/draft1 Fanzhen (in Mandarin Chinese 藩镇 ) name for the renegade military governors of border provinces during the Tang dynasty, particularly during and after the An Shi Rebellion. An important example is An Lushan, the provincial governor and military commander who started the An Shi Rebellion against the Tang emperor Xuanzong in 900 CE. An Lushan proclaimed himself emperor in 756, but was killed by his son in the following year. Tang power was re-established by 763, when the rebellion was quelled.

In exchange for guarding the empire's frontiers, the early Tang emperors had granted provincial military governors, or Jiedushi, the right to raise and command their own armies and levy taxes within the boundaries of their commands. When many such positions became, in effect, hereditary within various noble families, the transition to a feudal system was complete. The An Shi Rebellion allowed many Jiedushi on the outskirts of the Tang Empire to gain significant autonomy. Many became virtual warlords. Subsequent Tang emperors were unsuccessful in curtailing the power of the Fanzhen. In particular, Emperor Dezong (780-805) was driven from his capital, Chang An, after an unsuccessful attempt to subjugate the Fanzhen. The Emperor Xianzong (805-820) experienced some success against the Fanzhen, but at the cost of empowering the eunuchs who had come to dominate the life of the Imperial Court. Xianzong died in 820, perhaps as the result of court intrigue, and his successors were unable to stop the dynasty's decline. The ambitions of the Jiedushi, in tandem with the corruption of the Imperial Court eunuchs, who dominated the central civil administration and even attained high military command under the later Tang, contributed to the eventual disintegration of the Tang monarchy. A brief resurgence under the Emperors Wuzong and Xuānzong failed to halt the eventual decline of the dynasty, which collapsed following a further series of revolts that included the Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao rebellions.

Parallels are evident between the rise of the Fanzhen in Tang China and the rise of feudalism in medieval Europe.