Wuwei (; r. 114–105 BCE) was a

chanyu Chanyu () or Shanyu (), short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (), was the title used by the supreme rulers of Inner Asian nomads for eight centuries until superseded by the title "''Khagan''" in 402 CE. The title was most famously used by the ruling L ...

of the

Xiongnu Empire The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 ...

. Wuwei succeeded his father

Yizhixie Yizhixie (; r. 126–114 BC) was the brother of Junchen Chanyu and his successor to the Xiongnu throne. Yizhixie ruled during a time of conflict with the southern Han dynasty under the military expansionist, Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BC) ...

in 114 BC and died in 105 BC. He was succeeded by his son,

Er Chanyu Er Chanyu (; r. 105-102 BC), born Wushilu, was a chanyu of the Xiongnu Empire. He succeeded his father Wuwei Chanyu in 105 BC and died from an illness in 102 BC. Er Chanyu was succeeded by his uncle, Xulihu Chanyu Xulihu Chanyu (; r. 102-101 BC) ...

Reign

Wuwei Chanyu ruled during the reign of the

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

emperor Wudi (r. 141–87 BC), after Wudi broke the ''

heqin ''Heqin'', also known as marriage alliance, refers to the historical practice of Chinese monarchs marrying princesses—usually members of minor branches of the ruling family—to rulers of neighboring states. It was often adopted as an appeaseme ...

'' peace and kinship treaty with the Huns. His reign was marked by relative peace, with intensive diplomatic activities. The Huns intended to restore the ''heqin'' peace and kinship treaty with the Han empire. In turn the Han Empire wanted to weaken, isolate, and bring the Xiongnu into submission. Neither party succeeded in their main objective, but the Chinese further undermined the Xiongnu's' situation by splitting off their

Wusun The Wusun (; Eastern Han Chinese *''ʔɑ-suən'' <

Old Chinese

(140 BCE < 436 BCE): *''Ɂâ-sûn'') were an ancient semi-

branch. Wuwei was a son of Yizhixie, and came to the throne by agnatic primogeniture succession. The Chinese annals did preserve his title before the enthronement.

Life

Wuwei Chanyu succeeded his father in 114 BC. In the autumn of 111 BC,

Gongsun He Gongsun () is one of the few Chinese compound surnames. Famous people with this surname include: * Gongsun Xuanyuan, reputed name of the Yellow Emperor; other sources say his surname was Ji * Gongsun Shu, emperor of Chengjia * Gongsun Shan Y ...

and

Zhao Ponu Zhao may refer to: * Zhao (surname) (赵), a Chinese surname ** commonly spelled Chao in Taiwan or up until the early 20th century in other regions ** Chiu, from the Cantonese pronunciation ** Cho (Korean surname), represent the Hanja 趙 (Chines ...

led 25,000 cavalry against the Xiongnu, but failed to engage them. In 110 BC Wudi assembled in

Shuofang Shuofang () was an ancient Chinese commandery, situated in the Hetao region in modern-day Inner Mongolia near Baotou. First founded by Emperor Wu of Han in the wake of the successful reconquest of the area from Xiongnu tribes, it was dissolved ...

(朔方城) a 180,000-strong cavalry army, and sent Guo Ji to notify Chanyu about the mobilization. When Guo Ji arrived, the Chanyu's master of ceremony asked him about the purpose his arrival. Guo Ji, with polite evasion, said that he wished to disclose it personally to the Chanyu. Chanyu admitted him. Guo Ji told him: “If the Chanyu is in a position to mount a campaign and fight with the Chinese state, the Son of Sky himself, he is waiting for you at the border with an army; and if he is not in a position to fight, he should turn his face to the south and recognize himself a vassal of the House of Han.” Wuwei was so enraged by this ultimatum that he immediately beheaded his master of ceremony and arrested Guo Ji, sending him off to Baikal in exile. In spite of that, Chanyu was not inclined to attack the borders of China. Instead he gave rest to the troops and horses, and went hunting. In 110 BC, Wuwei rejected Han suggestions that he should submit to Han authority. At one point Wuwei was persuaded to pay a visit to

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

but cancelled the trip when news reached him that an advance Xiongnu dignitary had died on the way there. Convinced that he had been killed by the Han, Wuwei rejected all offers of peace. In 108 BC,

sallied out with 25,000 cavalry against the Xiongnu but could not find them. He then attacked

Loulan Kingdom Loulan, also called Krorän or Kroraina ( zh, s=, t=, p=Lóulán <

Eastern Han Chinese

''lo-lɑn'' <

and

Jushi Kingdom The Jushi (), or Gushi (), were a people who established a kingdom during the 1st millennium BC in the Turpan basin (modern Xinjiang, China). The kingdom included the area of Ayding Lake, in the eastern Tian Shan range. During the late 2nd and early ...

with only 700 cavalry, subjugating them.

Death and successor

In 105 BC, Wuwei Chanyu died on the 10th year of his reign. His son Wushilu, who was still a child, was proclaimed a chanyu according to their custom of agnatic primogeniture succession, and was named Er Chanyu.Bichurin N.Ya., ''"Collection of Information on Peoples in Central Asia in Ancient Times"'', vol. 1, p.46 Possibly there were no elder eligible candidates.

Footnotes

References

*Bichurin N.Ya., ''"Collection of information on peoples in Central Asia in ancient times"'', vol. 1, Sankt Petersburg, 1851, reprint Moscow-Leningrad, 1950 (''Shiji ch. 110, Qian Han Shu ch. 94a''

* * * * * {{s-end Chanyus 2nd-century BC rulers in Asia