Li Shimin led his forces to assassinate his rival brothers in a coup for the imperial throne of Tang China.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty for his role in encouraging his father Li Yuan to rebel against the Sui dynasty at Jinyang in 617. Taizong subsequently played a pivotal role in defeating several of the dynasty's most dangerous opponents and solidifying its rule over China proper.

The Xuanwu Gate Incident was a palace coup for the throne of the Tang dynasty on 2 July of 626, when Prince Li Shimin and his followers assassinated his brothers Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji. 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, the northern gate leading to the Palace City, within the imperial capital Chang'an. The Palace City (宮城) was located in the northernmost central part of Chang'an. In later years, it was known as the West Inner Palace (西内) and the Taiji Palace (太極宮), but these designations were not used at the time of the coup, according to Bingham 1950b, 261 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.

The Tang dynasty, or the Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilisation, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivalled that of the Han dynasty.