The Logic Of Turbulent Times-The System Of Succession To The Throne In The Five Dynasties

In the period of Innovation in Tang and Song Dynasties, the succession to the throne was transformed from unsteadiness to a rational condition of no civil wars. The succession to the throne in the Five Dynasties contributed to this transformation, which deserved its own logic beyond turbulence compared with the succession to the throne in the Tang Dynasty. Firstly, the turbulent times demanded superior intelligence of monarchs themselves, and the social foundation of the ruling class also made some alterations. As a result of these factors, the Five Dynasties broke the selection criterion only according to pedigree.Thus a new criterion came into being according to maturation, capabilities and contributions. Secondly, emperors in the Five Dynasties always took special measures to appoint their scheduled successors as the Governor of the capital,meantime,they didn't give the scheduded successors the name and position of crown prince. Thirdly, as a political tradition of the Late Tang, appointing successors at the point of the emporer's death was followed. Song Dynasty inherited the political legacy of the Five Dynasties in selection criterion, the way and occasion of arranging successors, all of which contributed to the conditions of no civil wars in the succession to the throne.