making overtures to marry a Tang princess as well, Emperor Taizong sent the emissary Feng Dexia () to Tibet with an eye toward an alliance against Tuyuhun. In winter 634, he commissioned Li Jing, assisted by the other generals Hou Junji, Xue Wanjun, Xue Wanche, Qibi Heli, Li Daozong, Li Daliang, Li Daoyan (), and Gao Zengsheng (), to attack Tuyuhun. In 635, Li Jing's forces crushed Tuyuhun forces. Murong Fuyun was killed by his own subordinates, and his son Murong Shun killed the Prince of Tianzhu and surrendered. Emperor Taizong created Murong Shun the new khan, although Murong Shun was soon assassinated. Emperor Taizong then created Murong Shun's son Murong Nuohebo as the new khan.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Also in 635, Emperor Gaozu died, and Emperor Taizong, observing a mourning period, briefly had Li Chengqian serve as regent, and after he resumed his authorities less than two months later, he still authorized Li Chengqian to thereafter rule on minor matters.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In spring 636, Emperor Taizong commissioned his brothers and sons as commandants and changed their titles in accordance with the commands that they received, sending them to their posts—with the exception of his son Li Tai the Prince of Wei, who by this point was beginning to be highly favored by him. He further allowed Li Tai to engage literary men to serve as his assistants, as Li Tai favored literature. From this point on, Li Tai would be so favored that there began to be talks that Emperor Taizong might let him displace Li Chengqian, whose favors began to wane.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In fall 636, Empress Zhangsun died. Emperor Taizong mourned her bitterly and personally wrote the text of her monument.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In summer 637, Emperor Taizong recreated the feudal scheme that he had considered and abandoned in 631, creating 35 hereditary prefect posts. (By 639, however, the system was again abandoned after much opposition.)


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Sometime before 638, Emperor Taizong, disgusted with the traditional noble clans of Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng and believing that they were abusing their highly honored names, commissioned Gao Shilian, Wei Ting, Linghu Defen, and Cen Wenben to compile a work later to be known as the "Records of Clans" (), with the intent of dividing the clans into nine classes based on their past contributions, good deeds, and ill deeds. In an initial draft that Gao submitted, he nevertheless ranked the branch of the Cui clan that the official Cui Min'gan () belonged to as the highest, a decision that Emperor Taizong rebuked, as he pointed out that Gao was merely again looking at tradition and not the recent contributions. He therefore personally intervened in revising the work, reducing Cui's clan to the third class.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In fall 638, Tibet's Songtsän Gampo, displeased that Emperor Taizong had declined to give him a Tang princess in marriage and believing that Murong Nuohebo had persuaded Emperor Taizong to decline the marriage proposal, launched a major attack with forces of 200,000 on Tuyuhun and then on several Tang prefectures, putting Song Prefecture (, roughly modern Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan) under siege. Emperor Taizong commissioned Hou Junji, assisted by Zhishi Sili (), Niu Jinda (), and Liu Jian (), of a total of force of 50,000 to counterattack, and Niu, who commanded the forward forces, defeated Tibetan forces at Song Prefecture. Songsän Gampo withdrew and sued for peace, but still sought to marry a Tang princess. Emperor Taizong agreed this time.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Also in 638, believing that Xueyantuo was growing increasingly strong and difficult to control, Emperor Taizong granted Yinan's sons Bazhuo and Jialibi () both lesser khan titles, to try to create dissensions between them.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In summer 639, Ashina Jiesheshuai (), the younger brother of Ashina Shibobi, whom Emperor Taizong did not favor and gave little recognition to, formed a conspiracy with Ashina Shibobi's son Ashina Hexiangu () to assassinate Emperor Taizong. They had planned to wait for Li Zhi the Prince of Jin to depart from the palace in the morning and use that opportunity to attack the palace. On the day they planned, however, Li Zhi did not leave the palace, and Ashina Jiesheshuai attacked anyway but was quickly defeated, captured, and executed. After this incident, however, the officials began advocating sending the Turks away from the heart of the state. In fall 639, Emperor Taizong created a Turkish prince who had served him faithfully, Li Simo (né Ashina Simo) as the khan of a newly recreated Eastern Turkic state (as Qilibi Khan), giving him all of the Turks and Xiongnu who had surrendered as his subordinates, to be settled north of the Great Wall and the Yellow River. However, the Turks were fearful of Xueyantuo and initially refused to head to their new location. Emperor Taizong issued an edict to Yinan that he and Li Simo keep their peace and not attack each other, and after receiving from Yinan the assurance that he would not attack, the Turks advanced to the new location.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Taizong began a series of campaigns against the Western Turks ("Xitujue") and their allies, the oasis states of the Tarim Basin, around 640. These hostilities between the Western Turks and Tang would continue until the defeat and conquest of the Western Turks in 657 under Taizong's successor, Gaozong. The kingdoms of Shule and Khotan surrendered to the Chinese in 632, as did the kingdom of Yarkand in 635. Qu Wentai (), the king of Gaochang, who had previously been submissive to Tang, had become increasingly hostile to Tang, allying with the Western Turks. In 640, Emperor Taizong commissioned Hou Junji, assisted by Xue Wanjun, to launch a major attack on Gaochang. As they approached Gaochang, Qu Wentai died in fear and was succeeded by his son Qu Zhisheng (). Qu Zhisheng offered to submit, but Hou demanded a surrender, which Qu Zhisheng refused. However, Hou put Gaochang under siege, and with aid from the Western Turks not arriving, Qu Zhisheng surrendered. Wei Zheng suggested that Emperor Taizong allow Qu Zhisheng to remain king, pointing out that the monetary and human costs would be high to keep a permanent garrison at Gaochang, but Emperor Taizong disagreed, and he converted Gaochang into two prefectures and annexed it into his state.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In winter 640, Songsän Gampo sent his prime minister Gar Tongtsen Yülsung ("Lu Dongzan" () in Chinese) as an emissary to Tang, offering tributes and again requesting marriage. Emperor Taizong created a daughter of a clansman as the Princess Wencheng, and in 641 sent Li Daozong to accompany Princess Wencheng to Tibet to preside over the wedding.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In winter 641, believing that Emperor Taizong was about to carry out sacrifices to heaven and earth at Mount Tai and would be unable to aid the Eastern Turks, Yinan launched a major attack on them, commanded by his son Dadu (). Li Simo was forced to retreat inside the Great Wall. Emperor Taizong commissioned Li Shiji, assisted by Zhang Jian (), Li Daliang, Zhang Shigui (), and Li Xiyu (), to attack Xueyantuo. Li Shiji soon defeated Dadu at Nuozhen River (, flowing through modern Baotou, Inner Mongolia), and Dadu fled.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: By 642, it was clear that Li Tai had ambitions on replacing his brother Li Chengqian, and the governmental officials began to be divided into pro-Li Chengqian and pro-Li Tai factions. After urging by Wei Zheng and Chu Suiliang to take actions that would clarify that Li Chengqian's position was secure, Emperor Taizong attempted to do so by making repeated statements to that effect, but his continued favoring of Li Tai led to continued speculation among officials.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Also by 642, Xueyantuo had posed a sufficiently serious threat (albeit still formally submissive) that Emperor Taizong saw two alternatives—destroying it by force or forming into a "heqin" relationship by marrying one of his daughters to Yinan. This particularly became an issue after the Tang general Qibi Heli (), the chieftain of the Qibi Tribe, was kidnapped by his own subordinates and taken to Xueyantuo. In order to ransom Qibi, Emperor Taizong made a promise to eventually give his daughter Princess Xinxing to Yinan in marriage, and Yinan released Qibi.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In the winter 642, an event took place in Goguryeo that would eventually precipitate wars between Tang and Goguryeo. According to Chinese accounts King Yeongnyu, the king of Goguryeo, was apprehensive about his general Yeon Gaesomun and was plotting with his other officials to kill Yeon. When Yeon received the news, he started a coup and killed the king and the high level officials. He declared King Yeongnyu's nephew Go Jang (King Bojang) king, while taking power himself with the title of "Dae Mangniji" (, Generalissimo). When Emperor Taizong received the news, there were suggestions that an attack be launched against Goguryeo, suggestions that Emperor Taizong initially declined.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: In spring 643, Wei died, and Emperor Taizong mourned him bitterly, authoring Wei's monument himself and, prior to Wei's death, promising to give his daughter Princess Hengshan in marriage to Wei's son Wei Shuyu (). Later in spring, Emperor Taizong commissioned 24 portraits at Lingyan Pavilion to commemorate the 24 great contributors to his reign.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: The "Old Book of Tang" and "New Book of Tang" mention (; i.e. the Byzantine Empire), which they equated with Daqin (which may refer to the Roman Empire or Middle East), beginning in 643 with an embassy sent by the king "Boduoli" (, i.e. Constans II Pogonatos) to Emperor Taizong, bearing gifts such as red glass and green gemstones. These histories also provided cursory descriptions of Constantinople and its walls, as well as how it was besieged by "Da shi" (; the Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate) and their commander "Mo-yi" (; i.e. Muawiyah I, governor of Syria before becoming caliph), who forced the Byzantines to pay tribute. Henry Yule highlights the fact that Yazdegerd III (r. 632–651), last ruler of the Sasanian Empire, sent diplomats to China for securing aid from Emperor Taizong (considered the suzerain over Ferghana in Central Asia) during the loss of the Persian heartland to the Islamic Rashidun Caliphate, which may have also prompted the Byzantines to send envoys to China amid their recent loss of Syria to the Muslims. Tang Chinese sources also recorded how Sassanid prince Peroz III (636–679) fled to Tang China following the conquest of Persia by the growing Islamic caliphate.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: The expansion of China's power into Central Asia under Emperor Taizong seems to have been noticed in the West. Theophylact Simocatta, a Byzantine Greek historian during the reign of Heraclius (r. 610–641), wrote that "Taugast" (or "Taugas"; Old Turkic: "Tabghach", from Tuoba, the Xianbei clan of Northern Wei), was a great eastern empire in the Far East that ruled over Turkic people, with a capital city roughly 1,500 miles northeast from India that he called "Khubdan" (from the Turkic word "Khumdan", meaning, Chang'an), where idolatry was practiced but the people were wise and lived by just laws. He depicted the Chinese empire as being divided by a great river (i.e. the Yangzi) that served as the boundary between two rival states at war, yet during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Maurice (582–602 AD) the northerners wearing "black coats" conquered the "red coats" of the south (black being a distinctive color worn by the people of Shaanxi, location of the Sui capital Sui Chang'an, according to the 16th-century Persian traveler Hajji Mahomed, or Chaggi Memet). This account may correspond to the conquest of the Chen dynasty and reunification of China by Emperor Wen of Sui (r. 581–604). Simocatta names their ruler as "Taisson", which he claimed meant Son of God, either correlating to the Chinese "Tianzi" (i.e. Son of Heaven) or even the name of the contemporary ruler Emperor Taizong.


title: Emperor Taizong of Tang

text: Also in 643, Emperor Taizong would see major turmoil among his own closest family. In spring 643, his son Li You () the Prince of Qi, angry over restrictions that his secretary general Quan Wanji () had often placed on him, killed Quan and declared a rebellion. Emperor Taizong sent Li Shiji against Li You, but before Li Shiji could engage Li You, Li You was captured by his own subordinate Du Xingmin () and delivered to Chang'an, where Emperor Taizong ordered him to commit suicide and executed 44 of his associates.