The Mongol conquest of Eastern Xia was part of the conquest of China by the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

in the early 13th century. An initial conflict broke out in 1217 when the founder of

Eastern Xia The Eastern Xia (), also known as Dongxia, Dongzhen (東真)Warfare in Chinese History, by H. J. Van Derven, p239 or Dazhen (大真), was a short-lived kingdom established in Manchuria (today's Northeast China and Outer Manchuria) by the Jurchen ...

Puxian Wannu Púxiān Wànnú ({{zh, t=蒲鮮萬奴, s=蒲鲜万奴, w=P'u-hsien Wan-nu) was a Jurchen warlord who established the short-lived Eastern Xia dynasty in 13th-century China. He originally served the waning Jin dynasty under pressure from the Mo ...

, rebelled against the Mongol Empire. However, Wannu shortly afterward submitted to Mongol overlordship. Wannu later broke from the Mongols again, and in 1233

Ögedei Khan Ögedei Khagan (also Ogodei;, Mongolian: ''Ögedei'', ''Ögüdei''; – 11 December 1241) was second khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire. The third son of Genghis Khan, he continued the expansion of the empire that his father had begun. ...

sent his son Güyük to conquer the kingdom. Eastern Xia was destroyed and Wannu executed.

Background

Eastern Xia, also known as Dongxia or Dongzhen, was a kingdom founded by the warlord Puxian Wannu in 1215. Wannu served under the Jin dynasty during its war with the Mongol Empire. In late 1214, his army was defeated by the

Eastern Liao Eastern Liao () was a 13th-century kingdom in what is now Northeast China, established by the Khitan Yelü clan in an attempt to resurrect the Liao dynasty. Its capital was situated in modern-day Kaiyuan, Liaoning. Establishment Yelü Liuge, a d ...

, a vassal of the Mongols. The Jin capital,

Zhongdu Zhongdu (, lit. "Central Capital") was the capital of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in medieval China. It was located in the southwestern part of Beijing's Xicheng District. It had a population of nearly one million by the late 12th century, and ...

, fell to

Muqali Muqali ( mn, Мухулай; 1170–1223), also spelt Mukhali and Mukhulai, was a Mongol general ("bo'ol", "one who is bound" in service) who became a trusted and esteemed commander under Genghis Khan. The son of Gü'ün U'a, a Jalair leader who ...

, and Wannu used the opportunity to establish a breakaway state, originally based in

Liaoyang Liaoyang () is a prefecture-level city of east-central Liaoning province, China, situated on the Taizi River. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang, the provincial capital, by car. Liaoyang is home to Liaoning University's College of Fo ...

. After the Mongols defeated him in 1216, he sent his son Tege to the Mongols as a hostage in order to pledge his loyalty to the empire. In 1217, due to the futility of him establishing a kingdom in the area of

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

, he relocated to northeast

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...

along the border with

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Conquest

In 1217, Wannu attempted a rebellion against his Mongol allies.McLynn, 2015, p. 385 n. 60 This was swiftly subdued, and Wannu accepted the Mongols as his lords. In 1218, the Eastern Xia armies joined those of the Mongols in pursuit of remnants of the Khitan armies from the

Later Liao Later Liao () was a short-lived dynastic regime in Northeast China that existed between 1216 and 1219. It was ruled by the House of Yelü and was the last regime that sought to revive the Liao dynasty in China (the Eastern Liao had by this time ...

dynasty which were invading

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

territory.Peers, 2015, p. 109 Goryeo aided in these endeavors and accepted tributary status to the Mongol Empire and Eastern Xia. Wannu over the next decade raided into Goryeo numerous times. At some point after 1221, Wannu broke from the Mongols, and in 1232 the Mongol Empire requested Goryeo to attack Eastern Xia. In 1233, as part of a punitive expedition into Goryeo to force that dynasty's compliance, Ögedai sent Güyük and Alchidai to subdue Eastern Xia.Henthorn, 1963, p. 102 The Mongol armies quickly overwhelmed Eastern Xia and Wannu was beheaded. The conquered territory was given to the youngest brother of the late

Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...

Temüge Temüge (1168–1246) was the youngest brother of Genghis Khan, second son of Yesugei . ''The Secret History of the Mongols'' tells that "when Temujin was 9 years of age, Temuge was three years old." Being the youngest boy in the family, he rece ...

Aftermath

The Jin dynasty fell the year after, completing the Mongol conquest of North China. The empire then, in 1235, launched invasions against Korea and the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. The conquest of all of China would not be complete until 1279 with the

Battle of Yamen The naval battle, naval Battle of Yamen () (also known as the Naval Battle of Mount Ya; ) took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song dynasty against the invading Mongols, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. Although out ...

References

{{Reflist Mongol conquest of China