Jin Dynasty, 1115–1234
Encyclopedia
The Jīn Dynasty; Khitan language
: Nik, Niku; ; 1115–1234), also known as the Jurchen Dynasty, was founded by the Wanyan
(完顏 Wányán) clan
of the Jurchens
, the ancestors of the Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty
some 500 years later. The name is sometimes written as Jinn to differentiate it from an earlier Jìn Dynasty
of China
whose name is spelled identically in the Roman alphabet
.
The Jin Dynasty was founded in what would become northern Manchuria
by the Jurchen tribal chieftain Wanyan Aguda
(完顏阿骨打) in 1115. The Jurchens' early rival was the Liao Dynasty
, which had held sway over northern China
, including Manchuria
and part of the Mongol region for several centuries. In 1121, the Jurchens entered into the Alliance on the Sea
with the Song Dynasty
and agreed to jointly invade the Liao. While the Song armies faltered, the Jurchens succeeded in driving the Liao to Central Asia.
In 1125, after the death of Aguda, the Jin broke the alliance with the Song and invaded North China. On January 9, 1127, Jin forces ransacked
Kaifeng
, capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, capturing both Emperor Qinzong, and his father, Emperor Huizong, who had abdicated in panic in the face of Jin forces. Following the fall of Kaifeng, Song forces under the leadership of the succeeding Southern Song Dynasty continued to fight for over a decade with Jin forces, eventually signing the Treaty of Shaoxing
in 1141, calling for the cession of all Song land north of the Huai River
to the Jin and the execution of Song General Yue Fei
in return for peace.
, the Jin Dynasty became increasingly Sinicized. About three million people, half of them Jurchens
, migrated south into northern China over two decades, and this minority governed about thirty million people. The Jurchens were given land grants and organized society into 1,000 households - meng'an) and 100 households - mouke). Many married Hans, although the ban on Jurchen nobles marrying Hans was not lifted until 1191. After Jin Emperor Tàizōng
died in 1135, the next three Jin emperors were grandsons of Wányán Āgǔdǎ
by three different princes. Young Jin Emperor Xīzōng
(r. 1135-1149) studied the classics and wrote Chinese poetry. He adopted Han cultural traditions, but the Jurchen nobles had the top positions.
Later in life, Emperor Xīzōng became an alcoholic and executed many officials for criticizing him. He also had Jurchen leaders who opposed him murdered, even those in his own Wanyan family clan. In 1149 he was murdered by a cabal of relatives and nobles, who made his cousin Wányán Liàng the next Jin emperor. Because of the brutality of both his domestic and foreign policy, Wanyan Liang was posthumously demoted from the position of emperor. Consequently, historians have commonly referred to him by the posthumous name
of Prince Hǎilíng
.
embarked on the program of legitimizing his rule as an emperor of China. In 1153, he moved the empire's main capital from Huining Fu
in northern Manchuria (south of present-day Harbin
) to the former Liao capital, Yanjing (now Beijing
).
Four years later, in 1157, to emphasize the permanence of the move, he razed the nobles’ residences in Huining.
Hǎilíng also reconstructed the former Song capital, Bianjing (now Kaifeng
), which had been sacked in 1127, making it the Jin's southern capital.
Prince Hǎilíng also tried to suppress dissent by killing Jurchen nobles, executing 155 princes.
To fulfill his dream of becoming the ruler of all China, Prince Hǎilíng attacked the Southern Song in 1161. Meanwhile, two simultaneous rebellions erupted in Manchuria
: one of Jurchen nobles, led by Hǎilíng's cousin, soon-to-be crowned Wányán Yōng (完顏雍), and the other of Khitan
tribesmen. Hǎilíng had to withdraw Jin troops from southern China to quell the uprisings. The Jin were defeated in the Battle of Caishi
and Battle of Tangdao
. With a depleted military force, Prince Hǎilíng failed to make headway in his attempted invasion of the Southern Song. Finally he was assassinated by his own generals in December of 1161, due to his defeats. His son and heir was also assassinated in the capital.
Although crowned in October, Wányán Yōng was not officially recognized as Jin Emperor Shìzōng (世宗) until the murder of Prince Hǎilíng's heir. The Khitan uprising was not suppressed until 1164; their horses were confiscated so that the rebels had to take up farming. Other Khitan and Xi
cavalry units had been incorporated into the Jin army. Because these internal uprisings had severely weakened the Jin's capacity to confront the Southern Song militarily, the Jin court under Emperor Shizong began negotiating for peace. The Treaty of Lóngxīng (隆興和議) was signed in 1164 and ushered over 40 years of peace between the two empires.
In the early 1180s Emperor Shìzōng instituted a restructuring of 200 meng'an units to remove tax abuses and help Jurchens. Communal farming was encouraged. The Jin empire prospered and had a large surplus of grain in reserve. Although learned in Chinese classics, Shizong was also known as a promoter of Jurchen language
and culture; during his reign, a number of Chinese classics were translated into Jurchen, the Imperial Jurchen Academy was founded, and the Imperial examination
s started to be offered in the Jurchen language. Shizong's reign (1161–1189) was remembered by the posterity as the time of comparative peace and prosperity, and the emperor himself was compared to the legendary Yao
and Shun
Shìzōng's grandson, Emperor Zhāngzōng (章宗) (r. 1189-1208) venerated Jurchen values, but he also immersed himself in Chinese culture and married an ethnic Han woman. The Taihe Code of law was promulgated in 1201 and was based mostly on the Tang Code
. In 1207 the Song tried to invade, but the Jin forces effectively repulsed them. In the peace agreement the Song had to pay higher annual indemnities and behead Hán Tūozhòu
(韩侂胄), the leader of their war party.
first led the Mongols into Western Xia
territory in 1205 and ravaged them four years later. In 1211 about 50,000 Mongols on horses invaded the Jin Empire and began absorbing Khitan and Jurchen rebels. The Jin army had a half million men with 150,000 cavalry but abandoned the “western capital” Datong
(see also Badger's Mount Campaign). The next year the Mongols went north and looted the Jin “eastern capital”, and in 1213 they besieged the “central capital”, Zhongdu
(Beijing). In 1214 the Jin made a humiliating treaty but retained the capital. That summer, Jin Emperor Xuānzōng (宣宗) abandoned the central capital and moved the government to the “southern capital” of Kaifeng, making it the official seat of Jin Dynasty power. In 1216 a war faction persuaded Xuānzōng to attack the Song, but in 1219 they were defeated at the same place by the Yangtze River
, where Prince Hǎilíng had been defeated in 1161. The Jin now faced a two front war which they could not afford. Furthermore, the Jin Emperor Āizōng (哀宗) won a succession struggle against his brother and then quickly ended the war and went back to the capital. He made peace with the Tanguts, who had been allied with the Mongols. Genghis Khan died in 1227 while his armies were conquering the Western Xia Dynasty. His son Ögedei Khan
invaded the Jin Empire in 1232 with assistance from the Southern Song. The Jurchens tried to resist; but when Kaifeng was attacked, Āizōng fled south. An allied army of Song and Mongols looted the capital in 1233, and the next year Āizōng committed suicide to avoid being captured, ending the Jin dynasty in 1234. The territory of the Jin was to be divided between the Mongols and the Song. However, due to lingering territorial disputes, the Song and the Mongols eventually went to war with one another over these territories.
In Empire of The Steppes, René Grousset
reports that the Mongols were always amazed at the valor of the Jin warriors, who held out until seven years after the death of Genghis Khan
.
's rebellion against the Liao, all Jurchen fighters were mounted. It was said that the Jurchen cavalry tactics were a carryover from their hunting skills.
Jurchen horsemen were provided with heavy armor; on occasions, they would use a team of horses attached to each other with chains (拐子马, guaizi ma)
As the Liao Empire fell apart and the Song retreated beyond the Yangtze, the army of the new Jin Dynasty absorbed many soldiers who formerly fought for the Liao or Song. The new Jin empire adopted many of the Song's weapons, including various machines for siege warfare and artillery
. In fact, the Jin use of cannons, grenades, and even rockets to defend besieged Kaifeng
against the Mongols in 1233 is considered the first ever battle in human history in which gunpowder was used effectively, even though it failed to prevent the eventual Jin defeat.
On the other hand, Jin Empire was not particularly good at naval warfare. Both in 1129-30 and in 1161 Jin forces were defeated by the Southern Song navies when trying to cross the Yangtze River into the core Southern Song territory (see Battle of Tangdao
and Battle of Caishi
), even though for the latter campaign the Jin had equipped a large navy of their own, using Chinese shipbuildiers and even Chinese captains who had defected from the Southern Song.
(努爾哈赤) combined the three Jurchen tribes and founded the Later Jin Dynasty
(1616–1636). Nurhaci's eighth son and heir, Huáng Tàijí (皇太極), later changed the name of his people from Jurchen to Manchu in 1635. The next year, he changed the name of the Later Jin to Qing
in 1636.
city during the Qing dynasty
, around 3,000 people in a class called "min". These "min" people were said to be Jin (Kin) dynasty royal descendants. Normal people refused to fraternize with them, the min were forced to enter professions such as play-acting, music, sedan-bearing, matchmaking, barbery, they were identified by a unique dress and always had with them a checkered handkerchief bundle. They were barred from taking the Imperial Exams and having normal professions.
(1) Quite long and thus not used when referring to this sovereign.
(2) Did not exist
Khitan language
The Khitan language is a now-extinct language once spoken by the Khitan people . Khitan is generally deemed to be genetically linked to the Mongolic languages. It was written using two mutually exclusive writing systems known as the Khitan large script and the Khitan small script...
: Nik, Niku; ; 1115–1234), also known as the Jurchen Dynasty, was founded by the Wanyan
Wanyan
Wanyan was a Heishui Mohe tribe living in the drainage region of the Heilong River during the Khitan Liao Dynasty time. The Wanyan clan was founded by Hanpu, who, according to the "History of the Jin" , came from the kingdom of Goryeo at the age of sixty...
(完顏 Wányán) clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
of the Jurchens
Jurchens
The Jurchens were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
, the ancestors of the Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
some 500 years later. The name is sometimes written as Jinn to differentiate it from an earlier Jìn Dynasty
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
of 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...
whose name is spelled identically in the Roman alphabet
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
.
History
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
by the Jurchen tribal chieftain Wanyan Aguda
Wanyan Aguda
Emperor Taizu of Jin was Emperor of Jin from January 28, 1115 to September 19, 1123.He was the chieftain of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe, founder and first emperor of the Jin Dynasty . He was the younger brother of Wanyan Wuyashu...
(完顏阿骨打) in 1115. The Jurchens' early rival was the Liao Dynasty
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...
, which had held sway over northern China
Northern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
, including Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and part of the Mongol region for several centuries. In 1121, the Jurchens entered into the Alliance on the Sea
Alliance on the Sea
The Alliance on the Sea was a political alliance in Chinese history between the Song and Jin Dynasties in the early 12th century against the Liao Dynasty. The alliance was negotiated from 1115 to 1123 by envoys who crossed the Bohai Sea, and is also called the Alliance Conducted at Sea...
with the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
and agreed to jointly invade the Liao. While the Song armies faltered, the Jurchens succeeded in driving the Liao to Central Asia.
In 1125, after the death of Aguda, the Jin broke the alliance with the Song and invaded North China. On January 9, 1127, Jin forces ransacked
Jingkang Incident
The Jingkang Incident , the Humiliation of Jingkang , or The Disorders of the Jingkang Period took place in 1127 when invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin Dynasty besieged and sacked Bianjing , the capital of the Song Dynasty of China...
Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, capturing both Emperor Qinzong, and his father, Emperor Huizong, who had abdicated in panic in the face of Jin forces. Following the fall of Kaifeng, Song forces under the leadership of the succeeding Southern Song Dynasty continued to fight for over a decade with Jin forces, eventually signing the Treaty of Shaoxing
Treaty of Shaoxing
The Treaty of Shaoxing is the agreement which ended the conflicts between the Jin Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty. It also legally drew up the boundaries of the two countries and forcing the Song Dynasty to renounce all claims to its former territories north of the Huai river...
in 1141, calling for the cession of all Song land north of the Huai River
Huai River
The Huai River is a major river in China. The Huai River is located about mid-way between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two largest rivers in China, and like them runs from west to east...
to the Jin and the execution of Song General Yue Fei
Yue Fei
Yue Fei , style name Pengju, was a military general of the Southern Song Dynasty. His ancestral home was in Xiaoti, Yonghe Village, Tangyin, Xiangzhou, Henan...
in return for peace.
The migration south
After taking over Northern ChinaNorthern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
, the Jin Dynasty became increasingly Sinicized. About three million people, half of them Jurchens
Jurchens
The Jurchens were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
, migrated south into northern China over two decades, and this minority governed about thirty million people. The Jurchens were given land grants and organized society into 1,000 households - meng'an) and 100 households - mouke). Many married Hans, although the ban on Jurchen nobles marrying Hans was not lifted until 1191. After Jin Emperor Tàizōng
Emperor Taizong of Jin
Emperor Taizong of Jin was emperor of the Jin Dynasty, which ruled northern China from September 27, 1123 to February 9, 1135. His birth name was Wányán Wúqǐmǎi , and his reign name was Tiānhuì ....
died in 1135, the next three Jin emperors were grandsons of Wányán Āgǔdǎ
Wanyan Aguda
Emperor Taizu of Jin was Emperor of Jin from January 28, 1115 to September 19, 1123.He was the chieftain of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe, founder and first emperor of the Jin Dynasty . He was the younger brother of Wanyan Wuyashu...
by three different princes. Young Jin Emperor Xīzōng
Emperor Xizong of Jin
Emperor Xizong of Jin reigned from February 10, 1135 to January 9, 1150 as an emperor of the Jin Dynasty which controlled northern China from 1115 to 1234. His birth name was Wányán Hélá . His Han Chinese name was Wányán Dǎn .Wanyan Dan was the first son of the founder of the Jin Dynasty Wanyan...
(r. 1135-1149) studied the classics and wrote Chinese poetry. He adopted Han cultural traditions, but the Jurchen nobles had the top positions.
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...
of Prince Hǎilíng
Emperor Hailingwang of Jin
Emperor Hailingwang of Jin was emperor of the Jin Dynasty, the Jurchen dynasty which ruled northern China. He reigned from January 9, 1150 to December 15, 1161....
.
Rebellions in the north
Having usurped the throne, Wanyan LiangEmperor Hailingwang of Jin
Emperor Hailingwang of Jin was emperor of the Jin Dynasty, the Jurchen dynasty which ruled northern China. He reigned from January 9, 1150 to December 15, 1161....
embarked on the program of legitimizing his rule as an emperor of China. In 1153, he moved the empire's main capital from Huining Fu
Huining Fu
Huining Fu was a prefecture in the Shangjing region of Manchuria . It served as the first superior capital of the Jin Dynasty between 1122 to 1234 .- History :...
in northern Manchuria (south of present-day Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
) to the former Liao capital, Yanjing (now 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...
).
Four years later, in 1157, to emphasize the permanence of the move, he razed the nobles’ residences in Huining.
Hǎilíng also reconstructed the former Song capital, Bianjing (now Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
), which had been sacked in 1127, making it the Jin's southern capital.
Prince Hǎilíng also tried to suppress dissent by killing Jurchen nobles, executing 155 princes.
To fulfill his dream of becoming the ruler of all China, Prince Hǎilíng attacked the Southern Song in 1161. Meanwhile, two simultaneous rebellions erupted in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
: one of Jurchen nobles, led by Hǎilíng's cousin, soon-to-be crowned Wányán Yōng (完顏雍), and the other of 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...
tribesmen. Hǎilíng had to withdraw Jin troops from southern China to quell the uprisings. The Jin were defeated in the Battle of Caishi
Battle of Caishi
The naval Battle of Caishi took place in 1161 and was the result of an attempt by forces of the Jurchen Jin to cross the Yangtze River, thus beginning an invasion of Southern Song China...
and Battle of Tangdao
Battle of Tangdao
The naval Battle of Tangdao took place in 1161 between the Jurchen Jin and the Southern Song Dynasty of China on the East China Sea. It was an attempt by the Jin to invade and conquer the Southern Song Dynasty, yet resulted in failure and defeat for the Jurchens. The Jin Dynasty navy was set on...
. With a depleted military force, Prince Hǎilíng failed to make headway in his attempted invasion of the Southern Song. Finally he was assassinated by his own generals in December of 1161, due to his defeats. His son and heir was also assassinated in the capital.
Kumo Xi
The Kumo Xi ) were a Mongolic steppe people located in current Manchuria from 207 AD to 907 AD. After the death of their ancestor Tadun in 207 they were no longer called Wuhuan but joined the Khitan Xianbei in submitting to the Yuwen Xianbei. Their history is widely linked to the more famous Khitan...
cavalry units had been incorporated into the Jin army. Because these internal uprisings had severely weakened the Jin's capacity to confront the Southern Song militarily, the Jin court under Emperor Shizong began negotiating for peace. The Treaty of Lóngxīng (隆興和議) was signed in 1164 and ushered over 40 years of peace between the two empires.
Jurchen language
Jurchen language is an extinct language. It was spoken by Jurchen people of eastern Manchuria, the creators of the Jin Empire in the northeastern China of the 12th–13th centuries. It is classified as a Southwestern Tungusic language.-Writing:...
and culture; during his reign, a number of Chinese classics were translated into Jurchen, the Imperial Jurchen Academy was founded, and the Imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
s started to be offered in the Jurchen language. Shizong's reign (1161–1189) was remembered by the posterity as the time of comparative peace and prosperity, and the emperor himself was compared to the legendary Yao
Yao (ruler)
Yao , was a legendary Chinese ruler, one of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors. His ancestral name （姓）is Yi Qi （伊祁） or Qi（祁）,clan name （氏）is Taotang , given name is Fangxun , as the second son to Emperor Ku and Qingdu...
and Shun
Shìzōng's grandson, Emperor Zhāngzōng (章宗) (r. 1189-1208) venerated Jurchen values, but he also immersed himself in Chinese culture and married an ethnic Han woman. The Taihe Code of law was promulgated in 1201 and was based mostly on the Tang Code
Tang Code
The Tang Code was a penal code that was established and used during the Tang Dynasty in China. Supplemented by civil statutes and regulations, it became the basis for later dynastic codes not only in China but elsewhere in East Asia. The Code synthesised Legalist and Confucian interpretations of...
. In 1207 the Song tried to invade, but the Jin forces effectively repulsed them. In the peace agreement the Song had to pay higher annual indemnities and behead Hán Tūozhòu
Han Tuozhou
Han Tuozhou was a Chinese statesman of the Southern Song dynasty and a minister to Emperor Ningzong.He was responsible for Southern Song efforts to recover territories lost in northern China to the Jurchen Jin dynasty in their 1142 peace settlement...
(韩侂胄), the leader of their war party.
Fall of Jin
Starting from the early 13th century the Jin Dynasty began to feel the pressure of Mongols from the north. Genghis KhanGenghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
first led the Mongols into Western Xia
Western Xia
The Western Xia Dynasty or the Tangut Empire, was known to the Tanguts and the Tibetans as Minyak.The state existed from 1038 to 1227 AD in what are now the northwestern Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, southwest Inner Mongolia, and...
territory in 1205 and ravaged them four years later. In 1211 about 50,000 Mongols on horses invaded the Jin Empire and began absorbing Khitan and Jurchen rebels. The Jin army had a half million men with 150,000 cavalry but abandoned the “western capital” Datong
Datong
Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province of North China, located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of...
(see also Badger's Mount Campaign). The next year the Mongols went north and looted the Jin “eastern capital”, and in 1213 they besieged the “central capital”, Zhongdu
Zhongdu
Zhongdu is the name that was used for the capital city of some of Chinese dynasties. This includes:* Zhongdu, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, now Beijing; see History of Beijing#Liao and Jin Dynasties...
(Beijing). In 1214 the Jin made a humiliating treaty but retained the capital. That summer, Jin Emperor Xuānzōng (宣宗) abandoned the central capital and moved the government to the “southern capital” of Kaifeng, making it the official seat of Jin Dynasty power. In 1216 a war faction persuaded Xuānzōng to attack the Song, but in 1219 they were defeated at the same place by the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
, where Prince Hǎilíng had been defeated in 1161. The Jin now faced a two front war which they could not afford. Furthermore, the Jin Emperor Āizōng (哀宗) won a succession struggle against his brother and then quickly ended the war and went back to the capital. He made peace with the Tanguts, who had been allied with the Mongols. Genghis Khan died in 1227 while his armies were conquering the Western Xia Dynasty. His son Ögedei Khan
Ögedei Khan
Ögedei Khan, born Ögedei was the third son of Genghis Khan and second Great Khan of the Mongol Empire by succeeding his father...
invaded the Jin Empire in 1232 with assistance from the Southern Song. The Jurchens tried to resist; but when Kaifeng was attacked, Āizōng fled south. An allied army of Song and Mongols looted the capital in 1233, and the next year Āizōng committed suicide to avoid being captured, ending the Jin dynasty in 1234. The territory of the Jin was to be divided between the Mongols and the Song. However, due to lingering territorial disputes, the Song and the Mongols eventually went to war with one another over these territories.
René Grousset
René Grousset was a French historian, curator of both the Cernuschi and Guimet Museums in Paris, and a member of the prestigious Académie française...
reports that the Mongols were always amazed at the valor of the Jin warriors, who held out until seven years after the death of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
.
The Jin military
Contemporary Chinese writers ascribed Jurchen success in overwhelming the Liao and Northern Song mainly to their cavalry. Already during AgudaWanyan Aguda
Emperor Taizu of Jin was Emperor of Jin from January 28, 1115 to September 19, 1123.He was the chieftain of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe, founder and first emperor of the Jin Dynasty . He was the younger brother of Wanyan Wuyashu...
's rebellion against the Liao, all Jurchen fighters were mounted. It was said that the Jurchen cavalry tactics were a carryover from their hunting skills.
Jurchen horsemen were provided with heavy armor; on occasions, they would use a team of horses attached to each other with chains (拐子马, guaizi ma)
As the Liao Empire fell apart and the Song retreated beyond the Yangtze, the army of the new Jin Dynasty absorbed many soldiers who formerly fought for the Liao or Song. The new Jin empire adopted many of the Song's weapons, including various machines for siege warfare and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. In fact, the Jin use of cannons, grenades, and even rockets to defend besieged Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
against the Mongols in 1233 is considered the first ever battle in human history in which gunpowder was used effectively, even though it failed to prevent the eventual Jin defeat.
On the other hand, Jin Empire was not particularly good at naval warfare. Both in 1129-30 and in 1161 Jin forces were defeated by the Southern Song navies when trying to cross the Yangtze River into the core Southern Song territory (see Battle of Tangdao
Battle of Tangdao
The naval Battle of Tangdao took place in 1161 between the Jurchen Jin and the Southern Song Dynasty of China on the East China Sea. It was an attempt by the Jin to invade and conquer the Southern Song Dynasty, yet resulted in failure and defeat for the Jurchens. The Jin Dynasty navy was set on...
and Battle of Caishi
Battle of Caishi
The naval Battle of Caishi took place in 1161 and was the result of an attempt by forces of the Jurchen Jin to cross the Yangtze River, thus beginning an invasion of Southern Song China...
), even though for the latter campaign the Jin had equipped a large navy of their own, using Chinese shipbuildiers and even Chinese captains who had defected from the Southern Song.
Rise of the Manchus
After thirty years of struggle, the Jurchen chief NurhaciNurhaci
Nurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
(努爾哈赤) combined the three Jurchen tribes and founded the Later Jin Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
(1616–1636). Nurhaci's eighth son and heir, Huáng Tàijí (皇太極), later changed the name of his people from Jurchen to Manchu in 1635. The next year, he changed the name of the Later Jin to Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in 1636.
Descendants
A caste of "degraded" outcasts existed in NingboNingbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
city during the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, around 3,000 people in a class called "min". These "min" people were said to be Jin (Kin) dynasty royal descendants. Normal people refused to fraternize with them, the min were forced to enter professions such as play-acting, music, sedan-bearing, matchmaking, barbery, they were identified by a unique dress and always had with them a checkered handkerchief bundle. They were barred from taking the Imperial Exams and having normal professions.
List of Jin Dynasty Emperors
| Temple Name Miao Hao 廟號 miàohào |
Posthumous Name Shi Hao 諡號 shìhào |
Birth Name 姓名 xìngmíng |
Years of Reign |
Era Name Nian Hao 年號 niánhào and Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convention: "Jin" + temple name or posthumous name | ||||
| Tàizǔ 太祖 |
(1) | Wányán Āgǔdǎ 完顏阿骨打 or Wányán Min 完顏旻 |
1115–1123 | Shōuguó (收國, 1115–1116) Tiānfǔ (天輔, 1117–1123) |
| Tàizōng Emperor Taizong of Jin Emperor Taizong of Jin was emperor of the Jin Dynasty, which ruled northern China from September 27, 1123 to February 9, 1135. His birth name was Wányán Wúqǐmǎi , and his reign name was Tiānhuì .... 太宗 |
(1) | Wányán Wúqǐmǎi 完顏吳乞買 or Wányán Shèng 完顏晟 |
1123–1135 | Tiānhuì (天會, 1123–1135) |
| Xīzōng Emperor Xizong of Jin Emperor Xizong of Jin reigned from February 10, 1135 to January 9, 1150 as an emperor of the Jin Dynasty which controlled northern China from 1115 to 1234. His birth name was Wányán Hélá . His Han Chinese name was Wányán Dǎn .Wanyan Dan was the first son of the founder of the Jin Dynasty Wanyan... 熙宗 |
(1) | Wányán Hélá 完顏合剌 or Wányán Dǎn 完顏亶 |
1135–1149 | Tiānhuì (天會, 1135–1138) Tiānjuàn (天眷, 1138–1141) Huángtǒng (皇統, 1141–1149) |
| (2) | Hǎilíngwáng Emperor Hailingwang of Jin Emperor Hailingwang of Jin was emperor of the Jin Dynasty, the Jurchen dynasty which ruled northern China. He reigned from January 9, 1150 to December 15, 1161.... 海陵王 |
Wányán Dígǔnǎi 完顏迪古乃 or Wányán Liàng 完顏亮 |
1149–1161 | Tiāndé (天德, 1149–1153) Zhènyuán (貞元, 1153–1156) Zhènglóng (正隆, 1156–1161) |
| Shìzōng 世宗 |
(1) | Wányán Wūlù 完顏烏祿 or Wányán Yōng 完顏雍 |
1161–1189 | Dàdìng (大定, 1161–1189) |
| Zhāngzōng 章宗 |
(1) | Wányán Jǐng 完顏璟 |
1189–1208 | Míngchāng (明昌, 1190–1196) Chéng'ān (承安, 1196–1200) Tàihé (泰和, 1200–1208) |
| (2) | Wèishàowáng Emperor Weishaowang of Jin Emperor Weishaowang of Jin was the emperor of the Jin Dynasty whom ruled most of northern China in the 12th and 13th centuries. His name at birth was Wányán Yǒngjì Weishaowang was the seventh of ten emperors of the Jin Dynasty... 衛紹王 or Wèiwáng 衛王 |
Wányán Yǒngjì 完顏永濟 |
1208–1213 | Dà'ān 大安 1209-1212 Chóngqìng 崇慶 1212-1213 Zhìníng 至寧 1213 |
| Xuānzōng Emperor Xuanzong of Jin Emperor Xuanzong of Jin , Jin Xuanzong, was emperor of the Jin Dynasty which ruled most of northern China in the 12th and 13th centuries. His name at birth was Wányán Xún... 宣宗 |
(1) | Wányán Xún 完顏珣 |
1213–1224 | Zhēnyòu 貞祐 1213-1217 Xīngdìng 興定 1217-1222 Yuánguāng 元光 1222-1224 |
| Āizōng Emperor Aizong of Jin Emperor Aizong of Jin was emperor of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, which ruled most of northern China in the 12th and 13th centuries. His name at birth was Wányán Shǒuxù... 哀宗 |
(1) | Wányán Shǒuxù 完顏守緒 |
1224–1234 | Zhèngdà 正大 1224-1232 Kāixīng 開興 1232 Tiānxīng 天興 1232-1234 |
| (2) |
Mòdì Emperor Modi of Jin Emperor Modi of Jin was the last emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Ruling for less than one day on February 9, 1234 before being killed by the Mongolians, he is the shortest-reigning monarch in Chinese history.-Brief history:... 末帝 |
Wányán Chénglín 完顏承麟 |
1234 | (2) |
(1) Quite long and thus not used when referring to this sovereign.
(2) Did not exist
See also
- Puxian WannuPuxian WannuPúxiān Wànnú was a Jurchen warlord who established the short-lived kingdom of Eastern Xia in 13th century China .He originally served the dying Jin Dynasty under pressure from the Mongol Empire...
- Jurchen Jin emperors family tree
- Korean-Jurchen warsKorean-Jurchen wars- Under Goryeo period :* In 984 Goryeo began to build a fortress on the banks of the Yalu river but were hindered by the Jurchen, who caused the work to be suspended....
Literature
- Jing-shen Tao, "The Jurchen in Twelfth-Century China". University of Washington Press, 1976, ISBN 0-295-95514-7.