Jin, known as the Later Jìn (, 936–947) or the Shi Jin (石晉) in historiography, was an
imperial dynasty of China and the third of the
Five Dynasties
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
during the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
. It was founded by
Shi Jingtang
Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942'' Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name Gaozu (), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
(Emperor Gaozu) with aid from the
Liao dynasty
The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...
, which assumed suzerainty over the Later Jin. After Later Jin's second ruler,
Shi Chonggui (Emperor Chu), fell out with the Liao dynasty, the Liao invaded in 946 and in 947, annihilated the Later Jin and annexed its former territories.
Founding the Later Jin
The first
sinicized Shatuo state,
Later Tang
Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
The first three of the Later Tang's four ...
, was founded in 923 by
Li Cunxu
Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) and later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty (r. 923 ...
, son of the Shatuo chieftain
Li Keyong
Li Keyong () (October 24, 856 – February 24, 908) was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 a Prince of Jin (, ''Jin Wang''), which would become an independent state after the fall of the Tang dyn ...
. It extended Shatuo domains from their base in
Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-leve ...
to most of
North China
North China, or Huabei () is a geographical region of China, consisting of the provinces of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. Part of the larger region of Northern China (''Beifang''), it lies north of the Qinling–Hu ...
, and into
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...
.
After
Li Cunxu
Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) and later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty (r. 923 ...
’s death, his adopted son,
Li Siyuan became emperor. However, the Shatuo relationship with the
Khitans, which was vital to their rise to power, had soured.
Shi Jingtang
Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942'' Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name Gaozu (), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
, the son-in-law of
Li Cunxu
Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) and later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty (r. 923 ...
, rebelled against him, and with the help of the Khitan, declared himself emperor of the Later Jin in 936.
The Later Jin founder
Shi Jingtang
Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942'' Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name Gaozu (), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
claimed patrilineal
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...
ancestry. Noting that
Shi 石 is a typical Chinese surname borne by Sogdians, Barenghi (2014) traces Shi Jingtang's origin to the Anqing Shi (安慶石). Anqing was one of the three Shatuo tribes, besides
Chuyue (處月) and formerly
Türgesh
The Türgesh or Türgish ( otk, 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰏𐰾:𐰉𐰆𐰑, Türügeš budun, Türgesh people; ; Old Tibetan: ''Du-rgyas'') were a Turkic tribal confederation. Once belonging to the Duolu wing of the Western Turkic ''On Oq'' elites, Tü ...
-associated Suoge (娑葛).
In the Later Jin, there were Dukedoms for the offspring of the royal families of the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...
,
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and la ...
, and
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
. This practice was referred to as the two crownings and the three respects (
二王三恪).
The Tang Imperial Longxi Li lineage (
隴西李氏) also included sub-lineages like the Guzang Li (姑臧李). Li Zhuanmei (
李專美) descended from the Guzang Li and served the Later Jin.
Territory
The Later Jin held essentially the same territories as the
Later Tang
Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
The first three of the Later Tang's four ...
, except for Sichuan, which had been lost by the Later Tang in its waning years and had become independent as
Later Shu
Shu (referred to as Later Shu () to differentiate it from Former Shu, other states named Shu in Chinese history), also known as Meng Shu (), was one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China. It was located ...
.
The other major exception was a region known as the
Sixteen Prefectures
The Sixteen Prefectures () comprise a historical region in northern China along the Great Wall in present-day Beijing, Tianjin, and northern Hebei and Shanxi.
Name
It is more specifically called the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun or the Si ...
. By this time in history, the Khitan had formed the Khitan Empire out of their steppe base. They had also become a major power broker in North China. They forced the Later Jin to cede the strategic Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitan. Consisting of a region about 70 to 100 miles wide and including modern-day
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
and points westward, it was considered a highly strategic region, and gave the Khitan even more influence in North China.
Relations with the Liao dynasty
The Later Jin had often been described as a puppet of the emerging
Khitan-led
Liao dynasty
The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...
. The help of their powerful northern neighbors was vital in the establishment of the Later Jin. The cession of the Sixteen Prefectures led to their derision as being the servants of the Liao dynasty.
After the death of the dynastic founder Shi Jingtang, his nephew, adopted son and successor Shi Chonggui defied the Liao, resulting in the latter invading in 946 and 947, eventually leading to the destruction of the Later Jin.
After the Liao conquest of the Later Jin, the former took the dynastic element of water, which followed from the Later Jin's dynastic element of metal, according to the Chinese theory of the
Five Elements.
It was also following the conquest of the Later Jin that the Liao dynasty was officially renamed "Great Liao".
List of emperors
Later Jin rulers family tree
References
Citations
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jin, Later, (Five Dynasties)
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
Dynasties in Chinese history
Former countries in Chinese history
930s establishments
10th-century establishments in China
947 disestablishments
940s disestablishments
10th-century disestablishments in China
States and territories disestablished in the 940s