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Yan, known in historiography as the Former Yan (; 337–370), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the
Murong Murong (; Eastern Han Chinese, LHC: *''mɑC-joŋ''; Middle Chinese, EMC: *''mɔh-juawŋ'') or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (reigned 156–181). Different strands of evidence exist linking ...
clan of the
Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...
during the
Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded b ...
period. From
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, the Former Yan later conquered and ruled over
Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
,
Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
and
Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
at its peak. They were notably the first of several Xianbei states to have establish their rule over the Central Plains. The prefix of "Former" is used in historiography to distinguish them from the other Yan states that came after them such as
Later Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Later Yan (; 384 – 407 or 409), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xianbei people during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms. The prefix "Later" to distinguish them from the Former Yan before them and othe ...
. Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Eastern Jin-created title "Prince of Yan", but subsequently, in 352, after seizing most of the former
Later Zhao Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350 AD, known in historiography as the Later Zhao (; 319–351) or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the ...
territory, Murong Jun would declare himself emperor, and after that point, the rulers of the Former Yan declared themselves "
emperors The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rule ...
". The Yan changed their capital from time to time, with their last capital, Ye being the most prestigious due to its status as a major population hub.


History


Background

The Murong, named after their chieftain of the same name, were a Xianbei tribe under Tanshihuai's confederation during the late-2nd century. As the confederation disintegrated, they resettled themselves around the Liaoxi region, where they feuded with the neighbouring Duan and Yuwen tribes. During the
Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...
period, when the
Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...
commander, Sima Yi, campaigned against Gongsun Yuan in 237, the Murong offered their assistance, and after the campaign, they were allowed to move into northern Liaodong. They became vassals to the Wei and then their successor, the Western Jin dynasty. In 285, Murong Hui was installed as the new chieftain of his tribe. Although Hui rebelled against Jin shortly after ascending, he resubmitted in 289 and was given the office of Commander of the Xianbei. Hui moved his tribe inwards, eventually settling at Jicheng (棘城, in modern Jinzhou,
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) and making it their capital, where they adopted an agricultural lifestyle and the Jin governing system. In 307, he declared himself Grand Chanyu of the Xianbei. During the upheaval of the Five Barbarians, Murong Hui welcomed many fleeing refugees into his territory and recruited Chinese scholar-officials into his administration, even setting up new commaderies to accommodate them based on their native provinces. The refugees not only provided the Murong with manpower, but also introduced them to Central Plains culture and advanced agricultural techniques. As the Jin was driven out of the north, Hui effectively held independent control over his territory, but retained his status as a Jin vassal. Between 317 and 318, the Jin court in
Jiankang Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was the capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Jin dynasty (265–420), Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Ch ...
acknowledged his positions and offered him the title of Duke of Changli. Hui initially rejected his ducal title, but in 321, accepted the other title of Duke of Liaodong.


Reign of Murong Huang

Murong Hui died in 333 and was succeeded by his son, Murong Huang. The Murong attempted to establish the Chinese succession rule from father to eldest son of the main wife, but this was in conflict with their traditional practice of lateral succession. Shortly after ascending, Huang's brother, Murong Ren rebelled in eastern Liaodong and split the domain into two. Huang defeated Ren in 336, but the issue of succession continued to persist for the Murong even after they established their states. In 337, he took the title of Prince of Yan through the support of his officials. Most historians regard this event as the start of the Former Yan dynasty, with the name "Former Yan" being used to distinguish it between the other Yan states that came after it. In 341, Huang pressured the Jin court into formally recognizing his imperial title, but throughout his reign, he never explicitly declared independence and continued to consider himself as a Jin vassal. Murong Huang's reign saw Former Yan rapidly expanding its influence. In 338, Yan allied with the Later Zhao dynasty to conquer the Duan tribe in Liaoxi. Though the campaign was a success, Zhao then betrayed Yan and laid siege on Jícheng. Despite heavy odds, Yan was able to repel the Zhao forces. In 340, Yan carried out a massive raid on Zhao, reaching all the way to Gaoyang Commandery (高陽郡; around present-day
Gaoyang County Gaoyang County () is a county in the central part of Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Baoding and has an area of . The county seat is in Gaoyang Town (). Administrative di ...
,
Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
) and capturing 30,000 households before withdrawing. In 342, Murong Huang moved the capital to Longcheng. Later that year, Former Yan invaded
Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
and sacked the capital Hwando, forcing their king Gogugwon into submission. In 344, they attacked the Yuwen tribe and destroyed their power base, while in 346, they invaded Buyeo and captured their king,
Hyeon Korea has had administrative districts that can be considered provinces since the 7th century. These divisions were initially called ''ju'' () in Unified Silla and Later Baekje, and there were nine in total. After Goryeo conquered these states in t ...
. As a result of these campaigns, the Former Yan became the sole military power in northeastern China. Huang also abolished the Eastern Jin era names within his domain in 345, instead claiming that they were now in the 12th year of his reign since he first succeeded his father.


Reign of Murong Jun

After Murong Huang's death in 348, his son Murong Jun took the throne. In 349, the Later Zhao descended into civil war between members of the imperial family. Taking advantage of the confusion, Murong Jun began an invasion of the Central Plains, during which he moved the capital to Jìcheng (薊城; modern day
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
) in 350. Soon, the Former Yan went head-to-head with the Ran Wei state, which superseded the Later Zhao, and in 352, the Wei emperor, Ran Min was captured by Murong Jun's brother, Murong Ke at the Battle of Liantai. A few months later, Ran Min's Crown Prince, Ran Zhi, surrendered to Former Yan at Ye. The destruction of Ran Wei established Former Yan as a regional power on the
North China Plain The North China Plain () is a large-scale downfaulted rift basin formed in the late Paleogene and Neogene and then modified by the deposits of the Yellow River. It is the largest alluvial plain of China. The plain is bordered to the north by th ...
, competing with the Di-led
Former Qin Qin, known as the Former Qin and Fu Qin (苻秦) in historiography, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China ruled by the Fu (Pu) clan of the Di (Five Barbarians), Di peoples during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Founded in the wake of ...
in the west and the Eastern Jin in the south. In 353, Murong Jun declared himself emperor and formally broke away from Jin. He continued to entrust Murong Ke with defeating the remnants of the Later Zhao, including the Duan Qi state in
Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
. As the situation stabilized on the Central Plains, Jun once again shifted his capital, this time to Ye in 357. Jun also had ambitions to conquer Jin by mobilizing an army of 1.5 million strong, but died of illness before realizing it in 360.


Reign of Murong Wei

Murong Jun's son, Murong Wei was still a child when he ascended the throne and was assigned with multiple regents. Before his death, Jun had offered to pass the throne to Murong Ke, but Ke refused and settled with becoming one of his nephew's regents. Still, Ke held considerable power under Murong Wei, and traditional historians regarded him as one of the greatest statesmen and commanders of his period. In 365, he captured the ancient capital,
Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
from Jin and brought the empire to its peak. However, although Ke's regency was marked with political stability and military might, corruption was also beginning to take its toll on the empire. One issue that plagued the empire was the decline of the state's fiscal revenue; after entering the Central Plains, the Yan nobility held large swathes of private land where they amassed commoners and concealed the household population from the state to avoid paying taxes. As a result, the imperial treasury was stretched thin, many officials had unpaid salaries and the public grain stores were exhausted. Ke's leadership initially mitigated the issue, but the situation quickly deteriorated after his untimely death in 367. Real power was then passed down to his notoriously corrupt uncle, Murong Ping. While Murong Ke was entrusted with real power, another brother of Murong Jun, Murong Chui, was viewed with extreme suspicion by the emperor's inner circle throughout Jun and Murong Wei's reigns. In 369, the Eastern Jin commander, Huan Wen, launched an expedition to conquer the Former Yan. As the Yan court was thrown into a panic, Chui volunteered to lead the defense and decisively defeated Huan Wen at the Battle of Fangtou. However, his newfound success made Murong Ping apprehensive of him. After Ping attempted to kill him, Chui defected to the Former Qin. During the Jin invasion, Yan had agreed to cede the Luoyang region to Qin for reinforcements, but went back on their promise after repelling the attack. Chui’s defection only further prompted Qin to begin their own conquest of Yan. Despite their numerical advantage, the incompetently-led main Yan force was destroyed by Wang Meng's army at the Battle of Luchuan. Qin forces eventually reached Ye and Murong Wei was captured in 370. The destruction of the Former Yan established Former Qin as the main hegemon in the north, beginning their rapid unification of northern China. Despite the Former Yan's demise, Murong Huang's descendants would go on to establish three more states during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. In the wake of the
Battle of Fei River The Battle of Fei River, also known as the Battle of Feishui (), took place in the autumn of 383 AD in China, where forces of the Di (Five Barbarians), Di-led Former Qin, Former Qin dynasty were decisively defeated by the outnumbered army of the ...
in 383, the Yan was restored as the
Later Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Later Yan (; 384 – 407 or 409), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xianbei people during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms. The prefix "Later" to distinguish them from the Former Yan before them and othe ...
(384–407/409), founded by Murong Chui, and the Western Yan (384–394), founded by Murong Wei's brother, Murong Hong. The Southern Yan (398–410) was a Murong state founded by a son of Murong Huang, Murong De. File:MurongPainting.jpg, Painting depicting a Xianbei Murong archer in a tomb of the Former Yan (337–370).


Rulers of the Former Yan


See also

*
Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...
* List of past Chinese ethnic groups * Wu Hu


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan Tuyuhun Mongol states 337 establishments 370 disestablishments 4th century in China Dynasties of China Former countries in Chinese history 4th-century establishments in China Former monarchies