An Qingxu
Rebel Emperor of Yan (An Lushan's son)
"My father's throne is mine by right."
Biography
A son of An Lushan, An Qingxu murdered his increasingly tyrannical and paranoid father in his bed in January 757 — with the help of a eunuch and a general — and seized the Yan throne. But he had none of his father's ability or force of personality. Weak, indecisive, and given to drink, he swiftly lost the loyalty of the hardened rebel commanders. He was besieged by a huge Tang army at Yecheng in 759, and though the disunity of the Tang generals let him survive the siege, he was soon afterward murdered in turn by his father's comrade Shi Siming, who took over the rebel cause. His brief, feeble reign marked the first collapse of the rebellion into fratricidal chaos.
Did you know?
He reigned as 'emperor' of the Yan for barely two years, the weakest link in a rebellion held together only by force of personality.
Key Battles
The Assassination of An Lushan
Tang Dynasty victoryJanuary 757 · 5 total casualties
An Lushan's murder by his own son was the first of a series of internal betrayals that would fatally weaken the rebel cause. The Yan movement, held together by An Lushan's personal power, began to fracture into rival warlords.
The Battle of Xiangzhou (Siege of Yecheng)
Yan Rebels victoryMarch 759 · 100,000 total casualties
The debacle at Xiangzhou — a colossal army wrecked by the court's fatal distrust of its own generals — prolonged the war by years. It allowed the rebellion to revive under Shi Siming just as it had seemed near collapse.
Life Journey
Timeline
c. 723
🌅 Birth
Born a son of An Lushan
January 757
📍 Posting
Murders his father and seizes the throne
759
✝️ Death
Murdered in turn by Shi Siming