早年

李昭德出自隴西李氏，是北魏奉朝請、雍州大中正、寧朔將軍、奉車都尉、新城永安二郡守李眾慶的玄孫，北周儀同三司、京兆郡大中正、雍州刺史、宕渠郡守、司藩大夫、光州刺史李亮的曾孫，隋朝殿中侍御史、菊潭縣令、侍御史、岐州渭濱縣令、司隸刺史、朝請大夫、洛陽縣令、唐朝通直散騎侍郎李偉節的孫子，唐朝銀青光祿大夫、守司刑太常伯李乾祐的兒子。李乾祐在唐太宗貞觀年間為殿中侍御史，曾經勸諫太宗。其母去世時，唐太宗遣使就墓弔喪，旌表其門。李乾祐雖強直有器幹，而暱于小人，因為不謹慎而貶官。李昭德是李乾祐的庶子，強勢幹練有父風，年輕時通過科舉明經。他被提拔為御史中丞，唐睿宗永昌元年（689年），他因事被貶為振州陵水（今海南陵水）尉，不久李昭德被召回，當時增置夏官侍郎三員，和婁師德、侯知一任夏官侍郎。

武則天時代

宰相

690年，武則天取代兒子睿宗李旦，自為皇帝，建立武周。692年，夏官侍郎李昭德上疏密奏武則天的侄子魏王武承嗣為宰相，權力太大。武則天回應：「他是我的侄子，我信任他。」李昭德說：

武則天同意了。692年秋八月，她解除了武承嗣、武攸寧和楊執柔三個親戚的相位。同時，李昭德被任命為鳳閣侍郎（鳳閣，中書省）、同鳳閣鸞臺平章事。崔元綜、姚璹、李元素、崔神基與他同日為相。數日後王璿為相。當時，鳳閣舍人張嘉福令洛陽人王慶之率輕薄惡少數百人詣闕上表，主張立武承嗣為太子，廢黜皇嗣李旦。武則天並沒有同意，但王慶之時常入宮請求皇帝。武則天命李昭德詰責王慶之，李昭德命人將王慶之打死，眾輕薄惡少散去。李昭德回奏武則天：

武則天同意李昭德的建議，沒有立武承嗣為太子。武承嗣知道後又向武則天詆毀李昭德，武則天說：「自我任昭德，每獲高臥，是代我勞苦，非汝所及也。」

武則天營建神都洛陽，李昭德規創文昌臺（尚書省）及定鼎門、上東門諸門，標置華壯。原來，隋煬帝營造東都洛陽，沒有外城，只有低矮的圍牆。李昭德此時開始營建東都外城。洛水有二橋，唐高宗上元年間，司農卿韋機將一橋遷到長夏門外，洛陽人甚以為便，所以廢利涉橋，所省之錢以萬計。民利之，其一橋廢，省巨萬計。但是每年被洛水衝注，常勞廢修繕。李昭德開始累石替代橋柱，銳其前來分水勢，從此水無患。

李昭德為人耿直，有人從洛水中撈到一個白石頭，上面有幾個赤紅點，進宮進獻討好皇帝。諸宰相詰責，這人說：「此石赤心，所以來進。」李昭德怒叱：「此石赤心，那洛水中其他石頭豈不是全造反了？」李昭德常常參奏橫行不法的酷吏，來俊臣拋棄原妻而娶太原王慶詵之女，侯思止也奏娶趙郡李自挹之女，皇帝下敕命政事堂共商。李昭德拍手對諸宰相說：「大可笑！往年俊臣賊劫王慶詵女，已大辱國。今日此奴又請索李自挹女，無乃複辱國耶！」最後，侯思止私自貯存朝廷禁止民間使用的絲錦，李昭德親自在朝堂杖殺侯思止。

694年，李昭德檢校內史（鳳閣首長）。武則天派她的男寵和尚薛懷義率軍攻打後突厥汗國，李昭德和另一個宰相蘇味道為薛懷義的行軍長史，沒有遇到突厥軍而回軍。李昭德和薛懷義不和，他常常被懷義鞭打，李昭德恐懼請罪。

李昭德為宰相，掌握權力，性格高傲，和同事不和。婁師德行動遲緩，李昭德上朝時得等著他，罵他為田舍夫。前魯王府功曹參軍丘愔、長上果毅鄧註上奏李昭德專權，武則天開始猜忌李昭德。694年秋九月廿一日，貶李昭德為南賓（今廣西欽州）縣尉，不久又減死流放。695年正月，周允元與司刑少卿皇甫文備上奏說內史豆盧欽望、同平章事韋巨源、杜景儉、蘇味道、陸元方依附李昭德，同被罷相。

流放歸來和被殺

李昭德後被召回為監察御史，司僕少卿來俊臣仗勢貪求女色，通過誣告謀反，奪取官民妻妾，李昭德非常恨他，還多次羞辱秋官侍郎皇甫文備。697年，兩人因此誣告李昭德謀反，李昭德被下獄。

來俊臣又誣告武氏諸王和太平公主、李旦、廬陵王李哲謀反。河東人衛遂忠告發來俊臣由此想竊取權力。697年6月26日（六月初三日），李昭德和來俊臣被同日處死，當時的人都痛惜李昭德，對處死來俊臣拍手稱快。唐中宗神龍二年（706年）贈李昭德左御史大夫。唐德宗建中三年（782年），加贈司空。

子李元紘，和後來的宰相李元紘不是同一人。

注釋

Background

It is not known when Li Zhaode was born, but it is known that his family was from the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an. His father Li Qianyou (李乾佑) served as an imperial censor during the reign of Tang's second emperor Emperor Taizong and later as minister of justice during the reign of Emperor Taizong's son and Wu Zetian's husband Emperor Gaozong, and was known for his honesty but carelessness with words. Li Zhaode was the son of a concubine of Li Qianyou, and was said to be capable and strong-willed like his father, and he passed the imperial examination when he was young. He was eventually promoted to be an assistant censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng), but in 689, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong's son Emperor Ruizong, he was accused of improprieties unspecified in history and briefly exiled to be the sheriff of Lingshui County (陵水, modern Lingshui, Hainan), but was eventually recalled to be one of the three deputy ministers of defense (夏官侍郎, Xiaguan Shilang), along with Lou Shide and Hou Zhiyi (侯知一).

Service under Wu Zetian

As chancellor

As of 692—after Wu Zetian had seized the throne from her son Emperor Ruizong in 690 and taken the throne herself, establishing Zhou and interrupting Tang—Li Zhaode was still serving as the deputy minister of defense when he secretly suggested to Wu Zetian that her nephew Wu Chengsi the Prince of Wei was becoming too powerful. She initially responded, "He is my nephew, and so I I trust him." Li Zhaode responded:

She was persuaded, and in fall 692, she reorganized her administration, removing Wu Chengsi, his cousin Wu Youning, and fellow chancellor Yang Zhirou from their positions as chancellors. As part of the reorganization, Li Zhaode was made Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), and given the designation of Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto; also made chancellors at the same time were Cui Yuanzong, Yao Shu, Li Yuansu, and Cui Shenji, and several days later, so was Wang Xuan. Around that time, there was a group of petitioners led by one Wang Qingzhi (王慶之), who advocated that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince, displacing her son Li Dan (the former Emperor Ruizong), and Wu Zetian, while not granting the petition, permitted Wang to see her frequently in the palace. However, Wang was coming to the palace too often, displeasing her, and she ordered Li Zhaode to batter Wang—and Li Zhaode, quite intentionally, battered Wang to death, causing the group of petitioners he led to disband. He then spoke to Wu Zetian:

Wu Zetian agreed with his rationale and did not make Wu Chengsi crown prince. Because of this, Wu Chengsi despised Li Zhaode and tried to speak against him, but Wu Zetian responded, "I can only sleep because I promoted Li Zhaode, as he took over the hard work on my behalf. Do not speak further."

Meanwhile, Wu Zetian was rebuilding the capital Luoyang to make it a magnificent capital, and Li Zhaode was particularly said to be responsible for the magnificence of the new executive bureau (文昌臺, Wenchang Tai) building, as well as Dingding and Shangdong Gates. He also built Luoyang's outer walls. Moreover, there was a bridge over the Luo River (洛水, flowing near Luoyang) near the Changxia Gate that the minister of agriculture Wei Ji (韋機) had built during Emperor Gaozong's reign that was useful and had heavy traffic, but was repeatedly damaged by the flow of the Luo River and required constant repairs. Li Zhaode devised a stone formation before the bridge that diverted the water strength, which allowed the bridge to stand without further damage. It was also said that Li Zhaode did much to try to curb the power of Wu Zetian's secret police officials, who were often falsely accusing people of treason and killing them, and that he, in particular, killed Hou Sizhi.

In 694, Li Zhaode was made acting Neishi (內史), the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor. Also around that time, Wu Zetian put her lover Huaiyi the Duke of E in command of an army against Eastern Tujue and made Li Zhaode and fellow chancellor Su Weidao Huaiyi's assistants, although Eastern Tujue forces withdrew before the army could launch, and therefore the army never set out. It was said that when Li Zhaode had a disagreement with Huaiyi, Huaiyi began to hit him, and Li Zhaode, despite his reputation for fortitude, was fearful and apologized.

Meanwhile, Li Zhaode gained a reputation for monopolizing power, drawing hatred from other officials. Later in 694, after petitions by the officials Qiu Yin (丘愔) and Deng Zhu (鄧注) that accused Li Zhaode of abuse of power, Wu Zetian began to dislike Li Zhaode. In fall 694, she demoted Li Zhaode to be the sheriff of Nanbin County (南賓, in modern Qinzhou, Guangxi). She also soon sentenced Li Zhaode to death but commuted the sentence to removal from office and exile. Fellow chancellors Doulu Qinwang, Wei Juyuan, Du Jingjian, Su, and Lu Yuanfang were accused of not being able to curb in Li Zhaode's abuses and were demoted.

Return from exile and death

At a later point, however, Li Zhaode was recalled from exile to serve as imperial censor (監察御史, Jiancha Yushi), and his enmity with the secret police official Lai Junchen, previously in place, was renewed. Further, on one occasion, he insulted Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備) the deputy minister of justice. In 697, Lai and Huangfu therefore falsely accused Li Zhaode of treason, and Li Zhaode was arrested.

Meanwhile, however, Lai himself was said to be plotting to further falsely accuse the Wu clan princes, Princess Taiping, Li Dan, and Li Dan's brother Li Zhe the Prince of Luling, of plotting treason. When this was revealed by his friend Wei Suizhong (衛遂忠), the Wu clan princes and Princess Taiping accused him of crimes. Later in 697, Lai and Li Zhaode were executed on the same day, and it was said that there was no one who did not mourn Li Zhaode while rejoicing at Lai's death. Li Zhaode was eventually posthumously honored during both the resumed reign of Li Zhe (Emperor Zhongzong) in 706 and Emperor Dezong in 782.