The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 during the Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

 and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...

. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their titles on hereditarily.

Powerful jiedushi eventually became fanzhen

Fanzhen

Fanzhen was a governmental system involving administration through regional governors . The term fanzhen literally means "buffer town", and refers to the system of settling troops in strategic locations along the empire's border areas, which during the Tang Dynasty came under the control of...

 and eclipsed the power of the central government; an early example is that of An Lushan, who was appointed jiedushi of three regions and was able to start the An Lushan Rebellion that abruptly ended the golden age of the Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

. Even after the difficult suppression of that rebellion, the jiedushi retained their powers and quickened the disintegration of the Tang Dynasty. Eventually the jiedushi ushered in the political division of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...

, a period marked by continuous infighting among rival kingdoms, dynasties, and regional regimes established by rival jiedushi.

Notable jiedushi

Notable jiedushi:

• An Lushan
  An Lushan
  An Lushan was a general who rebelled against the Tang Dynasty in China.His name was also transcribed into Chinese as Āluòshān or Gáluòshān ,...
  
  
• Gao Xianzhi
  Gao Xianzhi
  Gao Xianzhi, or Ko Sōnji, was a Tang general of Korean descent. He was known as a great commander during his lifetime. He is most well known for taking part in multiple military expeditions to conquer the Xiyu region over the infamous Pamir Mountains, all the way to the Aral Sea and the Caspian...
  
  
• Geshu Han
  Geshu Han
  Geshu Han , formally Prince Wumin of Xiping , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty of Tuqishi extraction. He became a powerful general late in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong and in 756 became responsible for defending Tong Pass against the rebel forces of An Lushan...
  
  
• Guo Ziyi
  Guo Ziyi
  Guo Ziyi , formally Prince Zhongwu of Fenyang , was a general during the Tang Dynasty who ended the An Shi Rebellion, and participated in expeditions against the peoples of Huihe and Tubo...
  
  
• Li Keyong
  Li Keyong
  Li Keyong was a Shatuo military governor during the late Tang Dynasty and was key to developing a base of power for the Shatuo in what is today Shanxi Province in China...
  
  
• Li Cunxu
  Li Cunxu
  Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang , personal name Li Cunxu , nickname Yazi , was the Prince of Jin and later became Emperor of Later Tang...
  
  
• Li Maozhen
  Li Maozhen
  Li Maozhen , né Song Wentong , courtesy name Zhengchen , formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin , was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Qi...
  
  
• Liu Rengong
  Liu Rengong
  Liu Rengong was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Lulong Circuit from 895 to 907...
  
  
• Liu Shouguang
• Li Jiqian
  Li Jiqian
  Li Jiqian resisted the Song empire and organized a rebellion in 984. He created a successful alliance with the Liao empire for military support. Li Jiqian arranged a peace agreement with the Song emperor, but violated the treaty himself...
  
  
• Li Guangbi
  Li Guangbi
  Li Guangbi , formally Prince Wumu of Linhuai , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, of ethnic Khitan ancestry, who was instrumental in Tang's suppression of the Anshi Rebellion.- Background :...
  
  
• Shi Jingtang
  Gaozu of Later Jin
  Shi Jingtang was the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty , the third of the Five Dynasties that controlled much of northern China from 907 to 960. The Later Jin Dynasty was the second of three successive Shatuo Turk dynasties that made up the middle three of the Five Dynasties.-Background and early...
  
  
• Shi Siming
  Shi Siming
  Shi Siming , or Shi Sugan , was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who followed his childhood friend An Lushan in rebelling against Tang, and who later succeeded An Lushan's son An Qingxu as emperor of the Yan state that An Lushan established.-Background:It is not known when Shi Sugan was born,...
  
  
• Zhu Wen