The Northern Han () was a dynastic state of 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 Liu Min (), formerly known as Liu Chong (), and lasted from 951 to 979.

Founding of the Northern Han

The short-lived state of Later Han fell in 950 because of

Guo Wei Guo Wei () (10 September 904 – 22 February 954According to Guo Wei's biography in "Old Histories of the Five Dynasties", he died between 9am and 11 am on the ''renchen'' day of the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xiande'' era of his reign ...

, a powerful military governor's ''de facto'' coup. Liu Min founded the Northern Han Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Eastern Han, in 951 claiming that he was the legitimate heir to the imperial throne of Later Han. Liu Min immediately restored the traditional relationship with the

Khitans The Khitan people (Khitan small script: ; ) were a historical nomadic people from Northeast Asia who, from the 4th century, inhabited an area corresponding to parts of modern Mongolia, Northeast China and the Russian Far East. As a people desce ...

, who had founded the

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan language, Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that exi ...

. Sources conflict as to the origin of the Later Han and Northern Han emperors; some indicate sinicized Shatuo ancestry while some traditional historical sources claims that the emperors claimed patrilineal Han Chinese ancestry.

Territorial extent

The Northern Han was a small kingdom located in Shanxi with its capital located at Taiyuan. Shanxi had been a traditional base of power since the fading days of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

in the late ninth century and early tenth century. It was wedged between the two major powers of the day, the Liao Dynasty to the north and the Later Zhou (then

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 ...

) to the south. It also shared a border with the Tangut kingdom of

Western Xia The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...

Wedge between Liao and Song

The existence of the Northern Han was one of the two major thorns in relations between the Liao Dynasty and Later Zhou's successor Northern Song, the other being the continued possession of the Sixteen Prefectures by the Liao Dynasty. The Northern Han had placed itself under the protection of the Liao.''History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 59. Emperor Taizu of Song was successful in nearly completing the incorporation of the southern kingdoms into the

by his death in 976. His younger brother, Emperor

Taizong Taizong is the temple name used for several Chinese sovereign, monarchs of China. It may refer to: * Tai Jia ( 16th-century BC), king of the Shang dynasty * Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng (202 BC–157 BC, reigned 180 BC–157 BC), also known as E ...

wished to emulate his older brother's successes. Wuyue was brought into the realm in 978.

Fall of the Northern Han

Emboldened by his success to the south, Emperor Taizong decided to embark on a campaign to finally destroy the Northern Han. Leading the army himself, he brought his forces to the Northern Han capital of Taiyuan, which was laid under siege in June. An initial relief force sent by the Liao was easily defeated by Song. After a two-month siege of the capital, the emperor of the Northern Han surrendered and the kingdom was incorporated into the Northern Song.

Rulers

The family tree of the Later Han and Northern Han rulers

- Later Han emperors; - Northern Han emperors

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Han Later Han (Five Dynasties) Dynasties in Chinese history Former countries in Chinese history Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 951 establishments 10th-century establishments in China 970s disestablishments 10th-century disestablishments in China States and territories established in the 950s States and territories disestablished in the 970s Northern China Former kingdoms