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Tang Taizong, Emperor of China > 
Emperor Taizong of Tang China, born Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China from 626 to 649. He encouraged his father, Li Yuan, to start the uprising that established the Tang dynasty, and many now consider Taizong to have been the co-founder of the dynasty. In 630, Taizong's general Li Jing conquered the once mighty Eastern Turkic Khanate and allowed Tang to become the major political and military power of the region. Accordingly, leaders of bordering tribes convened at Chang'an (Xian) the same year and asked for Taizong to take on the title of Heavenly Khan. Under his reign, the famous rule of Zhenguan took place (his era name was Zhenguan). At the time, it was said that there was no need for the people to lock doors at night and that items left on the road remain untouched by others. The prosperity of the era and the leadership of Taizong and his renowned officials epitomizes the peak of traditional rulership that future generations would strive to emulate. His posthumous name was Wenwu-dasheng-daguang Xiao Huangdi ("Filial Emperor who is Civil and Martial, Greatly Holy, and Greatly Expansive").
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