Gaozu of Later Han (895–948) was the Shatuo Turk founder of the Later Han Dynasty

Later Han Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

The Later Han Dynasty was founded in 947. It was the fourth of the Five Dynasties and the third consecutive Shatuo Turk dynasty...

, the fourth of the Five Dynasties in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...

 of Chinese history. It was also one of the shortest-lived kingdoms in Chinese history, lasting only three years. Liu was posthumously given the title of Gaozu.

Founder of a Dynasty

Liu Zhiyuan was the military governor of Bingzhou, an area around modern-day Taiyuan

Taiyuan

Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...

 in Shanxi

Shanxi

' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

, long a stronghold of the Shatuo Turks, for the Later Jin Dynasty

Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" The Later Jìn was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Shi Jingtang, posthumously known as Gaozu of Later Jin...

. The Later Jin

Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" The Later Jìn was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Shi Jingtang, posthumously known as Gaozu of Later Jin...

 had been little more than a puppet of the powerful Khitan empire

Liao Dynasty

The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...

 to the north. When, in 946, the emperor of the Later Jin decided to defy the Khitan

Khitan people

thumb|250px|Khitans [[Eagle hunting|using eagles to hunt]], painted during the Chinese [[Song Dynasty]].The Khitan people , or Khitai, Kitan, or Kidan, were a nomadic Mongolic people, originally located at Mongolia and Manchuria from the 4th century...

 under growing pressure from not only subjects among the Shatuo Turks, but also Han Chinese

Han Chinese

Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...

 at their subservient status, the Khitans led a military attack that shattered the Later Jin Dynasty

Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" The Later Jìn was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Shi Jingtang, posthumously known as Gaozu of Later Jin...

. On the return to their southern capital at present-day Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, the Khitan emperor died, providing just enough of a vacuum of power for Liu Zhiyuan to move in and declare the establishment of the Later Han Dynasty

Later Han Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

The Later Han Dynasty was founded in 947. It was the fourth of the Five Dynasties and the third consecutive Shatuo Turk dynasty...

. He named his government "Han" as a consequence of claiming to be a descendant of Liu Bang, the first Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, thus relinquishing his Shatuo Turk originality.

Brief rule

Liu Zhiyuan was able to take control over the same territories that the Later Jin Dynasty

Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" The Later Jìn was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Shi Jingtang, posthumously known as Gaozu of Later Jin...

 had reigned over. Declaring himself emperor of the Later Han Dynasty

Later Han Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

The Later Han Dynasty was founded in 947. It was the fourth of the Five Dynasties and the third consecutive Shatuo Turk dynasty...

, he was able to enjoy his new status for only a brief period of time as he died the following year. Liu was succeeded by his teenage son. The dynasty would fall two years later in a military coup that resulted in the founding of the Later Zhou Dynasty

Later Zhou Dynasty

The Later Zhou Dynasty was the last a succession of five dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, which lasted from 907 to 960 and bridged the gap between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty.-Founding of the Dynasty:Guo Wei, a Han...

.