Qara Khitai
Great Liao 大遼 | |||||||||||||||||||
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1124–1218 | |||||||||||||||||||
empire in Central Asia | |||||||||||||||||||
Capital | Balasagun | ||||||||||||||||||
Common languages | |||||||||||||||||||
Religion | |||||||||||||||||||
Demonym(s) | Kara Khitan | ||||||||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||
Emperor | |||||||||||||||||||
• 1124–1143 | Emperor Dezong | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1144–1150 | Empress Gantian (regent) | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1150–1164 | Emperor Renzong | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1164–1178 | Empress Dowager Chengtian (regent) | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1178–1211 | Yelü Zhilugu | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1211–1218 | Kuchlug | ||||||||||||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||||
• Yelü Dashi proclaims himself king | 1124 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Fall of Liao dynasty | 1125 | ||||||||||||||||||
1132 | |||||||||||||||||||
• Yelü Dashi captures Balasagun and establishes capital | 1134 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Kuchlug usurps power | 1211 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Kuchlug executed by Mongols | 1218 | ||||||||||||||||||
• All former territories fully absorbed into Mongol Empire | 1220 | ||||||||||||||||||
Area | |||||||||||||||||||
1130 est.[4] | 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
1210 est.[5] | 1,500,000 km2 (580,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
Currency | cash coins | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Qara Khitai, or Kara Khitai (simplified Chinese: 哈剌契丹; traditional Chinese: 喀喇契丹; pinyin: Kālā Qìdān or Chinese: 黑契丹; pinyin: Hēi Qìdān; lit. 'Black Khitan'),[6] also known as the Western Liao (Chinese: 西遼; pinyin: Xī Liáo), officially the Great Liao (Chinese: 大遼; pinyin: Dà Liáo),[7][8] was a dynastic regime based in Central Asia ruled by the Yelü clan of the Khitan people.[9] Being a rump state of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty, Western Liao was culturally Sinicized to a large extent, especially among the elites consisting of Liao refugees.[9][10][11]
The dynasty was founded by Yelü Dashi (Emperor Dezong), who led the remnants of the Liao dynasty from Manchuria to Central Asia after fleeing from the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty conquest of northern China. The empire was usurped by the Naimans under Kuchlug in 1211; traditional Chinese, Persian, and Arab sources consider the usurpation to be the end of the dynasty,[12] even though the empire would not fall until the Mongol conquest in 1218. Some remnants of the Qara Khitai would form the Qutlugh-Khanid dynasty in southern Iran.
The territories of the Qara Khitai corresponded to parts of modern-day
Names
The Qara Khitai took on trappings of a Chinese state and inherited the dynastic name "Great Liao".[8][15][16] Hence, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese historians generally refer to the empire as the "Western Liao", emphasizing its continuation from the Liao dynasty.
The name "Qara Khitai", commonly used by Central Asian tribes to refer to the dynasty, is also commonly used in Western scholarly works. The term is often translated as the Black Khitans in Mongolian, but its original meaning is unclear today.[17] In Modern Mongolian, "Kara-Khitan" is rendered "Хар Хятан" (Khar Khyatan). Since no direct records from the empire survive today, the only surviving historical records about the empire come from foreign sources.
"Black Khitans" (黑契丹) has also been seen used in Chinese. "Qara," which literally means "black," corresponds with the Liao's dynastic color black and its dynastic element water, according to the theory of
History
Founding of the Qara Khitai
The Qara Khitai empire was established by
Yelü Dashi had originally hoped to recapture northern China from the Jin dynasty and restore the territories once held by the Liao dynasty.[21][22] However, he soon discovered the relative weakness of his empire vis-a-vis the Jin dynasty and gave up the idea[22] after a disastrous attack on the Jin dynasty in 1134.[23] The Western Liao continued to defy Jin supremacy in 1146, and continued sending scouts and small military units against the Jin in 1156, 1177, 1185, 1188. This indicates that for the first 2 generations there remained considerable interest in reconquest.[24]
Yelü Dashi's successors
When Yelü Dashi died his wife, Xiao Tabuyan (1143-1150) became regent for their son. The son, Yelü Yilie, ruled from 1150 to 1163, to be succeeded by his sister, Yelü Pusuwan (1164-1177). She then fell in love with her younger brother-in-law, Xiao Fuguzhi. They were executed in 1177 by her father-in-law, Xiao Wolila, who then placed his son Yelü Zhilugu (1178–1211) on the throne. The empire was weakened by rebellions and internal wars among its vassals, especially during the latter parts of its history.
During this period the empire contracted in the northeast when in 1175 the
Kuchlug's usurpation and end of the Khanate
In 1208, a Naiman prince, Kuchlug, fled his homeland after being defeated by Mongols. Kuchlug was welcomed into the empire of the Qara-Khitans, and was allowed to marry Zhilugu's daughter. However, in 1211, Kuchlug revolted, and later captured Yelü Zhilugu while the latter was hunting. Zhilugu was allowed to remain as the nominal ruler but died two years later, and many historians regarded his death as the end of the Qara-Khitan empire. In 1216, Genghis Khan dispatched his general Jebe to pursue Kuchlug; Kuchlug fled, but in 1218, he was finally captured and decapitated. The Mongols fully conquered the former territories of the Qara-Khitans in 1220.
Aftermath
The Qara Khitais became absorbed into the
Administration
The Khitans ruled from their capital at
The Khitan rulers adopted many administrative elements from the Liao dynasty, including the use of Confucian administration and imperial trappings. The empire also adopted the title of Gurkhan (universal Khan). The Khitans used the Chinese calendar, maintained Chinese imperial and administrative titles, gave its emperors reign names, used Chinese-styled coins, and sent imperial seals to its vassals.[27] Although most of its administrative titles were derived from Chinese, the empire also adopted local administrative titles, such as tayangyu (Turkic) and vizier.
The Khitans maintained their old customs, even in Central Asia. They remained nomads, adhered to their traditional dress, and maintained the religious practices followed by the Liao dynasty Khitans. The ruling elite tried to maintain the traditional marriages between the Yelü king clan and the Xiao queen clan, and were highly reluctant to allow their princesses to marry outsiders. The Qara-Khitai Khitans followed a mix of Buddhism and traditional Khitan religion, which included fire worship and tribal customs, such as the tradition of sacrificing a gray ox with a white horse. In an innovation unique to the Qara Khitai, the Khitans paid each of their soldiers a salary.
The empire ruled over a diverse population that was quite different from its rulers. The majority of the population was sedentary, although the population suddenly became more nomadic during the end of the empire, due to the influx of Naimans. The majority of their subjects were Muslims, although a significant minority practiced Buddhism and Nestorianism. Although Chinese and Khitan were the primary languages of administration, the empire also administered in Persian and Uyghur.[1]
Association with China
In
After the fall of the Tang dynasty, various dynasties of non-Han ethnic origins gained prestige by portraying themselves as the legitimate dynasty of China. Qara Khitai monarchs used the title of "Chinese emperor",[29][30] and were also called the "Khan of Chīn".[31] The Qara Khitai used the "image of China" to legitimize their rule to the Central Asians. The Chinese emperor, together with the rulers of the Turks, Arabs, India and the Byzantine Romans, were known to Islamic writers as the world's "five great kings".[32] Qara Khitai kept the trappings of a Chinese state, such as Chinese coins, Chinese imperial titles, the Chinese writing system, tablets, seals, and used Chinese products like porcelain, mirrors, jade and other Chinese customs. The adherence to Liao Chinese traditions has been suggested as a reason why the Qara Khitai did not convert to Islam.[33] Despite the Chinese trappings, there were comparatively few Han Chinese among the population of the Qara Khitai.[34] These Han Chinese had lived in Kedun during the Liao dynasty,[35] and in 1124 migrated with the Khitans under Yelü Dashi along with other people of Kedun, such as the Bohai, Jurchen, and Mongol tribes, as well as other Khitans in addition to the Xiao consort clan.[36]
Qara Khitai's rule over the Muslim-majority
Legacy
The association of Khitai with China meant that the most enduring trace of the Khitan's power is names that are derived from it, such as Cathay, which is the medieval Latin appellation for China. Names derived from Khitai are still current in modern usage, such as the Russian, Bulgarian, Uzbek and Mongolian names for China.[19] However, the use of the name Khitai to mean "China" or "Chinese" by Turkic speakers within China, such as the Uyghurs, is considered pejorative by the Chinese authorities, who tried to ban it.[39]
Seals
In Autumn of the year 2019 a Chinese type bronze seal was discovered near a Caravanserai that was located near the Ustyurt Plateau.[40] This seal has a weight of 330 grams and has the dimensions of 50x52x13 millimeters with a handle that is 21 millimeters in height.[40] The inscription of the seal is written in Khitan large script and contains 20 characters.[40] This was the first seal that could be confidently attributed to the a Western Liao period as it is attributed to have been created during the 3rd month of the year Tianxi 20 (or the year 1197 in the Gregorian calendar) during the reign of Emperor Yelü Zhilugu.[40] The discovery of this seal further indicated that the Qara Khitai Khanate adopted the Chinese administrative practice, as such seals were commonly used in the Imperial Chinese government apparatus.[40]
As of 2020 it is unclear if the same regulations on seals existed in Qara Khitai as did in imperial China and if the sizes of Western Liao seals were standardised or not.[40]
Sovereigns of Qara Khitai
Temple names (廟號 miàohào) | Posthumous names (諡號 shìhào) | Birth Names | Convention[citation needed] | Period of Reign | Era names (年號 niánhào) and their according range of years |
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Dezong (德宗 Dézōng) | Emperor Tianyou Wulie (天祐武烈皇帝 Tiānyòu Wǔliè Huángdì) | Yelü Dashi (耶律大石 Yēlǜ Dàshí or 耶律達實 Yēlǜ Dáshí)1 | use birth name | 1124–1144 | Yanqing (延慶 Yánqìng) 1124 or 1125–1134 Kangguo (康國 Kāngguó) 1134–1144 |
Not applicable | Empress Gantian (感天皇后 Gǎntiān Huánghòu) (regent) | Xiao Tabuyan (蕭塔不煙 Xiāo Tǎbùyān) | "Western Liao" + posthumous name | 1144–1150 | Xianqing (咸清 Xiánqīng) 1144–1150 |
Renzong (仁宗 Rénzōng) | did not exist | Yelü Yilie (耶律夷列 Yēlǜ Yíliè) | "Western Liao" + temple name | 1150–1164 | Shaoxing (紹興 Shàoxīng) or Xuxing (Xùxīng 續興)2 1150–1164 |
Not applicable | Empress Dowager Chengtian (承天太后 Chéngtiān Tàihòu) (regent) | Yelü Pusuwan (耶律普速完 Yēlǜ Pǔsùwán) | "Western Liao" + posthumous name | 1164–1178 | Chongfu (崇福 Chóngfú) 1164–1178 |
did not exist | Mozhu (末主 Mòzhǔ "Last Lord") or Modi (末帝 Mòdì "Last Emperor") | Yelü Zhilugu (耶律直魯古 Yēlǜ Zhílǔgǔ) | use birth name | 1178–1211 | Tianxi (天禧 Tiānxī or Tiānxǐ 天喜)3 1178–1218 |
did not exist | did not exist | Kuchlug (屈出律 Qūchūlǜ) | use birth name | 1211–1218 | |
1 "Dashi" might be the Chinese title "Taishi", meaning "vizier"; or, it could mean "Stone" in Turkish, as the Chinese transliteration suggests. 2 Recently discovered Western Liao coins have the era name "Xuxing", suggesting that the era name "Shaoxing" recorded in Chinese sources may be incorrect.[41] |
See also
Part of a series on the |
History of China |
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History of Xinjiang |
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History of Kazakhstan | |
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743–1220 | |
Oghuz | 750–1055 |
Kara-Khanid | 840–1212 |
Qara Khitai | 1124–1218 |
Mongol Empire | 1206–1368 |
Golden Horde | 1240s–1446 |
Uzbek Khanate | 1428-1465 |
Kazakh Khanate | 1465–1847 |