Liao Dynasty 907-1125 CE
The Liao Dynasty 907-1125 CE was the first of the dynasties of conquest. It was founded by the Grand Kahn Abouji in 907. It was founded as the Khitan Empire, but would later be known as the Liao Dynasty. At the peak of its power, the Liao Dynasty encompassed Mongolia and parts of Manchuria and a small strip of China Proper. They developed a system of dual governments to rule over both Khitan and Han Chinese peoples. The dynasty would last until 1125 when the Khitans were conquered by the Jurchen people.
Beginnings
The Khitan
The Khitan were a proto-mongolian people from the steppe of Manchuria. Like the other peoples on the steppe, the Khitan were a tribal, nomadic people. They practiced agriculture, animal husbandry and hunting. Horses were an important part of life for the Khitan, all men learned to ride and shoot and were potential warriors. The Khitan family unit was a clan, and many different clans formed a tribe. A tribal chief would be selected to lead a tribe based on military acumen. A tribe alone was relatively weak but a confederation of tribes united posed a significant military threat. Decisions were not made by a single leader, rather decisions were made from a meeting of all the tribe leaders in the confederation. (Ebrey 164-167)
Their Dealings with the Tang
In times of peace Khitan tribes largely kept to themselves. Only in times of warfare would the tribes unite into a confederation and a leader elected. This made the Khitan weak and vulnerable. When China was strong, they were drawn into their influence. When China was weak, the Khitan became vassals to other nomadic peoples on the steppe. When the Tang Dynasty came into power they projected their influence onto the northern steppe. The Khitan were drawn into the Tang Tributary system. The Khitan and the Tang would occasionally enjoy times of good relations. During the good times, some members of the Khitan Li tribe were appointed to office and noble ranks in the Tang court. Several Khitan even served as Tang generals. The alliance between the Khitan and Tang would not last for very long. Internal turmoil beween the Khitan tribes caused relations to deteriorate. A series of rebellions by the Khitan would attempt to free themselves of Tang control, but each time the Khitan were routed by the Tang military. The Khitan did not take advantage of times of Tang weakness. This was mostly as a result of the Khitan being vassals to the Uighars who had assumed control of the steppe region. By the time of the Uighars' collapse, the Khitan were on good terms with the Tang and had renewed their alliance. (Franke & Twitchett, The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 6, 44-51)
The Rise of Abaoji
The Liao Dynasty
Liao Rule
The Downfall
The Jurchen Encroachment
Western Liao Dynasty
References
- De Bary, WM. Theodore, and Irene Bloom, eds. Sources of Chinese Tradition, vol 1, From Earliest Times to 1600. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.
- Ebrey, Patricia. Cambridge Illustrated History of China, Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
- Lary, Diana. Chinese Migrations: The Movement of People, Goods, and Ideas Over Four Millennia. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2012.
- Twitchett, Denis, and John K. Fairbank, eds. The Cambridge History of China: Volume 5, Part One: The Sung Dynasty and its Precursors, 907-1279. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
- Twitchett, Denis, and Herbert Franke, eds. The Cambridge History of China: Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
- Wittfogel, Karl A., "Public Office in The Liao Dynasty and The Chinese Examination System", Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jun., 1947), pp. 13-40