Which ethnic group is the Khitan that has the most headache in the Northern Song Dynasty is actually unbelievable truth
In Chinese history, there was a nation that had a long-term Northern Song Dynasty, and its emergence brought endless suffering to the Great Song Empire. The rise of this nation is like a huge wave, one stone stirs up a thousand waves, boiling the northern frontier.
However, if we tell you that it was a people who brought disaster to the Northern Song Dynasty that you don't know today, you will definitely find it incredible. So, let's go through the time and space tunnel of history together, solve this mystery, and see which ethnic group the Khitan people brought great disasters to the Northern Song Dynasty, and maybe unveil a strange historical picture for you.
i.Origin of the Khitans: Eight Scattered Tribes.
Northern Wei Dynasty,"Khitan"The name is recorded. At that time, the Khitans were not strong and consisted of eight large tribes, each scattered. Each tribe is independent and has its own leader. These Khitan tribes often penetrated deep into the Central Plains to harass them, causing great trouble to the Northern Wei Dynasty. After the fall of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Gao Yang, the king of Northern Qi, personally led an army to conquer the Khitan tribe and defeated it. However, the Khitan Eight Divisions were still able to survive.
During the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui Emperor Yang Jian personally conquered the Khitan twice and dismembered the Khitan people, and the Khitan people had no leader, and the living space was greatly reduced. However, the nomads were very adaptable to their living environment, and within a few years, the Khitans reunited and became a force to be reckoned with in the northern steppe.
ii.The conflict between the Khitan and the Tang Dynasty.
After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan submitted to the Tang Dynasty and became its vassal. The enlightened foreign policy of the Tang Dynasty stabilized the Khitans to a certain extent. In return, the Khitans paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty with good horses and mink. At the same time, they also came into contact with the Han Chinese and learned advanced cultural knowledge and production techniques.
During Wu Zetian's reign, a large-scale war broke out between the Khitan and Tang dynasties in 684, which undermined this rapprochement. Over the next two centuries, the Khitan and Tang dynasties went to war almost every few years. Both sides fought to the death. This also deprived the Tang Dynasty of most of its national strength and laid the foundation for the Anshi Rebellion. During the reign of Tang Xianzong, the Huangchao Rebellion broke out, and the Tang Dynasty began to decline. At the same time, the Khitan re-emerged.
iii.The unification of the Khitan Dynasty and the establishment of the Liao Dynasty.
Among the many Khitan tribes, there is a small tribe called Yelu. This small tribe had a wise and martial leader named Yelu Abaoji. Yelu Abaoji not only made his own tribe very powerful, but also annexed other Khitan tribes and completely unified the Khitan in 907 CE. He called himself"Son of Heaven", which established the first Khitan dynasty, the Liao Dynasty.
Yelu Abaoji was resolute and strong, taking advantage of his geographical location and strength, and defeated the surrounding hostile Khitan tribes and other ethnic minorities countless times. Only through force and political means can Yelu Abaoji complete the unification of the Khitans. He also learned the culture and techniques of the Han people, so that the Khitan people gradually lived a stable life. This laid the foundation for the development of the Khitan nation.
But Yelu Abaoji's desire to rule the Central Plains did not come true. When he was about to lead his army south, he suddenly fell ill on the way back to Beijing. Yelu Abaoji laid a solid foundation for the Khitans, but failed to complete the final step of unifying the Central Plains. His son, Jerod, fulfilled this wish.
The Liao Dynasty reached its heyday, with 16 provinces being handed over to the Khitan.
After Yelu Deguang ascended the throne, the Liao Dynasty became stronger and stronger. In 946 AD, Shi Jingtang, the ancestor of the Later Jin Dynasty, sought help from the Khitan to overthrow the Later Tang Dynasty. In return, the Liao Dynasty received the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun from the Later Jin Dynasty, and these fertile territories became rich tax revenues for the Khitans**.
At the same time, the Song dynasty was established, replacing the Zhou dynasty. The Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty confronted each other from north to south, and border conflicts continued. In 997 and 1004, the Song and Liao dynasties fought two large-scale wars, each with its own victories and defeats. By the middle of the 11th century, the Liao State had grown into a large and powerful empire that was twice the size of the Song Empire!
The Liao Dynasty was one of the largest countries in the world at its peak. Intermarriage and cultural exchanges between the Khitans and the Han were also very common. It can be said that the development of the Khitan nation reached a new peak in the Liao Dynasty.
v.Yeluliao's rivalry with the Jin dynasty and the gradual demise of the Khitans.
However, the good times were short-lived, and at the end of the 11th century, the Jurchens came to power and established the Jin Dynasty. The Jin dynasty was a powerful and ambitious dynasty, and the Liao emperor was a heavy drinker. In contrast, the emperor of the Liao Dynasty was an alcoholic and lustful man, and his national power declined. In 1125, the Jin dynasty invaded the Liao state, and Yelu Liao voluntarily surrendered. In 1125, the Jin dynasty invaded the Liao state, and Yelu Liao surrendered, ending 200 years of Khitan rule in the north.
The Jin Dynasty invaded the Khitan territory, but the remnants of the Khitan were not completely wiped out. Some moved west to Central Asia and established the Western Liao regime, while others moved south to Iran and established the Lysing Khanate Khanate. However, the Mongol army soon wiped out the two small Khitan states. Since then, the Khitans have disappeared from history.
vi.The living conditions of the descendants of the Khitans.
The disappearance of the Khitans has led many to believe that this ancient people is extinct. What they didn't know, however, was that the descendants of the Khitans still lived in northeastern China and the Mongolian Plateau. After archaeological research, experts confirmed that today's Daur and some Mongols inherited the blood of the Khitans. And this Pan-Sikh surname"Jerod"It proves that the Khitans did not disappear.
In the 80s of the 20th century, Yelu Hada of the Daur tribe, a descendant of the Khitans, took the ancestral items to experts for identification and found that they had the imprint of the Liao royal family on them. This proves that his family is descended from Khitan nobles more than a thousand years ago. After DNA testing and analysis, 65% of the genes in Yelu Hada's body matched those of the ancient Khitans. This fully proves that the Khitan people did not disappear completely, but have continued to this day by merging with other ethnic groups.
In short, the once powerful Khitan did not really disappear, although gradually disappeared after the Jin Dynasty invasion. All surnames"Jerod"can be said to be the descendants of the ancient Khitans. The integration of the Khitans with other ethnic groups did allow their descendants to survive. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the bloodline of the Khitan people is still continuing among some ethnic groups, but it has not yet been discovered.