Five dynasties and ten empires

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Late Liang Dynasty (yellow) and neighboring kingdoms, 923 AD

The period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Empires ( Chinese  五代 十 國  /  五代 十 国 , Pinyin wǔ dài shí guó ) from 907 to 960 was a time of political upheaval in China , from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the establishment of the Song Dynasty . Five dynasties followed one another in a very short time, and more than a dozen independent states emerged in the south of the country, traditionally only ten of them being mentioned (hence the name "Ten Empires").

overview

The Five Dynasties: The Ten Realms: Other realms:

prehistory

This period was a direct result of the political differences at the end of the Tang Dynasty. Power increasingly moved from the hands of the imperial government to regional military governors ( Jiedushi ). The Huang Chao Rebellion (875–884), which devastated large areas, was a heavy blow to the central government. The powerless Tang emperor returned to the capital, but was under the rule of his eunuchs and military. In the early 10th century, the central government lost almost all power over the powerful Jiedushi, so that they could rule independently.

The North

Detail of the painting The Nocturnal Amusements of Han Xizai by Gu Hongzhong , 10th century

At the time, Zhu Wen was the most powerful warlord in northern China. Originally a member of the Huang Chao rebel army, he switched sides and proved instrumental in putting down the rebellion of the Tang Dynasty. For this he received the title Xuanwu Jiedushi. Within a few years he was able to consolidate his power, conquer his neighbors and force a relocation of the imperial capital to Luoyang within his sphere of influence. In 904 he had Emperor Zhaozong murdered and replaced him with his 13-year-old son, who ruled as a puppet for three years until he forced him to abdicate in his favor in 907. With that he founded the Later Liang Dynasty with himself as the first emperor.

Meanwhile, several of his rivals had also proclaimed independent empires, and not all of them accepted the newly established dynasty as head. Li Cunxu and Liu Shouguang in particular challenged the new regime and fought for supremacy in northern China - Li Cunxu with success: After defeating Liu Shouguang, Li Cunxu declared himself emperor in 923, swept away the later Liang dynasty and replaced it the later Tang Dynasty. Much of the north was reunited under his rule, and around 925 Li Cunxu even managed to conquer the area of ​​the early Shu in southern China (Sichuan Province).

There was then a few years of relative peace.

But unrest soon broke out again: in 934 Sichuan declared itself independent again, in 936 Shi Jingtang, warlord (Jiedushi) in Taiyuan, rebelled with the help of the Chitan emperor of Manchuria . In return, Shi Jingtang promised the Chitan 16 prefectures in the Youyun area (now Hebei and Beijing) and an annual tribute. The rebellion was successful, and Shi Jingtang became Emperor of China and founder of the Later Jin Dynasty that same year. Over time, however, the Chitan saw the Later Jin less and less as allies, but more and more as their representatives in China. In 943 they decided to take the government into their own hands and within three years they reached the capital Kaifeng , which marked the end of the Later Jin Dynasty.

After that, however, the Chitan could not or would not hold the conquered areas in China and withdrew at the beginning of the following year. The Jiedushi Liu Zhiyuan filled the resulting power vacuum and proclaimed the Later Han Dynasty in 947 - the most short-lived of the five dynasties, because a coup brought General Guo Wei to the throne just 4 years later, the founder of the Later Zhou Dynasty. A member of the Later Han, however, Liu Chong, founded a counter-empire in Taiyuan as the Northern Han and again called the Chitan to help in the fight against the Later Zhou. After Guo Wei's death in 951, his adopted son Chai Rong took the throne and pursued a policy of expansion and reunification. In 954 he defeated the combined forces of the Chitan and Northern Han; between 956 and 958 he inflicted severe defeats on the southern kelp - at the time the most powerful group in southern China - and forced them to cede all areas north of the Yangtze . In 959 Chai Rong attacked the Chitan Empire with the aim of recapturing the areas ceded by the Late Jin. After a series of victories, however, he fell victim to an illness.

In 960 the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ended with the coup and the seizure of power by General Zhao Kuangyin (Northern Song Dynasty). In the following two decades, Zhao Kuangyin and his successor, Zhao Kuangyi, succeeded in subjugating all other empires in China, and completely reuniting China after the defeat of the Northern Han in 979.

The South

In contrast to northern China, where the dynasties followed one another in rapid succession, the different empires in southern China coexisted more or less side by side in different demarcated geographical areas: around 920, the Wu Empire existed on the territory of the present-day provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi. Wuyue, on the other hand, occupied today's Zhejiang Province, Min the Fujian Province, southern Han covered Guangdong, Chu was in Hunan, Jingnan stretched over Jiangling, Hubei Province and the early Shu was in today's Sichuan. Sichuan fell under the control of the north in 925, but regained its independence as the Late Shu in 934.

A Literary Garden , painting by Zhou Wenju , Southern Tang Dynasty

Although the south was more stable than the north, wars also shook southern China. Wu fought with all of the neighbors, a battle that continued when the Southern Tang captured the area in 937. Around 940, the Southern Tang used the internal crises of the Min and Chu to incorporate both empires in turn. This made them the most powerful regime in southern China. However, they were unable to ward off the incursion of the Late Zhou Dynasty and between 956 and 958 they lost all areas north of the Yangtze.

The Northern Song Dynasty, founded around 960, had set the reunification of China as its primary goal: Jingnan and Wuping were overrun in 963; the Late Shu followed in 965, the Southern Han around 971, the Southern Tang in 975. Finally, Wuyue and Qingyuan also had to cede their land to the Northern Song. Thus in 978 the entire south of China was in the hands of a central government.

Ruler of the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms

Temple name
( 廟號 , miàohào ) 		Posthumous name
( 諡 號 , shìhào ) 		Personal name Reign Era ( 年號 , niánhào ) and corresponding years
Five dynasties
Later Liang dynasty 後梁 , Hòu Liáng 907–923
Tài Zǔ 太祖 - Zhū ​​Wēn 朱溫 or

Zhū ​​Huàng

907-912 Kāipíng 開平 (907–911)

Qiánhuà 乾 化 (911–912)

- Mò Dì 末帝 Zhū ​​Zhèn 朱 瑱 913-923 Qiánhuà 乾 化 (913–915)

Zhēnmíng 貞 明 (915–921)
Lóngdé 龍 德 (921–923)

Later Tang dynasty 後唐 , Hòu Táng 923–936
Zhuāng Zōng 莊宗 - Lǐ Cúnxù 李存勗 923-926 Tóngguāng 同 光
Míng Zōng 明 宗 - Lǐ Sìyuán 李 嗣源
or
Lǐ Dǎn 李 亶 		926-933 Tiānchéng 天成 (926–930)

Chángxīng 長興 (930-933)

- Mǐn Dì 節 閔 帝 Lǐ Cónghòu 李 從 厚 933-934 Yìngshùn 應 順
- Mò Dì 末帝 Lǐ Cóngkē 李 從 珂 934-936 Qīngtài 清泰
Later Jin dynasty 後晉 , Hòu Jìn 936–947
Gāo Zǔ 高祖 - Shí Jìngtáng 石敬瑭 936-942 Tiānfú 天 福
- Chū Dì 出 帝 Shí Chóngguì 石 重 貴 942-947 Tiānfú 天 福 (942–944)

Kāiyùn 開 運 (944–947)

Later Han dynasty 後 漢 Hòu Hàn 936–947
Gāo Zǔ 高祖 - Liú Zhīyuǎn 劉 知 遠 947-948 Tiānfú 天 福 (947)

Qiányòu 乾祐 (948)

- Yǐn Dì 隱 帝 Liú Chéngyòu 劉承祐 948-950 Qiányòu 乾祐
Later Zhou dynasty 後周 , Hòu Zhōu 951–960
Tài Zǔ 太祖 - Guō Wēi 郭威 951-954 Guǎngshùn 廣順 (951–954)

Xiǎndé 顯 德 (954)

Shì Zōng 世宗 - Chái Róng 柴榮 954-959 Xiǎndé 顯 德
- Gōng Dì 恭帝 Chái Zōngxùn 柴 宗 訓 959-960 Xiǎndé 顯 德
Ten realms
Wuyue Empire 吳越 904–978
Tài Zǔ 太祖 Wǔsù Wáng 武 肅 王 Qián Liú 錢 鏐 904-932 Tiānbǎo 天寶 (908–923)

Bǎodà 寶 大 (923–925)
Bǎozhèng 寶 正 (925–932)

Shìzōng 世宗 Wénmù Wáng 文 穆王 Qián Yuánquàn 錢 元 瓘 932-941 -
Chéngzōng 成 宗 Zhōngxiàn Wáng 忠 獻 王 Qián Zuǒ 錢 佐 941-947 -
- Zhōngxùn Wáng 忠 遜 王 Qián Zōng 錢 倧 947 -
- Zhōngyì Wáng 忠 懿王 Qián Chù 錢 俶 947-978 -
Min empire 閩 909–945 with Yin empire 殷 943–945
Tàizǔ 太祖 Zhōngyì Wáng 忠 懿王 Wáng Shěnzhī 王 審 知 909-925 -
- - Wáng Yánhàn 王延翰 925-926 -
Tàizōng 太宗 Huìdì 惠帝 Wáng Yánjūn 王延鈞 926-935 Lóngqǐ 龍 啟 933-935

Yǒnghé 永和 935

Kāngzōng 康 宗 - Wáng Jìpéng 王繼鵬 935-939 Tōngwén 通 文
Jǐngzōng 景宗 - Wáng Yánxī 王延 羲 939-944 Yǒnglóng 永隆
- Tiāndé Dì 天 德 帝 (as Emperor of Yin) Wáng Yánzhèng 王延政 943-945 Tiāndé 天 德
Jingnan - 荊南 or Nanping Empire 南平 906–963
- Wǔxìn Wáng 武 信 王 Gāo Jìxīng 高 季 興 909-928 -
- Wénxiàn Wáng 文獻 王 Gāo Cónghuì 高 從 誨 928-948 -
- Zhēnyì Wáng 貞 懿王 Gāo Bǎoróng 高 寶 融 948-960 -
- Shìzhōng 侍中 Gāo Bǎoxù 高 寶 勗 960-962 -
- - Gāo Jìchōng 高 繼 沖 962-963 -
Chu Reich 楚 897–951
- Wǔmù Wáng 武 穆王 Mǎ Yīn 馬殷 897-930 -
- Héngyáng Wáng 衡陽 王 Mǎ Xīshēng 馬希 聲 930-932 -
- Wénzhāo Wáng 文 昭王 Mǎ Xīfàn 馬希範 932-947 -
- Fèidì 废帝 Mǎ Xīguǎng 馬希 廣 947-950 -
- Gōngxiào Wáng 恭 孝王 Mǎ Xī'è 馬希 萼 950 -
- - Mǎ Xīchong 馬希崇 950-951 -
Wu -Reich 吳 904–937
Tài Zǔ 太祖 Xiàowǔ Dì 孝 武帝 Yáng Xíngmì 楊行密 904-905 Tiānyòu 天祐
Liè Zōng 烈 宗 J Dng Dì 景帝 Yáng Wò 楊渥 905-908 Tiānyòu 天祐
Gāo Zǔ 高祖 Xuān Dì 宣帝 Yáng Lóngyǎn 楊隆 演 908-921 Tiānyòu 天祐 (908–919)

Wǔyì 武義 (919–921)

- Ruì Dì 睿 帝 Yáng Pǔ 楊 溥 921-937 Shùnyì 順義 (921–927)

Qiánzhēn 乾 貞 (927–929)
Dàhé 大 和 (929–935)
Tiānzuò 天祚 (935–937)

Southern Tang Empire 南唐 937–975
Xiān Zhǔ 先 主
or
Liè Zǔ 烈祖 		- Lǐ Biàn 李 昪 937-943 Shēngyuán ( 昇 元 )
Zhōng Zhǔ 中 主
or
Yuán Zōng 元 宗 		- Lǐ Jǐng 李 璟 943-961 Bǎodà 保 大 (943–958)

Jiāotài 交 泰 (958)
Zhōngxīng 中興 (958)

Hòu Zhǔ 後主 Wǔ Wáng 武王 Lǐ Yù 李煜 961-975 -
Southern Han Empire 南 漢 917–971
Gāo Zǔ 高祖 Tiān Huáng Dà Dì 天皇 大帝 Liú Yán 劉 龑 917-925 Qiánhēng 乾 亨 (917–925)

Báilóng 白龍 (925–928)
Dàyǒu 大有 (928–941)

- Shāng Dì 殤 帝 Liú Fēn 劉 玢 941-943 Guāngtiān 光 天
Zhōng Zōng 中 宗 - Liú Chéng 劉 晟 943-958 Yìngqián 應 乾 (943)

Qiánhé 乾 和 (943–958)

Hòu Zhǔ 後主 - Liú Cháng 劉 鋹 958-971 Dàbǎo 大 寶
Northern Han Empire (Bei) 951–979
Shì Zǔ 世祖 Shén Wǔ Dì 神 武帝 LiúMín 劉 旻 951-954 Qiányòu 乾祐 951–954
Ruì Zōng 睿宗 Xiào Hé Dì 孝 和帝 LiúChéng Jūn 劉承鈞 954-970 Qiányòu 乾祐 954-957

Tiānhuì 天 會 957-970

Shào Zhǔ 少 主 - LiúJì Ēn 劉繼恩 970 -
- Yīng Wǔ Dì 英 武帝 LiúJì Yuán 劉繼 元 970-982 Guǎngyùn 廣 運 970–982
Former Shu Kingdom (Qian) 907-925
Gāo Zǔ 高祖 - Wáng Jiàn 王建 907-918 Tiānfù 天 復 907

Wǔchéng 武 成 908–910
Yǒngpíng 永平 911–915
Tōngzhèng 通 正 916
Tiānhàn 天 漢 917
Guāngtiān 光 天 918

Hòu Zhǔ 後主 - Wáng Yǎn 王衍 918-925 Qiándé 乾 德 918–925

Xiánkāng 咸康 925

Later Shu Empire (Hou) 934–965
Gāo Zǔ 高祖 - Mèng Zhī Xiáng 孟知祥 934 Míngdé 明德
Hòu Zhǔ 後主 - Mèng Chǎng 孟昶 938-965 Míngdé 明德 934-938

Guǎngzhèng 廣 政 938–965

Source editions

literature

  • Frederick W. Mote: Imperial China 900–1800. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.) 1999, ISBN 0-674-44515-5 .

Web links

Commons : Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files