755 – 763 AD
A devastating civil war and a decisive rupture in Tang political history. At the height of the Tang golden age, the frontier general An Lushan turned his armies against the empire he served, seized both imperial capitals, and proclaimed his own dynasty. The eight-year civil war that followed — with its epic sieges, massacres, and famines — broke the Tang state's fiscal and military system. A famous census collapse cannot be read directly as a death toll.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
A devastating civil war and a decisive rupture in Tang political history. At the height of the Tang golden age, the frontier general An Lushan turned his armies against the empire he served, seized both imperial capitals, and proclaimed his own dynasty. The eight-year civil war that followed — with its epic sieges, massacres, and famines — broke the Tang state's fiscal and military system. A famous census collapse cannot be read directly as a death toll.
The An Lushan Rebellion was fought from 755 to 763 AD.
The An Lushan Rebellion was fought between Tang Dynasty and Yan Rebels.
An estimated 12,750,000 people died in The An Lushan Rebellion, including roughly 750,000 military and 12,000,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included The Battle of Tong Pass, The Battle of Xiangzhou (Siege of Yecheng), The Recapture of the Capitals, and The Siege of Suiyang.