Tian Ji'an

Tian Ji'an (781 or 782– September 21, 812), courtesy name Kui and formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a general of the Tang dynasty, who, as military governor (jiedushi), ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) in a de facto independent manner from the imperial regime.

Background Tian Ji'an was born in 781 or 782, during the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang. At that time, his father Tian Xu was an officer under Tian Xu's cousin Tian Yue, the military governor of Weibo Circuit, who governed the circuit semi-independently from the imperial regime. (Tian Xu's father Tian Chengsi had been the first military governor of Weibo, but chose Tian Yue to be his successor rather than any of his sons.) Tian Ji'an was Tian Xu's third son, and was born of a mother of lowly birth. After Tian Xu assassinated Tian Yue and succeeded him in 784, Emperor Dezong gave Tian Xu his daughter Princess Jiacheng in marriage in 785. As she had no son of her own, she adopted Tian Ji'an as her son. He was thus made the deputy military governor and Tian Xu's designated successor. When Tian Xu died suddenly in 796, the Weibo soldiers supported Tian Ji'an as acting military governor, and Emperor Dezong made him military governor later in the year. Tian Ji'an also inherited Tian Xu's title as Prince of Yanmen. It was said that in Tian's youth, his behavior was curbed in by Princess Jiacheng's sternness, and that while he was not capable, he followed the rites and the laws. After Princess Jiacheng died, however, he lost self-control, and he spent his time on polo, hunting, and pleasure.

Emperor Xianzong thereafter ordered a campaign against Chengde, and with the main imperial forces—the Shence Army , commanded by the eunuch Tutu Chengcui—set to arrive in Weibo's vicinity, Tian was summoning his officers to discuss how to react—fearing that if the imperial forces were successful against Chengde, Weibo would be next. An officer stepped out and advocated a preemptive attack against the Shence Army, and Tian was ready to agree. However, at that time, Tan Zhong , an emissary from Liu Ji the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in Beijing), happened to be at Weibo, and he, trying to dissuade Tian from acting against imperial troops, pointing out if Weibo were in fact able to defeat the Shence Army, Emperor Xianzong would surely concentrate his attack on Weibo. Instead, Tan suggested, Weibo should enter into a secret agreement with Chengde whereas Weibo would launch a false attack on Chengde and capture a county to outwardly show Emperor Xianzong that he was not rebelling against imperial authority. Tian agreed with Tan, and in a pre-arranged attack captured Chengde's Tangyang County (堂陽, in modern Xingtai, Hebei). ) Tian Ji'an soon died and was given posthumous honors. With Emperor Xianzong refusing to approve Tian Huaijian's succession, the soldiers supported Tian Xing and overthrew Tian Huaijian in a coup.