禁軍對於五代政權而言，可謂立國的主要軍事憑藉，及左右時局的重要因素，五代政權的幾番更迭遞嬗，莫不以禁軍動向為依歸。如後梁太祖朱溫在有效掌控唐末禁軍後，便與自己的宣武鎮軍合勢而滅唐建梁；郢王朱友珪、後梁末帝朱友貞均借禁軍之力發動宮廷政變；後唐明宗李嗣源、後漢高祖劉知遠則均曾為前朝禁軍統帥，在取得禁軍支持後奪得皇位；後唐末帝李從珂則是將朝廷派往討伐自己的禁軍納為己有後取得政權；後晉高祖石敬瑭稱帝雖靠契丹，然起因於其擔任禁軍統帥遭君王猜忌所造成；後周太祖郭威於後漢時在名義上雖未曾擔任禁軍統帥，但卻長期擔任樞密使，並以樞密使之職多次帶兵作戰，可謂為後漢實際上的禁軍統帥，故其得以立國亦是依靠禁軍的擁戴。因此，本文試圖透過探討「五代禁軍」的源流與發展，釐清五代君主與禁軍將領之間的唯妙關係，從而分析「五代禁軍」何以成為影響政權更迭之因素，以定義、說明「五代禁軍」及其時代特色。
In the Chinese history, the period of the Five Dynasties was the most unstable with frequent changed regimes. Within 53 years, there were totally 5 dynasties, 8 surnames and 13 emperors. According to Ouyang Hsiu’s thinking, the rise and fall of political powers in Five Dynasties relied much on imperial guards. This essay aims to discuss the origins and developments of the imperial guards, and to analyze the reasons why the imperial guards affected regime to change. The purpose of this essay is to explain and clarify the temporal characteristics of the imperial guards in Five Dynasties.
