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Liang 涼 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400–421 | |||||||||
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| Status | Vassal of Later Qin,Jin Dynasty (266–420),Northern Wei,Liu Song | ||||||||
| Capital | Dunhuang (400–405, 420–421) Jiuquan (405–420) | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||
• 400–417 | Li Gao | ||||||||
• 417–420 | Li Xin | ||||||||
• 420–421 | Li Xun | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 400 | ||||||||
• Fall ofJiuquan | 420 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 421 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | China Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan | ||||||||
Liang, known in historiography as the Western Liang (traditional Chinese:西涼; simplified Chinese:西凉; pinyin:Xī Liáng;400–421), was adynastic state of China listed as one of theSixteen Kingdoms. The Western Liang was founded by theLi family ofHan descent. The founder of theTang dynasty, Li Yuan (Emperor Gaozu), traced his patrilineal ancestry to the Western Liang rulers and traced the ancestry of the Western Liang rulers toLi Guang,Li Xin, andLaozi in the paternal line. The ruling Li clan of the Western Liang was known as the Longxi Li lineage (隴西李氏).[1]
All of Western Liang's rulers declared themselves asgōngs (公), which is translated to "Dukes". Their territory encompassed modern-day northwesternGansu, and for this reason, they were given the prefix of "Western" in historiography to distinguish them with the other Liang states at the time.
Western Liang's founder,Li Gao was from theLi clan of Longxi, a prominent Han Chinese family that claimed descent from figures such asLaozi,Li Xìn andLi Guang. Under theWestern Jin andFormer Liang dynasties, his family members served as administrators in theHexi Corridor. In 397, the Administrator of Jiankang (建康, in modernZhangye,Gansu),Duan Ye, with support of theLushuihu Juqu tribe, broke away from theLater Liang and founded theNorthern Liang. Li Gao served as a magistrate under Northern Liang, and in 400, at the recommendation of the local Han elites, he was made the Administrator ofDunhuang.
That same year, the Administrator of Jinchang, Tang Yao (唐瑤) rebelled in his commandery and acclaimed Li Gao as his leader, offering him the title of Duke of Liang. Li Gao accepted him, and he declared a general amnesty and changed the era name in his territory. Historiographers refer to his state as Western Liang to distinguish it with the other rival Liang states at the time.
Li Gao's state was backed by local Han Chinese gentry clans, and all the cities west ofYumen Commandery submitted to him. In 401, bothJiuquan and Liangning (陇西郡; northwest of present-dayYumen City,Gansu) commanderies also surrendered to him from Northern Liang. To apply more pressure on the Northern Liang, he moved his capital east to Jiuquan in 405 and allied with theSouthern Liang. He also nominally submitted to theLater Qin and sent tributes toNorthern Wei.
The Western Liang sought to take control of Liang and Qin provinces, but it was relatively weak compared to its neighbours. According to records, Li Gao heavily involved his wife,Princess Dowager Yin, in many of his decision-makings, so much so that a common saying was, "Li and Yin reign over Dunhuang" (李尹王敦煌). They maintained a stable economy within his state by encouraging agriculture and trade with theWestern Regions, along with promotingConfucianism through the establishment of new schools. Like the Former Liang before him, Li Gao considered himself a vassal to theEastern Jin in the south and sent envoys to have his titles recognized by them. However, due to the distance between the two states, it would not be untilLiu Yu's second northern expedition when the Jin formally recognized Western Liang as a vassal. Western Liang also had to defend themselves against the nomadicRouran andTuyuhun.
In 417, Li Gao died and was succeeded by his son,Li Xin, who records describe as a cruel ruler who drained the state's resource with construction projects. Taking advantage of the situation, the Northern Liang intensified their efforts to conquer Western Liang. In 420, Li Xin was enticed into attacking the Northern Liang capital, Guzang (姑臧, in modernWuwei, Gansu), and fell into a trap. He died in battle, and Northern Liang forces soon captured Jiuquan. His brother, Li Xun succeeded him in Dunhuang and continued to hold out, but the city eventually fell and Li Xun committed suicide in 421, putting an end to Western Liang.
Li Gao's descendants survived the fall of Western Liang, with theTang dynasty claiming descent from him through Li Xin's son, Li Chong'er (李重耳), who fled to theLiu Song dynasty in the south before returning north to theNorthern Wei. For this reason, the Tang posthumously honoured Li Gao as Emperor Xingsheng and refer to him in theBook of Jin by hiscourtesy name due tonaming taboo. Another grandson of Li Gao,Li Bao, was captured by Northern Liang but fled toYiwu County with his uncle, Tang Qi (唐契), becoming vassals to the Rouran. In 444, Li Bao surrendered and served under Northern Wei, where his sonLi Chong became a prominent minister. The famed Tang dynasty poets,Li Bai andLi Shangyin were also both believed to be descendants of Li Gao.
| Temple names | Posthumous name | Personal name | Durations of reigns | Era names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taizu | Wuzhao | Li Gao | 400–417 | Gengzi (庚子) 400–405 Jianchu (建初) 406–417 |
| – | – | Li Xin | 417–420 | Jiaxing (嘉興) 417–420 |
| – | – | Li Xun | 420–421 | Yongjian (永建) 420–421 |
| Western Liang rulers family tree | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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