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81-563: Successful coup d'état by Prince Li Shimin The Xuanwu Gate Incident was a palace coup for the throne of the Tang dynasty on 2 July 626, when Prince Li Shimin (Prince of Qin) and his followers assassinated his brothers Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji (Prince of Qi). Li Shimin, the second son of Emperor Gaozu , was in an intense rivalry with his brothers. He took control and set up an ambush at Xuanwu Gate,

162-655: A pronunciamiento , in which the military deposes the existing government and hands over power to a new, ostensibly civilian government. A "barracks revolt" or cuartelazo is another type of military revolt, from the Spanish term cuartel ('quarter' or 'barracks'), in which the mutiny of specific military garrisons sparks a larger military revolt against the government. Other types of actual or attempted seizures of power are sometimes called "coups with adjectives". The appropriate term can be subjective and carries normative, analytical, and political implications. While

243-462: A coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is when a leader, having come to power through legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means. By one estimate, there were 457 coup attempts from 1950 to 2010, half of which were successful. Most coup attempts occurred in the mid-1960s, but there were also large numbers of coup attempts in

324-471: A de facto chancellor designation. It was said that in these capacities, Du recommended more than 40 people to be imperial officials, and many of them were later known for good service. There was a famous exchange between Emperor Taizong and Du involving Du's recommendation of a minor imperial official, Di Daohuai ( 邸道懷 ). As the Old Book of Tang recorded, this was the conversation: At that time, Du

405-617: A coup is usually a conspiracy of a small group, a revolution or rebellion is usually started spontaneously by larger groups of uncoordinated people. The distinction between a revolution and a coup is not always clear. Sometimes, a coup is labelled as a revolution by its plotters to feign democratic legitimacy. According to Clayton Thyne and Jonathan Powell's coup data set, there were 457 coup attempts from 1950 to 2010, of which 227 (49.7%) were successful and 230 (50.3%) were unsuccessful. They find that coups have "been most common in Africa and

486-418: A coup. A 2019 study found that states that had recently signed civil war peace agreements were much more likely to experience coups, in particular when those agreements contained provisions that jeopardized the interests of the military. Research suggests that protests spur coups, as they help elites within the state apparatus to coordinate coups. A 2019 study found that regional rebellions made coups by

567-569: A coup. The authors of the study provide the following logic for why this is: Autocratic incumbents invested in spatial rivalries need to strengthen the military in order to compete with a foreign adversary. The imperative of developing a strong army puts dictators in a paradoxical situation: to compete with a rival state, they must empower the very agency—the military—that is most likely to threaten their own survival in office. However, two 2016 studies found that leaders who were involved in militarized confrontations and conflicts were less likely to face

648-844: A fixed succession rule being much less plagued by instability than less institutionalized autocracies. A 2014 study of 18 Latin American countries in the 20th-century study found the legislative powers of the presidency does not influence coup frequency. A 2019 study found that when a country's politics is polarized and electoral competition is low, civilian-recruited coups become more likely. A 2023 study found that civilian elites are more likely to be associated with instigating military coups while civilians embedded in social networks are more likely to be associated with consolidating military coups. A 2017 study found that autocratic leaders whose states were involved in international rivalries over disputed territory were more likely to be overthrown in

729-487: A friend from the same commandery, Wei Fusi ( 韋福嗣 ), conversed between themselves and concluded that Emperor Wen of Sui favored people who had been hermits. They therefore went into Mount Taibai (太白山, part of the Qinling Mountains ), to try to gain reputations as hermits in order to benefit themselves later on in their careers. When Emperor Wen heard this, however, he became angry at them, and he exiled them to

810-512: A greater consultation of regional and local-specific sources. Successful coups are one method of regime change that thwarts the peaceful transition of power . A 2016 study categorizes four possible outcomes to coups in dictatorships : The study found that about half of all coups in dictatorships—both during and after the Cold War—install new autocratic regimes. New dictatorships launched by coups engage in higher levels of repression in

891-816: A major threat to dictators. The Harem conspiracy of the 12th century BC was one of the earliest. Palace coups were common in Imperial China . They have also occurred among the Habsburg dynasty in Austria, the Al-Thani dynasty in Qatar , and in Haiti in the 19th to early 20th centuries. The majority of Russian tsars between 1725 and 1801 were either overthrown or usurped power in palace coups. The term putsch ( [pʊtʃ] , from Swiss German for 'knock'), denotes

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972-405: A putsch. Pronunciamiento ( ' pronouncement ' ) is a term of Spanish origin for a type of coup d'état . Specifically the pronunciamiento is the formal declaration deposing the previous government and justifying the installation of the new government by the golpe de estado . One author distinguishes a coup, in which a military or political faction takes power for itself, from

1053-572: A somewhat higher chance of success in Africa and Asia. Numbers of successful coups have decreased over time. A number of political science datasets document coup attempts around the world and over time, generally starting in the post-World War II period. Major examples include the Global Instances of Coups dataset, the Coups & Political Instability dataset by the Center of Systemic Peace,

1134-455: A son of the rival Tang dynasty 's Emperor Gaozu and a major Tang general. Du Ruhui's older brother (whose name is lost to history) and younger brother Du Chuke ( 杜楚客 ) were at Luoyang at that time, under Zheng rule. Du Yan had poor relations with his nephews, and he decided to act against them. He falsely accused them before Wang, and Wang executed Du Ruhui's older brother and imprisoned Du Chuke. Du Chuke almost starved to death but survived

1215-692: A time. He also considered creating Li Shimin crown prince instead to replace Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng's guard commander, Yang Wen'gan ( 楊文幹 ), in fear, rose in rebellion. Li Shimin and the other generals quickly defeated and killed Yang. However, with the intercession of another son -- Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, Feng, and his concubines (who were on much better relations with Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji than with Li Shimin), Emperor Gaozu changed his mind and did not depose Li Jiancheng. Instead, he blamed Li Jiancheng's staff member Wang Gui and two of Li Shimin's staff members—Du and Wei Ting ( 韋挺 ) -- of inciting

1296-425: A two-sided impact on coup attempts, depending on the state of the economy. During periods of economic expansion, elections reduced the likelihood of coup attempts, whereas elections during economic crises increased the likelihood of coup attempts. A 2021 study found that oil wealthy nations see a pronounced risk of coup attempts but these coups are unlikely to succeed. A 2014 study of 18 Latin American countries in

1377-589: Is an editor's note in the London Morning Chronicle ,1804, reporting the arrest by Napoleon in France, of Moreau , Berthier , Masséna , and Bernadotte : "There was a report in circulation yesterday of a sort of coup d'état having taken place in France, in consequence of some formidable conspiracy against the existing government." In the British press , the phrase came to be used to describe

1458-533: Is more likely in former French colonies. A 2018 study in the Journal of Peace Research found that leaders who survive coup attempts and respond by purging known and potential rivals are likely to have longer tenures as leaders. A 2019 study in Conflict Management and Peace Science found that personalist dictatorships are more likely to take coup-proofing measures than other authoritarian regimes;

1539-554: The Jiu Tangshu , it happened prior to 626, while the Zizhi Tongjian dates it to the sixth lunar month of 626, placing it within three days of the coup. Bingham (1950a) states that the latter interpretation is most probably the one to be incorrect, since the poisoning had rendered Li Shimin seriously ill. It is still disputed when or whether this poisoning actually happened. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji successfully plotted

1620-573: The Cultural Revolution . Du Yan It is not known when Du Yan was born, but it is known that he was from the Sui dynasty 's capital commandery Jingzhao (京兆, i.e., Chang'an ). His grandfather Du Ye ( 杜業 ) was a provincial governor for Sui's predecessor state Northern Zhou , and his father Du Zheng ( 杜徵 ) was a commandery governor for Northern Zhou. In his youth, Du Yan had a good reputation for being talented in rhetoric, and he and

1701-464: The Tujue attacked the frontier of the Tang empire . At Li Jiancheng 's recommendation, Li Yuanji was commissioned for a military campaign against these hostile forces, thus Li Shimin 's best generals and crack troops were transferred to Li Yuanji. Thereafter, Li Shimin received word from his men that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had taken preparations to assassinate him when he would see off Li Yuanji as

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1782-456: The head of government assume dictatorial powers. A soft coup , sometimes referred to as a silent coup or a bloodless coup , is an illegal overthrow of a government, but unlike a regular coup d'état it is achieved without the use of force or violence. A palace coup or palace revolution is a coup in which one faction within the ruling group displaces another faction within a ruling group. Along with popular protests, palace coups are

1863-420: The paramilitary faction led by Ernst Röhm , but Nazi propaganda justified it as preventing a supposed putsch planned or attempted by Röhm. The Nazi term Röhm-Putsch is still used by Germans to describe the event, often with quotation marks as the 'so-called Röhm Putsch'. The 1961 Algiers putsch and the 1991 August Putsch also use the term. The 2023 Wagner Group rebellion has also been described as

1944-444: The rents that an incumbent can extract . One reason why authoritarian governments tend to have incompetent militaries is that authoritarian regimes fear that their military will stage a coup or allow a domestic uprising to proceed uninterrupted – as a consequence, authoritarian rulers have incentives to place incompetent loyalists in key positions in the military. A 2016 study shows that the implementation of succession rules reduce

2025-429: The 20th century study found that coup frequency does not vary with development levels, economic inequality , or the rate of economic growth. In what is referred to as "coup-proofing", regimes create structures that make it hard for any small group to seize power. These coup-proofing strategies may include the strategic placing of family, ethnic, and religious groups in the military; creation of an armed force parallel to

2106-604: The Americas (36.5% and 31.9%, respectively). Asia and the Middle East have experienced 13.1% and 15.8% of total global coups, respectively. Europe has experienced by far the fewest coup attempts: 2.6%." Most coup attempts occurred in the mid-1960s, but there were also large numbers of coup attempts in the mid-1970s and the early 1990s. From 1950 to 2010, a majority of coups failed in the Middle East and Latin America. They had

2187-625: The Coup d'etat Project by the Cline Center, the Colpus coup dataset, and the Coups and Agency Mechanism dataset. A 2023 study argued that major coup datasets tend to over-rely on international news sources to gather their information, potentially biasing the types of events included. Its findings show that while such a strategy is sufficient for gathering information on successful and failed coups, attempts to gather data on coup plots and rumors require

2268-504: The Da'an Palace, which he considered an inhospitable place as it was built on low-lying lands at Chang'an that were plagued by dampness and heat during the summer. According to Ma Zhou, ever since Emperor Taizong moved to the countryside during the summers, the retired emperor was left behind in Chang'an to suffer in the summer heat. When Emperor Taizong did invite his father, he would always decline

2349-470: The Emperor to Yang before the rebellion), why Yuwen Ying joined the rebel army, whether Li Shimin influenced some of the events or people involved, why Li Shimin's subordinate Du Yan was one of those who were exiled, and why the emperor did not install Li Shimin as the new heir as was promised. Some texts state that, prior to the coup, Li Shimin survived a poisoning attempt by his two brothers. According to

2430-416: The Emperor's eldest son, Li Jiancheng , was established as the heir apparent, but he was often overshadowed by his younger brother Li Shimin . For instance, Li Shimin was instrumental in defeating several of Tang's major rivals. He had led the attack on Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong , whom he defeated in battle , which gained him prestige among his contemporaries. Meanwhile, Li Jiancheng was stationed along

2511-942: The Forbidden Park towards the Xuanwu Gate, while Li Shimin probably left from the Hongyi Palace and traveled southwards through the Forbidden Park towards the Xuanwu Gate. As Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji approached the Linhu Hall, they began to realize that a coup was about to unfold and immediately retreated eastward. Li Shimin rode towards his brothers and hailed them. Hereupon, Li Yuanji attempted to draw his bow to shoot his arrows at Li Shimin, but he did not manage to draw it. Li Shimin shot his arrows at Li Jiancheng and killed him. Yuchi Jingde and seventy horsemen caught up with Li Yuanji and shot at him, causing Li Yuanji to fall from his horse. Li Shimin's horse fled into

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2592-412: The above factors are connected to military culture and power dynamics. These factors can be divided into multiple categories, with two of these categories being a threat to military interests and support for military interests. If interests go in either direction, the military will find itself either capitalizing off that power or attempting to gain it back. Oftentimes, military spending is an indicator of

2673-424: The authors argue that this is because "personalists are characterized by weak institutions and narrow support bases, a lack of unifying ideologies and informal links to the ruler". In their 2022 book Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism , political scientists Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way found that political-military fusion, where the ruling party is highly interlinked with

2754-448: The brothers to struggle against each other. He exiled Wang, Du, and Wei to Xi Prefecture (巂州, roughly modern Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture , Sichuan ). Before Du departed, Li Shimin, believing that Du was unfairly blamed, gave him a substantial gift of gold. In 626, Li Shimin ambushed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate and killed them. He then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to first create him crown prince and then yield

2835-595: The capital Chang'an or inside the imperial palaces, as he was often away on military expeditions. He mostly relied on Luoyang where he could successfully build strong support among military and civil officials. In Chang'an, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng was increasing his power by recruiting more than two thousand men to serve in the Changlin troops, which he stationed at the East Palace near the Changlin Gate. He

2916-510: The contextualized idea of a 'knockout blow to the existing administration within a state'. One early use within text translated from French was in 1785 in a printed translation of a letter from a French merchant, commenting on an arbitrary decree, or arrêt , issued by the French king restricting the import of British wool. What may be its first published use within a text composed in English

2997-489: The coup attempt will be successful. The number of successful coups has decreased over time. Failed coups in authoritarian systems are likely to strengthen the power of the authoritarian ruler. The cumulative number of coups is a strong predictor of future coups, a phenomenon referred to as the "coup trap". In what is referred to as "coup-proofing", regimes create structures that make it hard for any small group to seize power. These coup-proofing strategies may include

3078-609: The coup trap and reduces cycles of political instability. Hybrid regimes are more vulnerable to coups than very authoritarian states or democratic states. A 2021 study found that democratic regimes were not substantially more likely to experience coups. A 2015 study finds that terrorism is strongly associated with re-shuffling coups. A 2016 study finds that there is an ethnic component to coups: "When leaders attempt to build ethnic armies, or dismantle those created by their predecessors, they provoke violent resistance from military officers." Another 2016 study shows that protests increase

3159-432: The dawn of 2 July 626, Li Shimin and his followers arrived at the Xuanwu Gate, where they awaited the arrival of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji . Chang He, a military officer stationed at Xuanwu Gate, led his troops in support of Li Shimin on the day of the coup. As stated by Bingham (1950b) , in the morning, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji probably left from the East Palace through its northern gate and traveled westwards through

3240-515: The dismissal of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui , who were Li Shimin's principal advisors, from service. Yuchi Jingde , who was a general of Li Shimin, escaped an assassination attempt ordered by the two princes, but he was later slandered by the two princes at court and came near execution if it had not been for Li Shimin's intercession. By 626, Li Shimin became increasingly worried by his brothers' successful machinations in turning Emperor Gaozu against him and in removing his staff members. In early 626,

3321-452: The emperor. After receiving the message, Emperor Gaozu summoned Li Shimin to come for an audience the following morning. The emperor also requested for his personal advisors Pei Ji , Xiao Yu , Chen Shuda , Feng Lun , and Yan Shigu to come. Consort Zhang learned of Li Shimin's accusations and informed Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng summoned Li Yuanji to deliberate together on how to deal with the difficult situation. Li Yuanji opted to not attend

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3402-428: The empire before and after Emperor Yang's death in a coup in 618, the general Wang Shichong , in control of the eastern capital Luoyang , deposed the last Sui emperor, Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong and declared himself emperor of a new state of Zheng. Wang made Du Yan the minister of civil service affairs and trusted him greatly. Meanwhile, Du Yan's nephew Du Ruhui had become an important advisor to Li Shimin ,

3483-470: The end, Li Shimin had taken full control over the Tang government. Within three days, Emperor Gaozu named Li Shimin as the heir apparent. On the 9th day of the 8th month, he abdicated in favor for Li Shimin. He became a Taishang Huang , which is a retired emperor, and only sometimes appeared in public to attend ceremonial functions at court. In 632, Ma Zhou charged that the retired Emperor Gaozu had settled in

3564-593: The heir apparent's pre-eminence. In 621, he established the College of Literary Studies comprising a staff of eighteen scholars, who served as his advisors on state affairs. This may have insinuated in Li Jiancheng's mind that Li Shimin could harbor ambition to ascend to the throne himself. Henceforth, Li Jiancheng attempted to undermine Li Shimin by getting his staff members removed and reassigned to other posts. Prince Li Shimin found himself unable to gain support in

3645-479: The imperial court that morning, but to excuse themselves due to "illness" to prepare the troops and observe the situation. However, Li Jiancheng said that the troops were already prepared and wanted to leave for the Palace City to hear first-hand what was amiss. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji left at dawn to consult Emperor Gaozu personally, while Li Shimin and his followers had taken control over the Xuanwu Gate. On

3726-409: The imprisonment. In 621, Li Shimin put Luoyang under siege and, after defeating Wang's ally Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, forced Wang to surrender. Li Shimin spared Wang, but executed a number of his high-level officials. Du Yan was initially set to be executed. Du Chuke asked Du Ruhui to intercede on Du Yan's behalf, and Du Ruhui initially refused. Du Chuke, however, pointed out that while Du Yan

3807-475: The invitation to spend the summer together. Ma Zhou also charged that Emperor Taizong had not visited his father for a long time even though they lived nearby each other. Ever since the bloody palace coup, it seemed that father and son drifted apart to such an extent that their relationship never healed. In 634, Emperor Taizong launched the construction of the Daming Palace . He ordered the construction of

3888-433: The killings of the two princely brothers served as a punishment, and recommended Emperor Gaozu to appoint him as the heir apparent. Even though Li Shimin came out victorious, he still needed a positive appraisal for his conduct from the emperor to prevent further internal conflict. At Yuchi Jingde's advice, Emperor Gaozu issued an imperial edict ordering the remaining forces to stop their resistance and submit to Li Shimin. In

3969-419: The likelihood of a coup taking place. Nordvik found that about 75% of coups that took place in many different countries rooted from military spending and oil windfalls. The accumulation of previous coups is a strong predictor of future coups, a phenomenon called the coup trap . A 2014 study of 18 Latin American countries found that the establishment of open political competition helps bring countries out of

4050-435: The likelihood of coups. A fifth 2016 study finds no evidence that coups are contagious; one coup in a region does not make other coups in the region likely to follow. One study found that coups are more likely to occur in states with small populations, as there are smaller coordination problems for coup-plotters. In autocracies, the frequency of coups seems to be affected by the succession rules in place, with monarchies with

4131-427: The mid-1970s and the early 1990s. Coups occurring in the post- Cold War period have been more likely to result in democratic systems than Cold War coups, though coups still mostly perpetuate authoritarianism . Many factors may lead to the occurrence of a coup, as well as determine the success or failure of a coup. Once a coup is underway, coup success is driven by coup-makers' ability to get others to believe that

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4212-674: The military and created the administrative structures of the military from its inception, is extremely effective at preventing military coups. For example, the People's Liberation Army was created by the Chinese Communist Party during the Chinese Civil War , and never instigated a military coup even after large-scale policy failures (i.e. the Great Leap Forward ) or the extreme political instability of

4293-400: The military more likely. A 2018 study found that "oil price shocks are seen to promote coups in onshore-intensive oil countries, while preventing them in offshore-intensive oil countries". The study argues that states which have onshore oil wealth tend to build up their military to protect the oil, whereas states do not do that for offshore oil wealth. A 2020 study found that elections had

4374-462: The new summer palace as a residence for his father, but the retired emperor grew ill and never witnessed the palace's completion before his death in the 5th month of 635. 34°16′40″N 108°56′35″E  /  34.2778°N 108.9431°E  / 34.2778; 108.9431 Palace coup A coup d'état ( / ˌ k uː d eɪ ˈ t ɑː / ; French: [ku deta] ; lit.   ' stroke of state ' ), or simply

4455-458: The northern frontier to guard it against the Tujue , which left him unable to build up a similar reputation. Eventually, Emperor Gaozu elevated Li Shimin's position above all other nobles. He placed Li Shimin in charge of the civil and military administration of the eastern plain , with Luoyang as its headquarters. There, Li Shimin established himself and appointed about fifty civil and military officials, which made it possible for him to challenge

4536-427: The northern gate leading to the Palace City within the imperial capital Chang'an . There, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were murdered by Li Shimin and his men. Within three days after the coup, Li Shimin was installed as the crown prince. About two months later, Emperor Gaozu abdicated and passed the throne to Li Shimin, who would become known as Emperor Taizong. After the founding of the Tang dynasty by Emperor Gaozu ,

4617-509: The occurrence of coup attempts. Succession rules are believed to hamper coordination efforts among coup plotters by assuaging elites who have more to gain by patience than by plotting. According to political scientists Curtis Bell and Jonathan Powell, coup attempts in neighbouring countries lead to greater coup-proofing and coup-related repression in a region. A 2017 study finds that countries' coup-proofing strategies are heavily influenced by other countries with similar histories. Coup-proofing

4698-400: The ongoing battle, according to the Jiu Tangshu and Zizhi Tongjian , Li Shimin sent Yuchi Jingde fully armed into the Palace City to announce the news of the situation to Emperor Gaozu. Emperor Gaozu asked who was disturbing the peace and why he came, whereupon Yuchi Jingde replied that the Prince of Qin had taken arms to execute the heir apparent and the Prince of Qi who were disturbing

4779-455: The palace ladies, and Minister Feng Deyi interceded to clear Li Jiancheng from the affair. Thus, Emperor Gaozu allowed Li Jiancheng to remain the heir apparent, but exiled some of Li Jiancheng's advisors and at least one member of Li Shimin's staff. There are many questions with this rebellion, including why Yang Wengan rebelled, whether Li Jiancheng actually intended to rebel, what happened between Yang Wengan and Yuwen Ying (an emissary sent by

4860-410: The peace and, apprehensive that his majesty would be alarmed, sent him to stand guard. The sources agree that Emperor Gaozu was satisfied by Yuchi Jingde's answer. The Zizhi Tongjian adds that Emperor Gaozu asked his officials what ought to be done as he had not anticipated the events. As described in the text, two of them completely exonerated Li Shimin and spoke highly meritoriously of him, said that

4941-712: The political-military actions of an unsuccessful minority reactionary coup. The term was initially coined for the Züriputsch of 6 September 1839 in Switzerland. It was also used for attempted coups in Weimar Germany , such as the 1920 Kapp Putsch , Küstrin Putsch , and Adolf Hitler 's 1923 Beer Hall Putsch . The 1934 Night of the Long Knives was Hitler's purge to eliminate opponents, particularly

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5022-440: The regular military; and development of multiple internal security agencies with overlapping jurisdiction that constantly monitor one another. It may also involve frequent salary hikes and promotions for members of the military, and the deliberate use of diverse bureaucrats. Research shows that some coup-proofing strategies reduce the risk of coups occurring. However, coup-proofing reduces military effectiveness, and limits

5103-401: The risk of coups, presumably because they ease coordination obstacles among coup plotters and make international actors less likely to punish coup leaders. A third 2016 study finds that coups become more likely in the wake of elections in autocracies when the results reveal electoral weakness for the incumbent autocrat. A fourth 2016 study finds that inequality between social classes increases

5184-412: The situation. He also suggests that the emperor surrounded himself with senior officials who were friendly to Li Shimin , because the emperor possibly realized that Li Shimin was the cause of the unfolding events and had better military connections that provided the advantage. The officials with the emperor were Pei Ji , Xiao Yu , Chen Shuda , Feng Lun , Yan Shigu , Dou Dan, and Yuwen Shiji . During

5265-555: The south of the Yangtze River . Later, probably after a general pardon, Du Yan was able to return to Chang'an. Gao Xiaoji ( 高孝基 ), an official of the capital province Yong Province ( 雍州 ) submitted a recommendation for him, and he was made a low level imperial official. By the end of the reign of Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang , he was the deputy imperial censor. In 619, with the Sui state collapsing in light of rebellions around

5346-400: The strategic placing of family, ethnic, and religious groups in the military and the fragmenting of military and security agencies. However, coup-proofing reduces military effectiveness as loyalty is prioritized over experience when filling key positions within the military. The term comes from French coup d'État , literally meaning a 'stroke of state' or 'blow of state'. In French,

5427-421: The strategy. Li Shimin also bribed Chang He, who was the military commander guarding the Xuanwu Gate, into following his orders. Few years prior, Chang He had been an officer under Li Shimin, but he was eventually reassigned to a key position at the Xuanwu Gate in 624. Li Shimin submitted a message to his father, Emperor Gaozu , accusing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of having illicit affairs with several consorts of

5508-450: The throne to him (as Emperor Taizong). Emperor Taizong recalled Du Yan from exile, made him the imperial censor, and created him the Duke of Anji. Emperor Taizong made Du in charge of the creation ceremony for his son and crown prince Li Chengqian , and in 627 made him the minister of civil service affairs. He also bestowed Du with the additional designation of Canyu Chaozheng ( 參豫朝政 ) --

5589-400: The throne. In contrast, Yang Wengan raised his troops and rebelled in the sixth month of 624. Emperor Gaozu sent Li Shimin to put down the rebellion, but Yang Wengan's own subordinates killed him after the imperial forces arrived at the scene. Emperor Gaozu initially offered Li Shimin the position of heir apparent in light of Yang Wengan's rebellion. However, Li Jiancheng's supporters, Li Yuanji,

5670-457: The top, is a form of coup d'état in which a political leader, having come to power through legal means, stays in power through illegal means through the actions of themselves and/or their supporters. The leader may dissolve or render powerless the national legislature and unlawfully assume extraordinary powers not granted under normal circumstances. Other measures may include annulling the nation's constitution , suspending civil courts, and having

5751-401: The two armed factions. When Yuchi Jingde arrived with the heads of the two princes, their retainers quickly dispersed with their troops. Emperor Gaozu was sailing on a lake inside the Palace City during the time of the coup according to the Jiu Tangshu and Zizhi Tongjian . Bingham (1950a) suggests that the emperor was alarmed by the impending crisis and therefore withdrew himself from

5832-664: The various murders by Napoleon's alleged secret police , the Gens d'Armes d'Elite , who executed the Duke of Enghien : "the actors in torture, the distributors of the poisoning draughts, and the secret executioners of those unfortunate individuals or families, whom Bonaparte's measures of safety require to remove. In what revolutionary tyrants call grand[s] coups d'état , as butchering, or poisoning, or drowning, en masse, they are exclusively employed." A self-coup , also called an autocoup (from Spanish autogolpe ) or coup from

5913-410: The war's duration. A 2003 review of the academic literature found that the following factors influenced coups: The literature review in a 2016 study includes mentions of ethnic factionalism, supportive foreign governments, leader inexperience, slow growth, commodity price shocks, and poverty. Coups have been found to appear in environments that are heavily influenced by military powers. Multiple of

5994-515: The woods and became entangled with tree branches, which led to Li Shimin falling off his horse too and being unable to get up. Li Yuanji quickly grabbed Li Shimin's bow and tried to strangle his brother with it. However, Yuchi Jingde arrived and shouted at Li Yuanji, so Li Yuanji fled on foot to Wude Hall. Yuchi Jingde overtook Li Yuanji and killed him with his arrows. Following the deaths of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, while Li Shimin's forces held Xuanwu Gate under their control, fighting broke out between

6075-410: The word État ( French: [eta] ) is capitalized when it denotes a sovereign political entity. Although the concept of a coup d'état has featured in politics since antiquity, the phrase is of relatively recent coinage. It did not appear within an English text before the 19th century except when used in the translation of a French source, there being no simple phrase in English to convey

6156-575: The year after the coup than existed in the year before the coup. One-third of coups in dictatorships during the Cold War and 10% of later ones reshuffled the regime leadership. Democracies were installed in the wake of 12% of Cold War coups in dictatorships and 40% of post-Cold War ones. Coups occurring in the post- Cold War period have been more likely to result in democratic systems than Cold War coups, though coups still mostly perpetuate authoritarianism . Coups that occur during civil wars shorten

6237-456: Was actually involved is still disputed among historians. Yang Wengan was the regional commander of Qingzhou in Gansu and a former guard of Li Jiancheng at the East Palace. The alleged plot was disclosed to the authorities, so Li Jiancheng was summoned from Chang'an and Yang Wengan was summoned from his garrison post. Li Jiancheng went to seek forgiveness against the advice of a subordinate to seize

6318-403: Was allied with his second younger brother Prince Li Yuanji . They had the support of Emperor Gaozu's consorts, who often interceded with court affairs on behalf of the two princes. There were allegations that Yang Wengan was raising troops for Li Jiancheng, who was left in charge of the capital while Emperor Gaozu was away in his summer palace, to stage a coup for the throne. Whether Li Jiancheng

6399-437: Was intelligent and full of strategies, feared that Du, if he joined Li Jiancheng's staff, would cause detriment to Li Shimin, and therefore persuaded Li Shimin to invite Du to join his staff. Du accepted the invitation. In 624, there was an incident where Li Jiancheng was discovered to have, against regulations, recruited additional soldiers for his guard corps. Emperor Gaozu was angry and put Li Jiancheng under house arrest for

6480-655: Was responsible for their older brother's death, he was an uncle. Du Ruhui relented and pleaded with Li Shimin on Du Yan's behalf, and Du Yan was spared. Du Yan apparently became a minor official in the imperial administration, but was not promoted. Eventually, he considered resigning and joining the staff of Li Shimin's older brother Li Jiancheng the Crown Prince —with whom Li Shimin was then having an intense rivalry. The official in charge of civil service affairs at that time, Feng Deyi , informed Li Shimin's chief strategist Fang Xuanling of this, and Fang, knowing that Du

6561-555: Was the custom during the onset of a military campaign. Li Shimin decided to take action and planned to dispose of his two brothers at the advice of his subordinates, especially Zhangsun Wuji , Fang Xuanling , Du Ruhui , Yuchi Jingde , and Hou Junji . Li Shimin sent Zhangsun Wuji to recall Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, who were Li Shimin's two most important advisors, to help plan the course of action. After being summoned in secrecy, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui disguised themselves as Taoist priests and traveled to Li Shimin's camp to discuss

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