Khitans

The Khitan or Khitai (word which gave Cathay , the old name French of the China, the Mongolian Xiatad and the Russian Kitaï : China) are Mongolian people proto- , founder in 907 of the Chinese dynasty of Liao.

History

Khitan are mentioned for the first time by the Chinese chronicles in 405 - 406. They nomadisent then on the edges of the Kara-muren, and belong to the confederation Donghu.

They carry out raids at the Chinese border starting from 695. The year according to, they threaten Beijing. The emperor Tang request of the assistance to the khan of the Tujue which crush them.

Abaoji

Of 907 with 926, the chief Abaoji manages to unify the tribes khitan and founds the Dynastie Liao. In 924, it drives out the Kyrgyz high Mongolia.

Abaoji dies during an offensive against the kingdom of Bohai in 926. Following this countryside, the tribes Jurchen of the forests of the Oussouri, related to the Manchu , are subjected to the Khitan which then extend their empire to the border of the Korea.

The widow of Abaoji reaches the capacity. She supports the election by the noble ones of her puîné son, Yelü Deguang. Sovereign crafty one and cruel, it condemns to dead her adversaries in their saying that it sends them in embassy in her late husband.

Yelü Deguang

After the conquest of the kingdom of Bohai (931), Deguang takes part in the inversion of the Dynastie Tang in China (936). The new emperor Jin gives him the north of the Hebei (Beijing) and of the Shanxi (Datong).

The January 25th 947, it enters Kaifeng, plunders the city and returns to Beijing with the captive Chinese court. It founds officially the Dynastie Liao which reigns on the China of North until in 1122.

Kara-Khitan

Threatened by the Jurchen (tribes Toungouses) established in Mandchourie (Second dynasty Jin, 1115), Khitan are expelled of China by Jurchen in 1125 - 1126. They flee towards the West. The last Liao emperor dies in captivity.

Carried out by Yelü Dashi (1130 - 1142) a part of them turn over to the nomadism to found the Buddhist State of the Kara-Khitan (Khitan blacks) in the east of the Western Turkestan. This State will be maintained of 1130 with 1218. They subject the areas of Tourfan and of Koutcha then present to the borders Karakhanides, the catches with the Karluk of the Ili and the Kangli of the north of the Mer of Aral. Yelü Dashi enters to Balasaghun (on the Tchou), Karakhanide deposits some and settles in its place. In 1144, they reach the Amou-Daria.

Djebé, general of Gengis Khan, takes possession of the State of Kara-Khitan to the favor of a revolt of the Turkish population of the empire in 1218. With died of Gengis Khan in 1227, the territory of Kara-Khitan becomes the Apanage of his/her son Djaghataï (Khanat de Djaghataï).

Company

They were initially organized in a confederation of eight tribes directed by a khan elected for one limited duration in one of the tribes. Its successor is systematically elected in another tribe. This system starts to disintegrate at the 6th century, each khan endeavouring to make recognize its own tribe as dominant so that the khan from now on is always indicated in this one.

At the beginning of the 10th century, the old tribal system is gradually replaced by a wandering Féodalisme , established definitively at the time of the Liao dynasty. The capacity of the khan becomes hereditary, like the land and buildings and the title of the noble supporting the khan.

The wandering feudal company of Khitan is complex. The sub-base is made up of private slaves rights, prisoner of war or criminals condemned to slavery. The submitted people must pay a Impôt with the lords on the ground of which they live. The free shepherds khitan, more favoured, are increasingly dependant on their lord as feudality evolves/moves. The higher class is made up laic and ecclesiastical feudal lords and of the family of the khan or the emperor.

The population oppressed by the reinforcement of feudality revolts more and more as from the 10th century, but these fights, channeled by the lords, merge with the dynastic quarrels and the company does not evolve/move.

The administration of the country is divided into two: the Office of the horde of North deals with the businesses of the wandering area and the Office of the horde of the South manages the farming population.

Economy

At the 7th century, the breeding occupies the greatest place in their economy. The Agriculture and the Artisanat develop in the following centuries, especially in the areas in contact with the China.

In the empire khitan of the 10th century, the free shepherds are exempted taxes, but must ensure the postal service. Only the submitted people are fixed with the tax. In contact with the Chinese, the populations of the south of the empire are sedentarized and agriculture dominates. Khitan build strengthened cities, palates, roads and dig irrigation canals.

There exist two kinds of land and buildings in the empire Liao: the property of State, where live with the North of the soldier-shepherds and the South of the farmers and the private property of the aristocrats and the field conceded with the Monastère S Buddhist. This private property, leased with shepherds and farmers, is given in Fief by the khan to the feudal lords who have it without restriction.

The Trade, with the Barbarian S of the North and the sedentaries of China of the South occupies an important place, in the form generally of Troc. About the 11th century, a Monnaie of Bronze appears.

Culture

The writing exists in two forms: the great writing khitan, drawn from the writing Chinese and used for the official inscriptions, and the small writing khitan, perhaps an alternative of the writing Ouïghour E.

The Chinese chronicles report that the literary life is important with Beijing at the time of the Dynastie Liao. The emperors themselves devote themselves to the literature and with the Poésie, of the scientists khitan write historical works . Sculpture, Painting and Musique is appreciated.

The Chamanisme remains the religion of Khitan of North. In the Liao empire, the Confucianisme will become the Religion of State. The Buddhism, very popular, holds the greatest capacity.

Random links: