Background

Li Lin was born in 694, during the reign of Wu Zetian. He was a member of the imperial Li clan of Tang Dynasty — although he was distant in lineage from the imperial lineage itself. His great-great-great-grandfather Li Qidou (李乞豆) was a younger brother of Li Hu (李虎), the grandfather of Tang's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu, who was the grandfather of Wu Zetian's husband Emperor Gaozong. Li Lin's father Li Jun (李濬) served successively as the prefect of three different prefecture and was known for his honesty. Li Jun died during the Kaiyuan era (713–741) of Emperor Gaozong's and Wu Zetian's grandson Emperor Xuanzong while serving as the military governor (jiedushi) of Jiannan Circuit (劍南, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan).

Before serving as chancellor

Li Lin himself was well-studied and capable in literary matters. On the account of his father's official service, he was able to enter civil service and eventually served as a census officer for the capital municipality, Jingzhao (京兆, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi), which included the capital Chang'an. In 734, Emperor Xuanzong made an attempt to find imperial clan members with special talents, and Li Lin, one of the imperial clan members selected, was made Dianzhong Shiyushi (殿中侍御史) — a low-level imperial censor — and he subsequently served as a junior officer at the ministries of census (戶部, Hu Bu) and civil service affairs (吏部, Li Bu). In 742, he became Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫), one of the officials in charge of submitting proposals of corrections to the emperor. In 746, he served a tour of duty to survey the circuits to the west — Hexi (河西, headquartered in modern Wuwei, Gansu), Longyou (隴右, headquartered in modern Haidong Prefecture, Qinghai), and Anxi (安西, headquartered in modern Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang) – to evaluate the performance of the officials. His tour was considered a success, and he was made an imperial attendant (給事中, Jishizhong). In 748, he became Bingbu Shilang (兵部侍郎) – an assistant minister of defense — serving with Yang Guozhong. At that time, though, Yang was already very powerful due to his personal association with Emperor Xuanzong, as cousin to Emperor Xuanzong's favorite concubine Consort Yang Yuhuan, and Yang Guozhong did not wish to share authority with Li Lin, and therefore had the chancellors, while allowing Li Lin to keep the title of assistant minister of defense, be made in charge of the imperial examinations instead. Soon, however, Yang Guozhong was moved to another position, and Li Lin resumed his office as assistant minister of defense. In 752, he was given the honorific title of Yinqing Guanglu Daifu (銀青光祿大夫) and made the principal of the imperial university (國子祭酒, Guozi Jijiu). In 755, while he retained those titles, he was made the governor of Hedong Commandery (河東, roughly modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and the surveyor of Hedong Circuit (河東 as well, but referred to the entire circuit, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi). He was said to have governed simply and honestly, and was praised by both the people and subordinates.

In winter 755, however, the general An Lushan rebelled at Fanyang Circuit (范陽, headquartered in modern Beijing). As Li Lin was a civilian official not learned in military matters, the imperial government was concerned that he would not know how to defend the commandery. Li Lin was therefore recalled to Chang'an and replaced with the general Lü Chongbi (呂崇賁). Li Lin was also created the Baron of Weiyuan. In summer 756, when Emperor Xuanzong was forced to flee Chang'an in light of An's troops approaching Chang'an, Li Lin escaped Chang'an as well and caught up with Emperor Xuanzong's train, attending Emperor Xuanzong on his way to Chengdu. Emperor Xuanzong's son and crown prince Li Heng, however, did not follow Emperor Xuanzong to Chengdu, but instead went to Lingwu, where he was declared emperor (as Emperor Suzong), a declaration that Emperor Xuanzong recognized after the news reached him. Emperor Xuanzong, now using the title Taishang Huang (retired emperor), however, did not stop exercising imperial authority, and when he arrived at Chengdu, he initially made Li Lin deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang) and Shangshu Zuo Cheng (尚書左丞), one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng). He soon made Li Lin the minister of justice (憲部尚書, Xianbu Shangshu).

As chancellor and death

In spring 757, Emperor Xuanzong gave Li Lin the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. At that time, Emperor Xuanzong had already sent several other chancellors that he had commissioned during his journey to Chengdu and during the duration he was at Chengdu — Wei Jiansu, Fang Guan, Cui Huan, and Cui Yuan — to Emperor Suzong's court, but kept Li Lin with him on account of the fact that Li Lin was an imperial clan member. Li Lin oversaw all of the affairs of Emperor Xuanzong's court in Chengdu. In winter 757, after Emperor Suzong recaptured Chang'an and welcomed Emperor Xuanzong back to Chang'an, for Li Lin's accomplishments, he was given the honorific title Jinzi Guanglu Daifu (金紫光祿大夫). He continued to be the minister of justice, now under the title Xingbu Shangshu (刑部尚書). His chancellor de facto designation was promoted to Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), a more honorific designation, and he was created the Duke of Bao.

At that time, the most powerful figures at Emperor Suzong's court were his wife Empress Zhang and the eunuch Li Fuguo. Li Lin's chancellor colleagues Miao Jinqing and Cui Yuan both carefully followed Empress Zhang's and Li Fuguo's wishes, but Li Lin refused to do so. This displeased Li Fuguo and, in 758, at his instigation, Li Lin was removed from his chancellor office and made Taizi Shaofu (太子少傅), an advisor to the crown prince Li Chu. He died in fall 759 and was buried with honors.

家世

李麟是唐朝遠支宗室。李麟五世祖李乞豆是唐朝開國皇帝唐高祖祖父李虎的弟弟。李麟父李濬歷任潤州、虢州、潞州刺史，以誠信聞名。在潤州任上，潤州有個叫孫處玄的人以學行著名，李濬特加禮異，累次上表舉薦之，還命李麟與之結交。李濬于唐玄宗開元八年（720年）卒于劍南節度使任上。

拜相前

李麟好學善文辭。因父親之故蔭補官職，累授京兆府戶曹參軍。二十一年（733年），善于算數的編撰者瞿壇因怨恨自己不能參與更改曆法，與歷官陳玄景等攻擊《大衍曆》抄襲《九執歷》。時任侍御史的李麟和太史令桓執圭奉詔比較天象觀測記錄，結果証明《大衍曆》十得七、八，而《九執歷》才得一、二，于是《大衍曆》被肯定，而支持瞿壇的太子右司御率南宮說等則被判罪。開元二十二年（734年），玄宗選拔宗室異能者，李麟轉殿中侍御史，歷任戶部、考功、吏部三員外郎。天寶元載（742年），遷郎中，不久改諫議大夫。五載（746年），充河西、隴右、磧西等道黜陟使，稱職，遷給事中。七載（748年），遷兵部侍郎，與楊國忠為同僚。楊國忠身為唐玄宗最寵愛的妃子楊貴妃從兄，因為和玄宗的交情，已很有權勢，不想和李麟分權，指使宰相讓李麟以本官權知禮部貢舉。不久楊國忠改任御史大夫，李麟複本官。九載（750年）四月，以正議大夫、給事中、權知刑部侍郎、上柱國、渭源縣開國男的身份為副使冊封廣寧公主。十一載（752年），遷銀青光祿大夫、國子祭酒。曾奉詔求雨，祭祀雨師。十四載（755年）七月，以本官出為河東太守、河東道採訪使，為政清簡，為百姓和官吏所稱道。

十一月，河東、范陽、平盧三鎮節度使安祿山叛于范陽。因李麟是儒者，朝廷擔心他不能禦敵，召他回長安，以將軍呂崇賁代之。李麟複任國子祭酒。十六載（756年）六月，安祿山軍逼近長安，玄宗被迫出逃，李麟也出逃，隨玄宗奔赴成都行在。玄宗子皇太子李亨卻沒有隨玄宗去成都，而是去了靈武，稱帝，就是唐肅宗，玄宗聞訊後也認可了。唐玄宗稱太上皇，但沒有停止行使皇權，到成都後，拜李麟戶部侍郎，兼尚書左丞。不久又遷憲部尚書。

拜相及過世

至德二載（757年）正月，玄宗授李麟同中書門下平章事，為實質宰相。玄宗當時已將在成都期間任命的其他宰相韋見素、房琯、崔渙、崔圓送到肅宗朝中，但李麟因是宗室，被他留在身邊，總攝成都行在百司。肅宗收複長安後，十月迎歸玄宗，十二月，李麟因功加金紫光祿大夫、刑部尚書、同中書門下三品，進封褒國公，且因有從亡之勞，一子得官。

陳希烈等數百大臣先前陷身于安史亂軍，這時複歸朝廷，被命令赤腳步行來到朝堂，肅宗命令宰相苗晉卿、崔圓、李麟等百官一同看，以為棄辱，並宣詔以責。

當時，肅宗朝最有權勢的人物是肅宗妻張皇后和殿中監宦官李輔國。苗晉卿和崔圓都小心侍奉他們，但李麟不如此。這使得李輔國不悅，在他慫恿下，乾元元年（758年）五月，李麟被罷相為太子少傅。改封兗國公。二年（759年）七月卒，追贈太子太傅，賻絹二百匹，謚號德。下葬當日，詔京兆府差官護送，所須由官府報銷。

李麟好學能文，曾編寫收集唐朝制集五十卷，在當時流行。

評價

• 《舊唐書》史臣曰：麟修整，（李）峘循良，匪躬立事，始終無玷者，皆宗室之英也。

子

• 李全，登封令

注釋