Former Liang
Earlier Liang (前 凉) was a Chinese dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms Period . The Former Liang Royal Family originally provided the governors of the Jin Dynasty in the Liang Zhou area . When the Western Jin Dynasty fell in 317 , they formed a de facto independent state, but formally all the rulers of the Former Liangs remained loyal to the Jin Dynasty . Depending on the counting method, either the year of the entry into office of the first Former Liang King Zhang Shi (实) in the year 314 or the year 317 was regarded as the beginning of the state. In 376 , Former Liang went down under the onslaught of Former Qin . The Former Liang had the longest-lived state among the sixteen kingdoms and also one of the most stable. While northern and central China were marked by war, destruction and rapidly changing rulers and governments during this period, the area of the former Liang was largely peaceful. Through skillful foreign policy maneuvers, the Former Liang was even able to expand her territory further west. At its greatest extent it extended over parts of today's Chinese provinces of Shaanxi , Gansu , Ningxia , Qinghai and Xinjiang .
Beginning of the state
Former Liang State has never declared its independence as such. Formally, the territory had always been an area loyal to the Jin Dynasty. The rulers of the Former Liang (except for Zhang Zuo , who called himself king) always referred to themselves as governors and counts of Liang, all titles they received from the Jin emperors. After the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty, however, there was hardly any contact between the area of the Liang and the Eastern Jin Dynasty, so that the rulers of the former Liang were de facto independent. For this reason, there has always been disagreement as to which date should be regarded as the beginning of the Earlier Liang. Usually the year of the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty (317) is considered the beginning of the independent state. However, some historians see the inauguration of the first independent Liang ruler Zhang Shi (314) as the beginning of the state. Some even see Zhang Shi's predecessor, his father Zhang Gui (张 轨), as a de facto independent ruler.
Liang (凉) is the ancient name of today's western area of China, it roughly corresponds to today's Gansu Province. In 301 , in the midst of the turmoil of the eight kings , Zhang Gui was appointed governor of Liang. The area was on the inhospitable edge of China and was spared from this turmoil. Zhang Gui did not take part in the power struggles in the central government, instead he tried everything to keep the turmoil out of his government area. Ironically, the inconspicuous outskirts experienced a relative calm thanks to his wise government. Many people fled to Liang. Zhang Gui was evidently also very skillful domestically, so that the influx of refugees apparently did not create any tensions in his area, as was the case in Sichuan (see Cheng-Han ). Instead, Liang saw a flourishing culture and economy.
Zhang Gui died in 314, at the time the central Jin government was practically non-existent. Zhang Gui's son Zhang Shi took over the government from Liang. Zhang Shi's appointment was formally approved by the Jin Emperor; in fact, by that time the Jin capital was already under siege by the Huns and the fall of Jin was only a matter of time. Zhang Shi (like his father) also received the title of Count (侯) from the Jin Emperor. Zhang Shi continued his father's policies and continued to stabilize the Former Liang's area.
In 317 the last Western Jin Emperor fell. In today's Nanjing was Eastern Jin Dynasty built. Zhang Shi protested his loyalty to the Jin Emperor and continued to call himself a subject of Nanjing. However, there were over a thousand kilometers of hostile land between Nanjing and its capital (in today's Gansu), so that only sporadic communication was possible between the two areas.
development
On July 320 , Zhang Shi died a violent death by members of his own guard. The murderers belonged to a Daoist sect that was enjoying a huge popularity in western China at the time. Zhang Shi feared, probably rightly, that the sect might gain the upper hand ( the Yellow Turban revolt that led to the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty was not so long ago), so Zhang had the sect's leader arrested and killed. However, he did not know that some of his guards were followers of the sect, and so fell victim to its revenge.
Since Zhang Shi's son was still a child at the time, his brother Zhang Mao (张茂) took over the government. Zhang Mao ruled for five years, during which time he successfully repelled the attacks of the Former Zhao (i.e. the Huns). After his death, Zhang Shi's son Zhang Jun (张骏) took over the government.
Like Zhang Mao, Zhang Jun had the problem that Liang was always threatened by neighboring countries. Zhang Jun used a policy of appeasement to counter threats from the Earlier Zhao, Later Zhao, and Cheng-Han. He took over titles given to him by the neighboring states, sent envoys to the courts of the neighboring states to assure his loyalty and made gifts. Domestically, Zhang Jun had the punitive measures softened. He was also very tolerant himself; so his subordinates could often give him their opinion directly without fear of being punished. Zhang Jun received a lot of encouragement from his subjects. Although he forbade his subordinates to treat him as king, most of his subjects saw and treated him as king. He also took the opportunity of the calm in the east to expand west and conquer some areas in what is now Xinjiang .
In 346 , Zhang Jun died of natural causes, and his second son and designated successor Zhang Zhonghua (张 重 华) took over the government. Above all, Zhang Zhonghua had to constantly defend himself against the king of the later Zhao, the Hun Shi Hu (石虎), who repeatedly invaded from the east. With the help of his talented general Xie Ai (谢 艾), he was always able to ward off the incursions successfully. Zhang Zhonghua was the Former Liang's first ruler to officially request the Jin Emperor to be made king. However, this request was rejected with the note that royal titles at the Jin court would only be awarded to members of the imperial family.
Inner unrest and ruin
Zhang Zhonghua died in 353 at the age of 27. His son and designated successor Zhang Yaoling (张 曜 靈) was only 10 years old. He was quickly replaced by his uncle Zhang Zuo (张 祚) and murdered soon after. Zhang Zuo was undoubtedly power hungry, but he couldn't deal with his subordinates. Whenever someone disagreed with his opinion, was tortured or killed, he quickly lost the trust of his people. He also had serious thoughts of making himself emperor. Only the military success of the Jin Army at the time prevented him from doing so. Above all, he doubted the loyalty of his generals, who were stationed at the borders, and tried to eliminate them through contract killing, which only resulted in one of these generals openly rebelling and civil war broke out. Zhang Zuo's army was defeated. His subordinates took the opportunity (also to avoid putting themselves on the losing side), openly rebelled in the capital and killed Zhang Zuo. Zhang Zhonghua's younger son Zhang Xuanjing (张 玄 靓) was proclaimed ruler, Zhang Zuo was publicly declared a usurper.
Zhang Xuanjing was only six years old when he was declared ruler. The real power of the state was in the hands of its generals. The state structure of the Liang was already destabilized by the turmoil in the ruling family and by the civil war. Rebellions broke out in several parts of the state. But the ruling generals were also involved in power struggles among themselves. During the time of Zhang Xuanjing, three of these generals died from murder or coups. This further destabilized the state.
In 363 , the ruling general - an uncle of Zhang Xuanjing, Zhang Tianxi (張天錫) - murdered the 14-year-old ruler and made himself ruler of Liang. 350 which was Former Qin Dynasty in Chang'an established and 357 was Fu Jian (符坚) of the emperor of the Qin ancients. Fu Jian's policy of expansion soon threatened the former Liang as well. The annual attacks by the Former Qin put additional strain on the state, and eventually Zhang Tianxi decided to engage in a decisive battle in which he was defeated. The unrest in his own country robbed him of any possibility of retreat, so that he had to surrender.
Ruler of the Former Liang
There are different opinions about the number of rulers of Former Liang, as the beginning of the state is not clear.
| Honorary name 1 | Name 2 | Temple name 3 | Reign | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Min (明王) |
Zhang Shi (张 实) |
Ancestor Gao (高祖) |
314-320 | In 301, Zhang Gui was appointed governor of Liang. Zhang Shi took over the government in 314 after his father's death. After the fall of the Western Jin in 317, he became de facto independent. In some counting methods he is not yet counted as the ruler of Liang |
| King Cheng (成 王) |
Zhang Mao (张茂) | Ancestor Tai (太宗) | 320-324 | Brother of Zhang Shi, took over the government when his son was young |
| King Wen (文王) |
Zhang Jun (张骏) | Ancestor Shi (世祖) |
324- 346 | Son of Zhang Shi. |
| King Huan (桓王) |
Zhang Zhonghua (张 重 华) | 346-354 | Son of Zhang Jun. | |
| King Ai (哀王) |
Zhang Yaoling (張 曜 靈) | 354 | Zhang Zhonghua's son, ruled for 3 months and murdered. | |
| King Wei (威王) |
Zhang Zuo (张 祚) | 354-355 | Zhang Zhonghua's brother, was later murdered by his subordinates. | |
| King Chong (冲 王) |
Zhang Xuanjing (张 玄 靓) | 355-363 | Zhang Zhonghua's son, was later murdered. | |
| Zhang Tianxi (張天錫) | 363-376 | Son of Zhang Jun, surrendered to former Qin. |
- The honorary name is the name of the ruler that he received for honor after his death. This is also the common name of the ruler that most Chinese people know.
- The correct name (the real name, so to speak) of the ruler. This name is known relatively rarely. According to Chinese tradition, the family name comes first, followed by the first name.
- The temple name is given to an emperor posthumously when he is placed as an ancestor in the imperial ancestral temple. Not all previous Liang rulers have a temple name.