Yelü Dashi
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Yelü Dashi (; alternatively ),
courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
Zhongde (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Dezong of Western Liao (), was the founder of the Western Liao dynasty (Qara Khitai). He initially ruled as king from 1124 to 1132, then as
emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
and gurkhan from 1132 to 1143. He was also known in Muslim sources as Nūshī Taifū, Qushqin Taifū or Qushqīn, son of Baighū. A member of the imperial
Yelü The Yelü clan (Khitan language, Khitan: , spelled , pronounced ''Yeruuld''; ), alternatively rendered as Yila () or Yarud, was a prominent family of ethnic Khitan people, Khitan origin in the history of China. The clan assumed leadership of the ...
clan, he fled the Liao dynasty in northern China as it was on the verge of destruction by the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty and moved westward into
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
where he established a new empire.


Name

There are various theories regarding his name. According to Sugiyama Masaaki, Dashi (大石) might be a borrowing from Chinese title '' taishi'' (太師). '' Qidan Guo Zhi'' suggests was just a nickname.


Early life

Yelü Dashi was a minor member of the Liao dynasty's imperial Yelü clan and an eighth generation descendant of the Emperor Taizu of Liao. His date of birth is not entirely clear but may have been in either 1087 or 1094, according to various accounts of the history of Liao. The '' History of Liao'' describes him as "well-versed in Khitan and Chinese scripts, excelled in riding and archery, and had passed the highest
imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...
in the fifth year of the Tianqing era" (1115 AD).遼史
'' Liao Shi'', volume 30, biography of Yelü Dashi. Original text: 通遼、漢字,善騎射,登天慶五年進士第
In the twilight of the dynasty he held increasingly important administrative and military posts. He held posts of governorship of Taizhou (泰州, in modern Tailai County,
Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...
) and Xiangzhou (祥州, in modern Wanjinta Township, Nong'an County).


Jin invasion and end of the Liao dynasty

The Jurchens, a Tungus people who lived north of Liao dynasty in
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
, established the Jin dynasty in 1115 and began to dominate Manchuria. The Jin dynasty formed an
alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...
with the
Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
to attack the Liao, and by 1122 the Jin had captured a large part of Liao territories, including its supreme capital of Chifeng. The Liao emperor Tianzuo fled west, and his uncle Prince Yelü Chun then formed the short-lived Northern Liao in its southern capital of Liao Nanjing (now
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
). The Song forces under the command of Tong Guan attacked Northern Liao from the south, but under the command of Dashi and Xiao Gan, the Liao army was able to repel the Song attacks. However, the Jin dynasty continued to advance from the north, and eventually captured the southern capital in 1123. Just before the Jin takeover, Dashi slipped away with 7000 of his troops to join the Emperor Tianzuo. Dashi was later captured by the Jin dynasty, but escaped five months later to rejoin the emperor. However, the emperor signalled his intention to attack the Jin. Dashi thought this was folly, as the Jin was in a strong position. Unable to convince the emperor, in 1124 Dashi led a band of Liao officials northwest to the Liao garrison town of Kedun. Emperor Tianzuo was captured by the Jin dynasty in 1125 and the Liao dynasty ended.


Move to the west

He started out with 10,000 horses, a small force assuming at least 2 horses for every man. His new base of Kedun was about 1500 km northwest of Beijing, probably along the Orkhon River in Bulgan Province. It was an old Liao garrison with 20,000 tribal horsemen, good pasture, and protected by desert to the east and south. He probably planned to build up his forces and attack the Jurchens when an opportunity arose, which it never did. He took control of the imperial horse herds and gained some power over the local tribes. Alliances with the Western Xia to the south or the Song dynasty to the southeast never developed. As the Jurchens grew stronger the disorganized lands to the west became increasingly attractive. There had already been significant tribal movements westward, including some Khitans. On 13 March 1130 he headed west with less than 20,000 men. After some minor fighting with the Yenisei Kyrgyz he established a new base on the Emil River just east of the current Chinese border about 1500 km west of Kedun. At about the same time, he was welcomed by the ruler of the Kingdom of Qocho (about 500 km southeast of Emil near Turfan) who became his ally or vassal. In the summer of 1131 he attacked Kashgar (over 1000 km east of Qocho), was soundly defeated and withdrew to Qocho. The Jurchens sent an army after him, but this failed because of the distance.


Qara Khitai (Western Liao) established

In 1132, he was proclaimed Gurkhan by his followers and adopted the regnal name "Emperor Tianyou" (天祐皇帝). He established his authority over Almaliq and Qayaliq (near Taldıqorğan). To the west was the disorganized Kara-Khanid Khanate that had split into two. The Eastern Karakanid ruler of Balasaghun, Ibrāhīm II b. Ahmad, invited him to help fight the
Karluks The Karluks (also Qarluqs, Qarluks, Karluqs, , Qarluq, Para-Mongolic languages, Para-Mongol: Harluut, zh, s=葛逻禄, t=葛邏祿 ''Géluólù'' ; customary phonetic: ''Gelu, Khololo, Khorlo'', , ''Khallokh'', ''Qarluq'') were a prominent no ...
and
Kankalis The Kangly (康曷利; pinyin: Kānghélì; Middle Chinese (Zhengzhang Shangfang, ZS): /kʰɑŋ-ɦɑt̚-liɪH/ or 康里 pinyin: ''Kānglĭ'' Historical references Kara-Khanid Khanate, Kara-Khanid lexicographer Mahmud al-Kashgari mentioned a ...
, and in 1134 Dashi took the opportunity to depose him, and according to Persian historian Ata-Malik Juvayni, "ascended a throne that had cost him nothing." He made Balasaghun his new capital and took over 16,000 Khitans that had served the old ruler. He spread his power over Zhetysu (modern-day eastern Kazakhstan). He sent two armies east to attack the Jurchens, which failed. He gained control over what is now
Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
. In May 1137 he defeated a Western Karakhanid ruler at Khujand and then spent several years consolidating his power in the Ferghana valley and
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
, thereby expanding his empire to the west and south.


Battle of Qatwan

The Western Karakhanids were then vassal of the Seljuks, and Mahmud appealed to the Seljuk sultan Ahmad Sanjar for help. In 1141, Dashi, interceding in a conflict between the Karakhanids and Karluk nomads, came into direct conflict with the Seljuks. Sanjar marched his troops to meet the Kara-Khitans. At the Battle of Qatwan, however, Dashi achieved a decisive victory against the
Seljuk Turks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...
. The Seljuk army suffered a great death toll, and Sanjar barely escaped with his life, but his wife and some of his best warriors were captured. The power of the Seljuks sharply declined after the battle, and the Seljuk state collapsed into internal rebellion. The Kara-Khitans became the dominant force in
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
, and
Khwarazm Khwarazm (; ; , ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the east by the Kyzylkum Desert, on the south by th ...
and
Karakhanids The Kara-Khanid Khanate (; zh, t=喀喇汗國, p=Kālā Hánguó), also known as the Karakhanids, Qarakhanids, Ilek Khanids or the Afrasiabids (), was a Karluks, Karluk Turkic peoples, Turkic khanate that ruled Central Asia from the 9th to the ...
became vassal states of his empire. Their empire controlled an area roughly equivalent to most of today's
Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
,
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...
,
Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
,
Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
, and southern
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
.


Death

Yelü Dashi died two years after Qatwan in 1143 as the master of much of Central Asia. At time of his death, the Qara Khitai ruled
Transoxiana Transoxiana or Transoxania (, now called the Amu Darya) is the Latin name for the region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...
, Ferghana, Semirechye, the
Tarim Basin The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Xinjiang, Northwestern China occupying an area of about and one of the largest basins in Northwest China.Chen, Yaning, et al. "Regional climate change and its effects on river runoff in the Tarim Basin, Ch ...
, and Uyghuria. His empress Xiao Tabuyan succeeded him as regent of the dynasty.


Legacy

The dynasty Yelü established would last until its usurpation by Kuchlug followed by conquest of its domain by
Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
in 1218. His victory over the Seljuks and his amicable relations with Nestorian Christianity, which flourished under the Qara Khitai, led to his association with the legend of
Prester John Prester John () was a mythical Christian patriarch, presbyter, and king. Stories popular in Europe in the 12th to the 17th centuries told of a Church of the East, Nestorian patriarch and king who was said to rule over a Christian state, Christian ...
, a Christian king in the east who was "destined" to vanquish Islam. Bishop Otto of Freising first chronicled the story in 1145.


Family

* Consort: Xiao Tabuyan, Empress Gantian (regent) of (Western) Liao ** Son: Yelü Yilie, Emperor Renzong of (Western) Liao ** Daughter: Yelü Pusuwan, Empress Chengtian (regent) of (Western) Liao


References


Citations


Sources

* * Bretschneider, E., ''Mediaeval Researches from Eastern Asiatic sources'', Vol. 1, Routledge, 2002. * Grousset, Rene
''The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia''
Rutgers University Press, 1970. ()
遼史
'' History of Liao'', Volume 30, biography of Yelü Dashi. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yeh-Lu Ta-Shih 1143 deaths 12th-century Chinese monarchs Emperors of Qara Khitai Dashi 11th-century births Founders of Imperial Chinese dynasties 11th-century Khitan people 12th-century Khitan rulers