Dynasties of ChinaLiao, Song, Xia, Jin & Yuan · Coexisting states
9 Liao emperors · AD 907-1125 · 9 generations of succession
The Khitans built a northern empire, ruled diverse peoples through different institutions, and secured over a century of coexistence with Northern Song after the Chanyuan Treaty.
Dynastic color · Camel brown
Liao dynasty was a dynasty established by the Khitan people. The Khitans belong to the Donghu tribe and were first recorded in historical records during the Northern Wei Dynasty. They have been nomadic in the Huanghe (now Xilamulun River) and Tuhe (now Laoha River) basins for a long time. In 907, Yelü Abaoji, the leader of the Diela tribe, replaced the Yaonian clan as the Khitan Khan. In 916, he imitated the Central Plains system and proclaimed himself emperor. In 926, the Bohai Kingdom was destroyed; in 936, Taizong Yelü Deguang assisted Li Shi Jingtang to destroy the Later Tang Dynasty and gained the sixteen states of Yanyun; in 947, they invaded Kaifeng and destroyed the Later Jin Dynasty, and changed the country's name to Daliao.
In the early Liao Dynasty, the throne of the emperor was fought for several times between the two lines of Taizu's eldest son Yelü Bei and his second son Yelü Deguang, and it was only stabilized at Jingzong. Shengzong came to the throne at a young age, and Xiao Chuo, the Queen Mother of Chengtian, was regent. She re-appointed Han Derang, Yelü Xiuge and others, rectified the administration, opened up new schools to recruit scholars, repelled the Northern Expedition of the Song army, and went south to sign the Chanyuan Treaty with the Northern Song in 1004. Since then, the two countries have maintained peace for more than a hundred years. The Shengzong and Xingzong dynasties were the heyday of the Liao Dynasty. The "History of Liao" stated that its territory "reached the sea in the east, Jinshan Mountain in the west, Jiyu Liusha, Luqu River in the north, and Baigou in the south, covering an area of thousands of miles."
After the Daozong Dynasty, the powerful minister Yelü Yixin framed the Queen and the Crown Prince, and the government became increasingly corrupt; Emperor Tianzuo indulged in hunting and punished the Jurchen tribes without restraint. In 1114, Wanyan Aguda rebelled against the Liao and established Jin dynasty the following year. The Liao army suffered repeated defeats. Jin also formed a "Sea Alliance" with Northern Song to attack Liao Dynasty. Emperor Tianzuo was captured by the Jin army in Yingzhou in 1125, and Liao Dynasty perished. Prior to this, the clan Yelü Dashi had led his troops to the west, and later established the Western Liao Dynasty in Central Asia. It died in Mongolia in 1218.
The Liao Emperor maintained the nomadic tradition and traveled to fixed camps throughout the four seasons: hunting geese and fishing in the spring, avoiding the heat in the summer, shooting deer in the autumn, and avoiding the cold in the winter. In winter and summer, officials from the north and south were summoned to discuss state affairs. The place where the emperor camped was the political center.
The Liao Dynasty successively established Linhuang Prefecture in Shangjing, Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo, Xijin Prefecture in Nanjing, Dading Prefecture in Zhongjing, and Datong Prefecture in Xijing, each of which was an administrative center. Nanjing, now Beijing, had prosperous household registrations, and Beijing began to become the capital of the dynasty.
In 920, Taizu ordered Yelv Tu Lu Bu, Yelu Lu Bu Gu and others to imitate Chinese characters to create large Khitan characters; later Yelu Diela was inspired by Uighur script and created small Khitan characters with more pinyin components. The two kinds of writing were parallel to Chinese characters and were not abolished until Zhangzong in Jin Dynasty.
Liao dynasty believed in Buddhism, carved and printed the "Khitan Tibetan", and continued to engrave the Fangshan Stone Sutra. The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple in Yingxian County, Shanxi was built in 1056 and is more than 60 meters high. It is the oldest and tallest existing wooden pavilion-style tower in the world; the Guanyin Pavilion of Dule Temple in Jizhou, Tianjin is also an original structure of the Liao Dynasty.
After the Chanyuan Treaty, the Liao and Song Dynasties called each other the Northern Dynasty and the Southern Dynasty. Envoys came and went every year, and bartering markets were set up on the border to trade with each other. Song people's books were widely circulated in Liao Dynasty. When Su Zhe went to Liao Dynasty as an envoy, the Liao people repeatedly asked him about his brother Su Shi.
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In 907, Yelü Abaoji, the leader of the Diela tribe, replaced Hende Jinyi Khan of the Yaonan clan and became the leader of the Khitan Alliance. He quelled the rebellion of his younger brothers, proclaimed himself emperor in 916, established the Yuan Dynasty Book of Gods, named his country Khitan, and built the imperial capital in 918 (later known as Shangjing Linhuang Mansion).
Abaoji personally conquered the Bohai Sea and broke through its capital, Huhan City. The last king of the Bohai Sea, Dacheng, surrendered. The Liao Dynasty changed the Bohai Sea to the Dongdan Kingdom and ruled it with the emperor Crown Prince Yelü Bei as the human emperor. In the same year, Abaoji died of illness in Buyeo Prefecture on his way home.
In the later Tang Dynasty, Shi Jingtang, the governor of Hedong Province, rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and asked Khitan for help. He treated him as a father and promised to cut off the sixteen states of Yanyun. Taizong Yelü Deguang led his army south to help him destroy the Later Tang Dynasty and establish the Later Jin Dynasty. In 938, the Sixteen Prefectures were officially returned to the Liao Dynasty, and Youzhou was promoted to Nanjing.
After Taizong got Yanyun, the officials were divided into N & S: the officials in the north were responsible for the affairs of palaces, tribes, and vassal states, and the officials in the south imitated the Central Plains system and governed Han prefectures and counties, renting taxes, and military and horse affairs. "History of the Liao" summarizes it as "governing the Khitans according to the national system, and treating the Han people according to the Han system", that is, "governing according to customs".
Emperor Chushi Zhonggui of the Later Jin Dynasty declared himself a grandson but not a minister to the Liao Dynasty. Taizong made three southern expeditions, invaded Kaifeng, destroyed the Later Jin Dynasty, and changed the country's name to Daliao. The Liao army went out to plunder the "Dacao Valley" in four directions, which aroused the resistance of the soldiers and civilians in the Central Plains. Taizong was forced to return north, and died of illness on the way to Luancheng.
In 979, Song Taizong took advantage of the victory to attack Youzhou after destroying the Northern Han Dynasty, but was severely defeated by Yelü Xiuge and Yelü Xiezhen at the Gaoliang River. In 986, the Song army made a three-pronged Northern Expedition. Yelü Xiuge defeated the Song army on the east route at Qigou Pass, and Yelü Xiezhen captured Song general Yang Ye alive on the west route.
Jingzong died of illness, Shengzong, who was only twelve years old, came to the throne, and Empress Dowager Xiao Chuo came to serve as regent. She relied heavily on Han Derang, Yelü Xiezhen, Yelü Xiuge and other civil and military ministers to rectify the government and recruit scholars. The regency lasted for 27 years, and Liao dynasty entered its heyday.
Empress Dowager Xiao and Shengzong led the army southward and reached Chanzhou. Song Zhenzong was urged by Kou Zhun to personally conquer the Liao, but Liao general Xiao Talin was killed by a crossbow. The two sides negotiated a peace: the Song Dynasty would export 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 pieces of silk to Liao every year, and the two countries would become brotherly countries.
Xingzong took advantage of the war between Song and Xia and sent envoys to ask for the ten counties in Guannan that were recovered by Shizong in the later Zhou Dynasty. Song Dynasty sent Fu Bi to negotiate back and forth, and finally settled the dispute with an annual increase of 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 pieces of silk, which was known in history as "Chongxi Increasing Coins".
Yelü Yixin, the privy envoy of the North Courtyard, had exclusive power and used the erotic poem "Shixiang Ci" to frame the queen Xiao Guanyin for having an affair with a leading official. Daozong ordered the queen to commit suicide. In 1077, Yi Xin falsely accused Crown Prince Yelü Jun of treason. Crown Prince was deposed and killed. Liao dynasty politics deteriorated rapidly.
Agu, the leader of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe, could not stand the oppression of Liao dynasty, so he rebelled against Liao and defeated the Liao army in Ningjiangzhou and Chuhedian. In 1115, he proclaimed himself emperor and established Jin dynasty. In the same year, Emperor Tianzuo personally led the army to the east, but was defeated by the Jin army at Hubu Dagang with a small victory and a large number.
The clan Yelü Dashi was at odds with Emperor Tianzuo, so he led his troops to go west to Kedun City, gathered all the tribes, and proclaimed himself emperor in Yemi in 1132, named Ju'er Khan, and was known as Xiliao in history. In 1141, Xiliao defeated the Seljuk coalition at Katwan and dominated Central Asia. It was destroyed by Mongolia in 1218.
The Jin army broke through the five capitals one after another, Emperor Tianzuo fled into Jiashan, and Yanjing once established Yelü Chun as emperor. In 1125, Emperor Tianzuo was captured by Jin general Wanyan Loushi in Yingzhou and was granted the title of King of Haibin. Liao dynasty, which had been a country for more than 200 years, was destroyed.
A member of the Khitan Diela tribe. He unified all Khitan tribes, was appointed Khan in 907, and proclaimed himself emperor in 916. He appointed Han Yanhui, Han Zhigu and other Han counselors to build cities, set up prefectures and counties to resettle Han people, and created Khitan writing. In 926, Bohai was destroyed and he died of illness on the way to class.
He was first a Uighur and was brave and often participated in military and state affairs. After Taizu's death, she was called the emperor, and she used the name of burial to kill dissidents. She cut off her right wrist and placed it in the coffin, and she was known as the "Queen Mother of the Broken Wrist". He urged his second son, Deguang, to ascend the throne. Later, he failed to compete with Shizong for the throne and was imprisoned in Zuzhou.
Taizu's eldest son was established as the Crown Prince early on. He is familiar with Han culture, good at collecting books and painting. "Xuanhe Painting Book" records more than ten of his paintings. After destroying Bohai, he was granted the title of King of Humanity and governed the Dongdan Kingdom. After the throne passed to his younger brother Deguang, he was jealous. In 930, he defected to the Later Tang Dynasty and was later killed.
Taizu's second son ascended the throne in 927 with the support of his mother, Shu Lüping. Supported the establishment of Shi Jingtang as the emperor of the later Jin Dynasty, obtained the sixteen states of Yanyun, and set up N & S officials to divide and rule. In 947, the Later Jin Dynasty was destroyed, and the name of the country was changed to Daliao in Kaifeng. However, due to the rebellion of the Central Plains army and people, he returned to the north and died of illness in Luancheng.
The small name is Yanyan, Queen Jingzong, known as Queen Mother Xiao in history. Jingzong was sick, and she had participated in the government affairs; Shengzong was regent for twenty-seven years after taking the throne, relying on Han Derang and others to eliminate bad governance, repel the Northern Expedition of the Song army, and personally led the army southward to promote the Chanyuan Treaty and establish a century-old peace between the Liao and Song Dynasties.
Han Chinese, his grandfather Han Zhigu was a hero of Taizu. In 979, the Song army besieged Youzhou, and he assisted in the defense of the city. Empress Dowager Xiao relied heavily on her to take charge of the affairs of the court. She was promoted to prime minister, was granted the title of King of Jin, and was given the surname of Yelu and the name of Longyun. He was the highest-ranking Han minister in the Liao Dynasty.
The word is Xunning. In 979, the Song army was defeated at the Gaoliang River. Song Taizong was injured and escaped in a donkey cart. In 986, he defeated the main force of the Song army at Qigou Pass and was granted the title of King of Song Dynasty. He has been in charge of military affairs in the south for a long time, and has clear rewards and punishments. According to legend, people in the Song Dynasty used "Yu Yue is here" to scare children from crying.
The grandson of Yelü Helu, was recommended by Xiao Siwen and was highly employed by Jingzong. In the Battle of Gaoliang River, he joined forces with Yelü Xiuge to attack the Song Army; during the Northern Expedition of the Song Army in 986, he defeated the Song Army on the west route and captured the famous general Yang Ye alive. Later, he participated in state affairs with Han Derang. In 999, he accompanied Empress Dowager Xiao on the southern expedition and died in the army.
A monk from the Liao Dynasty, whose courtesy name was Guangji, he was proficient in calligraphy. In 997, the calligraphy book "Dragon Shrine Hand Mirror" was compiled, containing more than 26,000 characters, arranged according to radicals and four tones, and preserving a large number of common characters and characters used in Buddhist scriptures. The people of the Song Dynasty renamed it "Dragon Shrine Handbook" because they avoided taboos when reprinting it.
Mother of Crown Prince Yelü Jun. He is good at poetry and poetry, and is good at playing the pipa. He has written ten poems for "Hui Xin Yuan". Most of his poems are included in Wang Ding's "Fengjiao Lu". In 1075, he was falsely accused by Yelü Yixin of having an affair with a leading actor based on his "Ten Fragrance Ci" and was sentenced to death. After Emperor Tianzuo ascended the throne, he was posthumously named Queen Xuanyi.
After pacifying the Yelü Zhongyuan rebellion, he served as the privy envoy of the Beiyuan, and was granted the title of King of Wei. He was authoritative and domineering. He successively framed Queen Xiao Guanyin and Crown Prince Yelü Jun, causing their unjust deaths, and also murdered the emperor's grandson Yelü Yanxi. He was defeated and demoted, and in 1083 he was executed for hiding soldiers and plotting to defect to the Song Dynasty.
The son of Shunzong Yelü Jun, his father died when he was young and he was raised by Daozong. After taking the throne, he indulged in hunting. In 1115, he personally conquered the Jurchens and was defeated at Hubu Dagang. After that, he suffered repeated defeats and fled into Jiashan in 1122. He was captured by the Jin army in Yingzhou in 1125 and was granted the title of Haibin King. He died in Jin Dynasty in 1128.
The eighth grandson of Taizu, he was a Jinshi in 1115 and entered the Hanlin Academy. The Khitan called the Hanlin "Linya" and was known as Dashi Linya. In 1124, he led his troops to the west. In 1132, he proclaimed himself emperor in Yemil, named Juer Khan, and made his capital Husi O'er. In 1141, he defeated the Seljuq coalition and dominated Central Asia.