Northern Liang
Encyclopedia
The Northern Liang was a state
of the Sixteen Kingdoms
in China
. It was founded by the Xiongnu
Juqu family, although they initially supported the Han
official Duan Ye
as prince, they overthrew him in 401 and took over themselves.
All rulers of the Northern Liang proclaimed themselves "wang" (translatable as "prince" or "king").
Most Chinese historians view the Northern Liang as having ended in 439, when its capital Guzang (姑臧, in modern Wuwei, Gansu
) fell to Northern Wei forces and its prince Juqu Mujian
was captured. However, some view his cousins Juqu Wuhui
and Juqu Anzhou
, who subsequently settled with Northern Liang remnants in Gaochang
(高昌, in modern Turpan Prefecture, Xinjiang
), as a continuation of the Northern Liang, and thus view the Northern Liang as having ended in 460 when Gaochang fell to Rouran
and was made a vassal. The remnants of the Juqu family were slaughtered.
It was during the Northern Liang that the first Buddhist cave shrine sites appear in Gansu Province. The two most famous sites are Tiandishan ("Celestial Ladder Mountain"), which was south of the Northern Liang capital at Yongcheng, and Wenshushan ("Manjusri's Mountain"), halfway between Yongcheng and Dunhuang. Maijishan lies more or less on a main route connecting China and Central Asia (approximately 150 miles (241.4 km) west of modern Xi'an), just south of the Weihe (Wei River). It had the additional advantage of lying not too distant from a main route that also ran N-S to Chengdu and the Indian peninsula.
In 439
, remnants of the Northern Liang royal family fled to Gaochang
to found a new kingdom, led by Juqu Wuhui
and Juqu Anzhou
where they would hold onto power until 460
when they were conquered by the Rouran
(Avars
).
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
of the Sixteen Kingdoms
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 AD after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It was founded by the Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
Juqu family, although they initially supported the Han
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...
official Duan Ye
Duan Ye
Duan Ye was the first prince of the Chinese state Northern Liang. He was of Han ethnicity, and was originally a commandery governor of Later Liang, but after Xiongnu generals Juqu Mengxun and Juqu Nancheng rebelled against Later Liang, Juqu Nancheng persuaded Duan Ye to accept the leadership...
as prince, they overthrew him in 401 and took over themselves.
All rulers of the Northern Liang proclaimed themselves "wang" (translatable as "prince" or "king").
Most Chinese historians view the Northern Liang as having ended in 439, when its capital Guzang (姑臧, in modern Wuwei, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
) fell to Northern Wei forces and its prince Juqu Mujian
Juqu Mujian
Juqu Mujian , named Juqu Maoqian in some sources, formally Prince Ai of Hexi , was the a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Northern Liang -- with most Chinese historians considering him the last prince, although with some considering his brothers Juqu Wuhui and Juqu Anzhou to be princes of the...
was captured. However, some view his cousins Juqu Wuhui
Juqu Wuhui
Juqu Wuhui is viewed by some historians as a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu states Northern Liang, as after the state's territory was largely seized by Northern Wei in 439, and his older brother Juqu Mujian was captured by Northern Wei, Juqu Wuhui tried to hold out against Northern Wei, initially...
and Juqu Anzhou
Juqu Anzhou
Juqu Anzhou is viewed by some historians as a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu states Northern Liang, as after the state's territory was largely seized by Northern Wei in 439, and his older brother Juqu Mujian was captured by Northern Wei, Juqu Anzhou's brother Juqu Wuhui tried to hold out against...
, who subsequently settled with Northern Liang remnants in Gaochang
Gaochang
Gaochang is the site of an ancient oasis city built on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. A busy trading center, it was a stopping point for merchant traders traveling on the Silk Road...
(高昌, in modern Turpan Prefecture, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
), as a continuation of the Northern Liang, and thus view the Northern Liang as having ended in 460 when Gaochang fell to Rouran
Rouran
Rouran , Mongolia name Jujan or Nirun Ruanruan/Ruru , Tan Tan , Juan-Juan or Zhu-Zhuwas the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of Inner China from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century...
and was made a vassal. The remnants of the Juqu family were slaughtered.
It was during the Northern Liang that the first Buddhist cave shrine sites appear in Gansu Province. The two most famous sites are Tiandishan ("Celestial Ladder Mountain"), which was south of the Northern Liang capital at Yongcheng, and Wenshushan ("Manjusri's Mountain"), halfway between Yongcheng and Dunhuang. Maijishan lies more or less on a main route connecting China and Central Asia (approximately 150 miles (241.4 km) west of modern Xi'an), just south of the Weihe (Wei River). It had the additional advantage of lying not too distant from a main route that also ran N-S to Chengdu and the Indian peninsula.
In 439
439
Year 439 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Festus...
, remnants of the Northern Liang royal family fled to Gaochang
Gaochang
Gaochang is the site of an ancient oasis city built on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. A busy trading center, it was a stopping point for merchant traders traveling on the Silk Road...
to found a new kingdom, led by Juqu Wuhui
Juqu Wuhui
Juqu Wuhui is viewed by some historians as a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu states Northern Liang, as after the state's territory was largely seized by Northern Wei in 439, and his older brother Juqu Mujian was captured by Northern Wei, Juqu Wuhui tried to hold out against Northern Wei, initially...
and Juqu Anzhou
Juqu Anzhou
Juqu Anzhou is viewed by some historians as a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu states Northern Liang, as after the state's territory was largely seized by Northern Wei in 439, and his older brother Juqu Mujian was captured by Northern Wei, Juqu Anzhou's brother Juqu Wuhui tried to hold out against...
where they would hold onto power until 460
460
Year 460 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magnus and Apollonius...
when they were conquered by the Rouran
Rouran
Rouran , Mongolia name Jujan or Nirun Ruanruan/Ruru , Tan Tan , Juan-Juan or Zhu-Zhuwas the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of Inner China from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century...
(Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
).
Rulers of the Northern Liang
| Temple name Temple name Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive... s | Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... s | Family names and given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... | Durations of reigns | Era names and their according durations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese convention: use family and given names | ||||
| Northern Liang 397-439 (as Gaochang "wang" 442-460) | ||||
| Did not exist | Did not exist | Duan Ye Duan Ye Duan Ye was the first prince of the Chinese state Northern Liang. He was of Han ethnicity, and was originally a commandery governor of Later Liang, but after Xiongnu generals Juqu Mengxun and Juqu Nancheng rebelled against Later Liang, Juqu Nancheng persuaded Duan Ye to accept the leadership... (段業 Duàn Yè) | 397-401 | Shenxi (神璽 Shénxǐ) 397-399 Tianxi (天璽 Tiānxǐ) 399-401 |
| Taizu (太祖 Tàizǔ) | Wuxuan (武宣 Wǔxuān) | Juqu Mengxun Juqu Mengxun Juqu Mengxun was a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Northern Liang, and the first from the Juqu clan. His cousin Juqu Nancheng and he initially supported Duan Ye as prince of Northern Liang in 397 after rebelling against Later Liang, but in 401, Juqu Mengxun tricked Duan Ye into wrongly... (沮渠蒙遜 Jǔqú Méngxùn) | 401-433 | Yongan (永安 Yǒngān) 401-412 Xuanshi (玄始 Xuánshǐ) 412-428 Chengxuan (承玄 Chéngxuán) 428-430 Yihe (義和 Yìhé) 430-433 |
| Did not exist | Ai (哀王 āi) | Juqu Mujian Juqu Mujian Juqu Mujian , named Juqu Maoqian in some sources, formally Prince Ai of Hexi , was the a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Northern Liang -- with most Chinese historians considering him the last prince, although with some considering his brothers Juqu Wuhui and Juqu Anzhou to be princes of the... (沮渠牧犍 Jǔqú Mùjiān) | 433-439 | Yonghe (永和 Yǒnghé) 433-439 |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | Juqu Wuhui Juqu Wuhui Juqu Wuhui is viewed by some historians as a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu states Northern Liang, as after the state's territory was largely seized by Northern Wei in 439, and his older brother Juqu Mujian was captured by Northern Wei, Juqu Wuhui tried to hold out against Northern Wei, initially... (沮渠無諱 Jǔqú Wúhuí) | 442-444 | Chengping (承平 Chéngpíng) 443-444 |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | Juqu Anzhou Juqu Anzhou Juqu Anzhou is viewed by some historians as a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu states Northern Liang, as after the state's territory was largely seized by Northern Wei in 439, and his older brother Juqu Mujian was captured by Northern Wei, Juqu Anzhou's brother Juqu Wuhui tried to hold out against... (沮渠安周 Jǔqú ānzhōu) | 444-460 | Chengping (承平 Chéngpíng) 444-460 |
See also
- XiongnuXiongnuThe Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
- List of past Chinese ethnic groups
- Wu HuWu HuWu Hu was a Chinese term for the northern non-Chinese nomadic tribes which caused the Wu Hu uprising, and established the Sixteen Kingdoms from 304 to 439 AD.-Definition:...
- Sixteen KingdomsSixteen KingdomsThe Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 AD after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties...
- GansuGansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
- GaochangGaochangGaochang is the site of an ancient oasis city built on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. A busy trading center, it was a stopping point for merchant traders traveling on the Silk Road...
- AvarsEurasian AvarsThe Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...