Khitan people
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The Khitan (or Khitai, Chinese: 契丹; pinyin: Qìdān) were an ethnic group which raise to dominate much of Manchuria (Northeast China) in the 10th century and has been classified by Chinese historians as one of the Eastern proto-Mongolic ethnic groups Donghu (simplified Chinese: 东胡族; traditional Chinese: 東胡族; pinyin: Dōnghú zú)^{citation needed}.

From Xianbei origine, they were part of the Kumo Xi tribe until 388, when the Kumo Xi-Khitan tribal complex was hugely defeated by the newly established Northern Wei, allowing the Khitan to split to their own tribe and entity, starting the Khitan's history.^[1]

They were then under the alternate domination of the Turks or Uyghurs (their West, respectively 5th to 8th, and 8th and 9th centuries), the Chinese Northern dynasties or Tang (from south, respectively 5 and 6th, and 7 to 10th c.), Koreans states (from East, mainly Goguryeo), according to the balance of power of the moment. Under this triple domination and pression, Khitans started to show growing power and independence. This raise was, compare to other cases, slow. Slow because frequently crushed by it's neighbouring powers, each using the Khitans warriors when he need, but each ready to crush them when Khitans rose to much and became powerful, close to become an independant 4th regional power. The 696-697 Li-Shun Rebelion is really instructive on this "3 adults and 1 teenager" game : the Khitans are encouraged by Turks to took all the risks and revolts again Tang, what they successfully accomplish, to finaly be attacked on their rear by Turks and Koreans, to the full benefits of newly-reborn Turkish empire (2d, 682-745).^[2]

Enjoying the departure of Uyghur people for West, and the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in early 10th, they established the Liao Dynasty in 907. The Liao Dynasty proved to be a significant power north of the Chinese plain, continuously moving south and West, gaining control over former Chinese and Turk-Uyghur's territories. They eventually fell to the Jin Dynasty of the Jurchen in 1125, who submit and absorb Khitans to their military benefit.

Following the fall of the Liao Dynasty, many moved further west and established the state of Kara Khitai. Their name survived in the Russian word for China (Китай, Kitay), as well as the archaic English (Cathay), Portuguese (Catai), and Spanish (Catay) appellations of the country.

Origines

See also : List of the Khitan rulers

References to the Khitan in Chinese sources date back to the fourth century. Ancestors of the Khitan were the Yuwen clan of the Xianbei, an ethnic group situated in the area covered by the modern Liaoning province.^{citation needed} After their regime was conquered by the Murong clan, the remnants scattered in the modern-day Inner Mongolia and mixed there with the original Mongolic population.

Pre-Dynastic Khitans (388-907)

They had been identified as a distinct ethnic group since paying tribute to the Northern Wei Dynasty in the mid-6th century.^{citation needed}

During the time of the Tang Dynasty in China, the Khitan people oscilated between vassality to Tang or to Turks, according to the moment balance of power, or under the Uyghurs when they replaced the Turks as the main steppe power. However, once the Uyghurs left their home in the Mongolian Plateau in 842, enough of a power vacuum was create that gave the Khitan the opportunity to make their rise. The Khitan invaded the areas vacated by the Uyghurs, bringing them under their control.

The Khitan are also said to have learned from history. On the one hand, they observed the fearsome effect that steppe cavalry had on the Chinese, through their use by the Uyghurs, Shatuo Turks, Kyrgyz, and later themselves. On the other, they also noted the effect that the adoption of Chinese writing and other tools of administration had on their cultural integrity. The Korean kingdom of Silla was known by the Khitan to refer to themselves as a “little China.” While their situation was not akin to that of Silla in a number of ways, they also did not want to fall into the same situation.

Relations with Tang China

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Recorded notable Khitans' raids on Chinese Empire occurred several times as early as the seventh century. In 605, moving and raiding south, they were crushed by a Sui General leading 20 000 Turkish cavalry^[3]. In 695 they marched south and were close to modern Beijing by 696, despite being vassals of the Tujue (Turks), themselves vassals of the Tang dynasty. The Tang dynasty then asked the Tujue to manage this issue, and the Khitans—promptly defeated—withdrew.

In 751-752, following An Lushan's provocations a harrassments, the Khitans moved south to attack the Chinese Tang Empire, and were blocked by his troops. The continuous agitation of Khitans on the northeast of the Empire, maintant by An Lushan actions, provided An Lushan more and more support troops from Chang'an, growing to 160,000 men. The high chancellor, Li Linfu, wanted both to resist the Khitans' pressure and counterbalance the growing influence of the Yang clan in Chang'an affairs. When Li Linfu died and Yang Guozhong —a Yang clan member— replaced him as high chancellor, An Lushan rose in rebellion with his composed armies, and attacked the central power, with some Khitan, Xi, and Turkish supporters^{citation needed}.

Liao Dynasty

Khitan Empire in 1025 AD, along with its neighbors.

Liao funerary mask, 10-12th century CE.

Main article: Liao Dynasty

The Liao Dynasty was founded in 907 when Abaoji, posthumously known as Emperor Taizu was named the leader of the Khitan nation. Even though the Great Liao Dynasty was not declared until the 947, it is generally said to have begun with the elevation of Abaoji.

Abaoji introduced a number of innovations, some more successful than others. He divided the empire into two parts, one of which was governed based on nomadic models while the sedentary population was government largely in accordance with Chinese techniques.

Less successful was the attempted introduction of primogeniture in succession to the throne. Although he designed his eldest son to be heir, he did not succeed Abaoji.

Abaoji was "afraid that their use of Chinese advisers and administrative techniques would blur their own ethnic identity, the Khitan made a conscious effort to retain their own tribal rites, food, and clothing and refused to use the Chinese language, devising a writing system for their own language instead." ^[4] The first of these two scripts was created in 920. The second, based on alphabetic principles, was created five years later.

Post Liao Dynasty history

Though Abaoji died in 926, the dynasty would last nearly two more centuries. Five cities were designated as capitals during that dynasty. In addition to the Supreme Capital in the heartland of Khitan Territory, there were four regional capitals. One of which was Beijing, which became a capital in the first time in its history, though it was not the principle capital of the Dynasty, but rather was designated as the Southern Capital after the Khitan acquired the contentious Sixteen Prefectures in 935.

The Khitan were known as خطا in Arabic (Khata) and are mentioned by Muslim chroniclers, such as Ibn al-Athir, al-Thahabi and Ibn Khaldun.^{citation needed} They had several clashes with the Khwarezmid Empire, winning at first, and imposing annual tribute on some, with territorial concessions (e.g. Tirmiz was handed over to them at one point).^{citation needed} They eventually suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Muhammad II of Khwarezm and no longer posed a serious threat to Muslims in adjacent regions.

Although a number of the nobility of the Liao Dynasty escaped the area westwards towards Western Regions, establishing the short-lived Kara-Khitan or Western Liao dynasty, they were in turn absorbed by the local Turkic and Iranic populations and left no influence of themselves. As the Khitan language is still almost completely illegible, it is difficult to create a detailed history of their movements.

For a while after the invention of the Korean Hangeul script in the mid-15th century, the name of the Khitans continued to appear in Korean texts as 거란 (Georan/Kǒran). The ethnonym eventually fell out of use, however, and vanished along with the distinct ethnic identity of the Khitan people.

There is no clear evidence of there being any descendant ethnic groups of the Khitan in modern-day Northeast China, but some recent genetic studies have tended to support the hypothesis that the Daur ethnic group of Inner Mongolia contains at least some direct descendants of the ancient Khitan.^[5] Some Yunnan Han Chinese are descendants of the Khitan.^[6]

See also

• Buraq Hajib
• Ethnic groups in Chinese history
• Goryeo-Khitan Wars
• Eagle hunting

References

Sources

• Xu Elina-Qian, Historical Development of the Pre-Dynastic Khitan, University of Helsinki, 2005. 273 pages.
• Mote, F.W. (1999). Imperial China: 900-1800. Harvard University Press, 31-71. ISBN 0674012127. 
• EBREY, Patricia Buckley (1996). The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-66991-X. 
• Khitans