Southern and Northern Dynasties

Emperor Liu Yu

Liu Song

Song Dynasty ( Chinese р 宋朝 , pinyin : Sòng cháo ) is the first of four Southern dynasties. It was founded in 420, when the power in East Jin passed into the hands of Liu Yu ^[1] . The capital is the city of Jiankang (建康, modern Nanjing ). The founder of the dynasty, Liu Yu came from a poor family, was considered one of the best commanders of the period of the Southern and Northern dynasties. In the last years of the Eastern Jin dynasty, one after another, there were popular uprisings, a fierce internal struggle for power was waged. In 402 , the East Jin commander Huan Xuan (桓玄), taking advantage of the weakening power of the imperial court, raised a military rebellion and seized the throne. The kingdom of Chu founded by him (楚, or Huan Chu 桓楚) lasted from 403 to 404, Liu Yu, together with Liu Yi (劉毅) and other generals, raised troops and destroyed the forces of Huan Xuan. After that, the army, led by Liu Yu, took an active part in many battles and constantly grew stronger. After some time, Liu Yu defeated the military groups led by Liu Yi, Sima Xiuzhi (司馬 休 之) and others. In the end, he forced East Jin Gong-di to abdicate in his favor.

Immediately after its formation, the kingdom of Song became the object of the claims of the northern kingdoms, armed clashes occurred one after another. Liu Ilong, who came to power in 424 (the posthumous name is Wen-di), ruled for almost 30 years. Political stability, honesty and good governance, carried out both by Wen-di himself and his close associates, contributed to the fact that the economy in the country began to gradually recover, the motto of his reign - Yuan-jia (元嘉) - in translation means "Great happiness" . However, in 453, the son of Liu Ilong, Liu Shao (the posthumous name is Yuanxiong, “The main criminal”), wanting to seize the throne, ordered the guard to kill his own father. However, Liu Shao himself held on for about three months.

The emperors who ruled after Liu Shao were notable for their cruelty and dissolute lifestyle. As a result, the power of the dynasty was steadily weakening, the state was rapidly declining. Coming after the death of Liu Shao, his son Liu Zi was usually considered a tyrant. He was disrespectful to his father and suspicious of his uncles, killing several of them. He continued the incestuous tradition of his father, taking several of his aunts and cousins ​​as concubines. It was believed that he ordered all the princesses to come to his palace and have sexual relations with him. When one of his aunts refused, he executed her three sons. He also executed a woman who looked like a woman who cursed him in a dream. In the end, one of his uncles could not bear it, got up and killed him ^[1] .

In 479, Liu Zhun abdicated in favor of Xiao Dao-cheng (蕭道成), and the Qi dynasty replaced the Song.

South Qi

The South Qi Dynasty ( Chinese р 朝 , Pinyin : Qí cháo )) is the second of the Southern Dynasties in China to be replaced by the Liang Dynasty . It existed in 479 ^[2] - 502 years ^[3] . Throughout its 23-year history, the dynasty was constantly faced with instability. In fact, the country was ruled by four emperors and three short-term minor rulers who were quickly deposed and killed by their patrons to free the throne. Like after the death of the capable emperor Gao-di and Wu-di , when the grandson of the emperor Wu-de- Yulin-wang was killed by W-di's smart but cruel and suspicious relative, Xiao Luan , who took the title of Emperor Ming-di and staged mass executions of his sons and the grandchildren of emperors Gao-di and Wu-di, as well as many officials whom he suspected of conspiring against him. The arbitrariness with which these executions were carried out increased even more with the coming to power of Ming-di's son, Donghun-hou , whose actions provoked numerous uprisings. The last of them, led by the commander Xiao Yan , led to the fall of South Qi and the coming to power of the Liang dynasty.

The emperors of the South Qi dynasty waged frequent wars with northern China, the Northern Wei dynasty, which were marching with varying success. Insurrections, which became especially frequent under the last emperors, represented a great danger. At the end of the dynasty, the rebel general surrendered the northerner to the important Shouyan area, which the southern Liang dynasty later won back many years.

Liang

The Liang Dynasty ( Chinese р 梁朝 , Pinyin : Liáng cháo ) ( 502 - 557 ), also known as the South Liang (南 梁), was the third of the Southern Dynasties in China to be replaced by the Chen Dynasty. The capital was the city of Jiankang , located on the territory of modern Nanjing . The founder of the dynasty was Xiao Yan from the Xiao clan, who first took control of the affairs of the South Qi dynasty, and then deposed the emperor, created his dynasty as Emperor Wu-di . Wu di reigned 47 years to a very old age, in 548, General Hou Jing from East Wei raised a rebellion, asked for citizenship from Liang, and then rebelled against Liang, as a result he occupied the imperial palace in 549 and began to command the emperors, displacing them alone after another. In 552, as a result of the uprising, Hou Jing was killed, Xiao Yi entered the throne, however, his rule and the rule of the next two emperors was short-term and ended in a violent overthrow.

The Western ( or Late) Liang (西 梁) Dynasty , with its capital in Jianglin , founded in 555 by Emperor Xuan-di , grandson of the founder of the Liang Dynasty, Emperor Wu-di , claimed to be considered the rightful heiress of Liang; it was successively subordinate to the states of Western Wei , Northern Zhou , and Sui , and was liquidated by Emperor Wen-di in 587 .

The end date of the Liang Dynasty reigns among historians. Many consider this date the end of the reign of Emperor Jing-di in 556 , when he was forced to cede the throne to Chen Basian , the founder of the Chen Dynasty. Others put forward as such a date the liquidation of West Liang in 587.

Monuments related to the burial places of emperors and members of the imperial house of the Liang dynasty have been preserved in a number of places near Nanking ^[4] . The most preserved is the ensemble of steles and statues at the tomb of Xiao Xiu (Prince Kang), who died in 551, the younger brother of the first emperor Xiao Yan ^{[5] [6]} . It includes early specimens of bisi turtles bearing steles; according to historians, initially there were four ^[5] /

Late Liang

Dynasty Podzednaya Liang ( Chinese trade. 後梁 , ex. 后梁 , pinyin : Hòu Liáng ) is one of the Southern dynasties in China with the capital in the city of Jiangling (江陵), which lasted from 555 to 587 years . More often, its other name is used - West Liang ( Chinese р 梁 梁 , pinyin : Xī Liáng ). Some historians consider this dynasty a continuation of the Liang dynasty and do not single it out separately. After the forces of the Western Wei dynasty stormed Jianglin in 554 and killed Yuan-di , the Liang Wang Xiao Cha (蕭 詧) was granted the title of emperor in 555 . Xiao Cha, however, was obliged to recognize himself as a vassal of Western Wei. Due to its small size (the dynasty’s possessions included only the city of Jiangling, several counties and about 800 villages adjoining to it) Late Liang at different times was a vassal of Western Wei , Northern Zhou and Sui . However, Late Liang positioned itself as the rightful heir to the Southern Dynasties and contrasted itself with the Chen Dynasty. The cultural development of the dynasty was at a fairly high level, since Late Liang inherited in many respects the culture of the previous [South] Liang dynasty.

The emperors of Late Liang were: Xiao Cha (Xuan-di), Xiao Kui (蕭 巋, Ming-di) and Xiao Tsong (蕭 琮). In 587, Sui Wen-di , having eliminated Late Liang, awarded Xiao Tsun the title of Juigo-gong (莒 國 公). Thus, having existed for 33 years, the Late Liang Dynasty fell. Thanks to the extremely respectful attitude of the Xiao clan representatives to the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties, daughter Xiao Kuya (Xiao Huang-hou 蕭皇后or Min Huang-hou愍 皇后, her personal name is unknown), became Empress of Sui Yang-di . As a result, members of the Xiao clan retained significant influence at the court of the Sui Dynasty. In the final period of the Sui dynasty, it was the representative of this genus, Xiao Xi (蕭銑), who attempted to overthrow Sui and restore Liang, however, despite some successes, he was defeated by the Tang commander Li Xiaogong in 621 .

Chen

The Chen Dynasty ( Chinese р 陳朝 , Pinyin : Chén cháo ) is the fourth and last of the Southern Dynasties in China , which existed in 557 ^[7] - 589 ^[8] . Destroyed by the Sui Dynasty . At the time of the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Wu-di , her position was extremely weak, she owned only a small part of the territory of the previous Liang dynasty, and she was devastated by the wars that led to the fall of Liang. However, the successors of Emperor Wu-di, Wen-di and Xuan-di , were capable rulers, and the state gradually grew stronger and stronger, comparing in strength with its rivals, Northern Zhou and Northern Qi . However, after Northern Zhou destroyed Northern Qi in 577 , Chen was cornered. Even worse, her last emperor, Chen Shubao, turned out to be an incompetent and lax ruler, and Chen was eventually destroyed by the Sui empire, which replaced the Northern Zhou.

North Wei

North Wei ( Chinese р 北魏 , pinyin : Běi Wèi , 386-534 ), also known as Toba Wei (拓拔 魏) or Yuan Wei (元魏), is best known for the unification of Northern China in 439 ; she also widely funded the development of art, many works of this period have survived to the present day. In 494, the empire moved the capital from Datong to Luoyang and began the construction of the Longmen artificial caves. More than 30,000 Buddhist images from the Northern Wei Dynasty were discovered in these caves. It is believed that the empire was founded by the Toba clan belonging to the Mongol-speaking tribe of the xianbi . The Toba clan changed its family name to Yuan in the process of systematic Sinization. Toward the end of the empire, there was a significant internal split, leading the empire to divide into West Wei and East Wei .

With the growth of the North Wei empire, the emperors' desire for Chinese institutions and Chinese advisers grew. Cui Hao (381-450), an adviser at the court in Datong, played a significant role in this process ^[9] . He introduced Chinese methods of administration and penalization in North Wei, and also created a Taoist theocracy that lasted until 450. The attractiveness of Chinese goods, the taste of the imperial court for luxury, the prestige of Chinese culture of that time, and Taoism were factors that influenced the Chinese in North Wei. Chinese influence increased after the transfer of the capital to Luoyang in 494 , and Emperor Xiao Wen-di continued this process by introducing a systematic Sinization policy, which continued under his successors. There was a widespread rejection of the Syanbi traditions. The next step on the path of Sinization was the change of the surname to Yuan by the imperial house. Mixed marriages with Chinese families were encouraged. Meanwhile, Buddhist temples arose everywhere, Buddhism gradually replaced Taoism in the role of state religion. Temples were often decorated with excessive wastefulness and extravagance ^[9] .

The strong Chinese influence that continued in the North Wei empire throughout the entire 5th century mainly affected the imperial court and the upper strata of the Tabagan aristocracy ^[9] . The troops guarding the northern border, and ordinary Syanbians, less prone to Sinization, began to show hostility to the court and the higher nobility ^[9] . At the beginning of the history of North Wei, much attention was paid to defending the northern border from the Juan Juan , and military service on the northern border was considered extremely honorable and gave great privileges. In general, during the formation of Northern Wei, it was the power of the sword and bow that the empire was created and maintained. But as soon as the campaign of Sinization reached its greatest scope under the emperor Tao U-di, military service, especially on the northern border, lost its honorable status, and the traditional clans of the Syanbi border guard soldiers lost their status and privileges and sank to the bottom of the social hierarchy. In 523, uprisings broke out in six major garrisons on the northern border; soon rebellion swept the whole north. These revolts continued for a decade. The situation was further aggravated by the poisoning by the Dowager Empress Hu of his son, Emperor Xiao Ming-di, in 528, after he showed dissatisfaction with her policy, having reached the age of majority and intending to take away from the Dowager Empress the power that she had been using on his behalf for more than ten years . Soon after, the commander Erzhu Rong , formerly called up by a secret order of the emperor for support in the fight against Empress Hu, moved south and devastated Luoyang, but was stopped by a new order, and while he was waiting for orders, the empress was the first to reach the emperor and poison him. On orders from Erzhu Rong, Empress Hu and the new infant emperor Yuan Zhao (another empress puppet) were drowned in the Yellow River , and 2,000 courtiers were driven ashore and killed, which was seen as fair retribution for the empress for her passion for embellishments and for the murder of her own son.

East Wei

Eastern Wei ( 東魏 - Dong Wei ) is a state that existed in 534 ^{[10] [11]} - 550 years ^{[12] [13]} on the territory of Northern China , during the Nan Bei Chao period. The East Wei Empire arose in 534 after the collapse of the North Chinese kingdom of North Wei . By this time, as a result of internal unrest, the imperial clan Yuan ( Toba ), who ruled in the north, had actually lost power, which was concentrated in the hands of commander Gao Huang (高 歡). Emperor Xiao Wu-di opposed him, but was defeated and forced to flee to Guanzhong, which had by then become the center of the Western Wei empire. In the same year, Gao Huan enthroned East Wei one of the princes of the Yuan clan, Yuan Shanjiang, who became Emperor Xiao Jing-di (孝 靜 帝) - the first and only emperor of Eastern Wei. However, he did not possess any real power. Several campaigns were launched against West Wei with the goal of reuniting the North Wei empire, but the goal was not achieved. In 547, Gao Huan died. His sons, Gao Cheng (高澄) and Gao Yang (高 洋), retained control of the emperor, but in 550 Gao Yang deposed Xiao Jing-di, proclaimed himself emperor, and founded the new Qi empire (known in history as Northern Qi ).

West Wei

Western Wei ( Xi Wei ) is a Mongolian ( Syanbi ) state that existed in 535 ^[14] - 557 years ^[15] on the territory of Northern China , during the Nan Bei Chao period. As of 557, the empire’s area was 1.3 million km² ^[16] . The Western Wei empire arose in 534 after the collapse of the Northern Wei empire, when Emperor Xiao Wu-di escaped from the dictatorship of General Gao Huang (高 歡) from Luoyang to Guanzhong. However, in the west, the Wei house was not able to get rid of the guardianship of powerful clans. In 535, the ruler of Guanzhong, Yuwen Tai, killed Emperor Xiao Wu-di and elevated another prince from the house of Yuan (Toba), Yuan Baoju, who became Emperor Wen-di (文帝), to the throne in Chang'an.

The reign of West Wei (under the de facto rule of the Yuwen clan) lasted more than twenty years. With less territory and population at its disposal, West Wei was able to successfully resist the advance of the East Wei empire, and, thanks to a more developed economy, managed to capture the western regions of the Liang empire (the territory of present Sichuan ). In 557, Yuwen Tai's nephew, Yuwen Hu , deposed the emperor Gong-di and enthroned Yuwen Jue (宇文 覺), the son of Yuwen Tai, proclaiming the founding of a new state ( Northern Zhou ).

Northern Qi

Northern Qi ( Chinese р 北齊 , pinyin : Běiqí , pall .: Bei qi ) is one of the states of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in Northern China in 550 ^[13] - 577 ^[17] . The capital is Yecheng ^[9] . It appeared on the site of the state of East Wei after the son of the commander of East Wei, Gao Huan , Gao Yang , deposed his emperor Xiao Jing-di in 550 and proclaimed himself emperor of Northern Qi under the name Wen Xuan-di (Northern Qi) .

The rule of Northern Qi was marked by the arbitrariness and incompetence of emperors (Wen Xuan-di, Wu Cheng-di , and Gao Wei ), venality of officials and the decomposition of the army ^[18] . Although Northern Qi was the strongest kingdom of China at the time of its founding (compared to Northern Zhou and Chen ), it gradually fell into decay and was destroyed by Northern Zhou in 577 in alliance with the Turkic Kaganate ^[18] . The son of the emperor Wen Xuan-di Gao Shaoi , Fanyang van, fled under the protection of the Turks and subsequently proclaimed himself emperor of Northern Qi in exile, but in 580 he was extradited by the Turks of Northern Zhou and exiled to present Sichuan . Scientists did not come to a consensus on the issue of whether to consider Gao Shaoyi the legitimate emperor of Northern Qi, but everyone agreed to consider 577 the last year of the history of this kingdom). Northern Zhou paid tribute to the Turks in the form of 100 thousand pieces of silk fabric annually, for which the rulers of this state hoped to do away with the help of the Turks from Northern Qi. After the fall of the state of North Qi, the Turkic Kagan realized that it was impossible to strengthen his overlord, and declared Zhou the rightful heir of Northern Qi to the son of the emperor Wen Xuan-di who had fled to them.

North Zhou

Northern Zhou is a Tobas state of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period in Northern China in 557 ^[7] - 581 years ^[19] . As of 576, the empire’s area was 1.5 million km² ^[20] . It arose on the site of the state of West Wei . Subsequently, he was replaced here by the Sui dynasty .

The founding power of Northern Zhou was laid by Yuwen Tai , Commander-in-Chief of Western Wei, in the years following the partition of the Northern Wei Empire into Western Wei and East Wei in 535 . After the death of Yuwen Tai in 556, his nephew Yuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong-di to abdicate in favor of Yuwen Tai's son, Yuwen Jue (Emperor Xiao Ming-di), establishing the Northern Zhou Dynasty. The reigns of the first three emperors (the sons of Yuwen Tai) - Xiao Ming-di, Ming-di and Wu-di - were ruled by Yuwen Hu, until his death in 572 (he was killed in an ambush arranged by Emperor Wu -di, who since then began to rule on his own). Under the rule of the capable emperor Wu Di Northern Zhou, in 577, she destroyed her rival, the Northern Qi Empire, annexing its territory. However, the death of Emperor Wu-di in 578 proved fatal for the state, since his son, Emperor Xuan-di, was a masterful and cruel ruler, whose extravagant behavior led to the weakening of the state. After the death of Xuan-di in 580 (when he officially held the title of emperor in retirement ( Taishan Huang )), the emperor’s father-in-law, Yang Jian , took power in his hands, and in 581 removed the son of Xuan-di, Emperor Jing- Di , establishing the Sui Empire. The imperial clan Yuwen, together with the young emperor Jing-di, was subsequently exterminated by Yang Jiang ^{[21] [22]} . The Armed Forces of Northern Zhou included the Han Chinese ^[23] .