Huhanye (), born Jihoushan (), was a ''

chanyu Chanyu () or Shanyu (), short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (), was the title used by the supreme rulers of Inner Asian nomads for eight centuries until superseded by the title "''Khagan''" in 402 AD. The title was most famously used by the ruling L ...

'' of the

Xiongnu Empire The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209& ...

, the son of Xulüquanqu Chanyu. He rebelled in 59 BC with the aid of Wushanmu and

Woyanqudi Chanyu Woyanqudi (), born Tuqitang (), was a ''chanyu'' of the Xiongnu Empire The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century ...

soon committed suicide, leaving the Xiongnu torn apart by factional strife. By 55 BC, only Huhanye and his brother Zhizhi Chanyu were left.

Biography

By the time that the tyrannical

was killed in 58 BC, the already weakened Xiongnu confederacy had fragmented into several factions warring against each other, among them were the two sons of Woyanqudi's predecessor Huhanye and Zhizhi. The two brothers fought against each other, and Huhanye was defeated by Zhizhi in 51 BC. He fled south and submitted to the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, travelled to Chang'an to visit Emperor Xuan, who allowed his tribe to settle in the Yinshan area. Zhizhi also submitted to the Han the following year, but declared independence in 48 BC once he saw that they favored Huhanye, and moved further west to attack

Fergana Fergana ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Fargʻona, Фарғона, ), () or Ferghana, also Farghana is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 320 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km southwest of A ...

and the

Wusun The Wusun ( ) were an ancient semi-Eurasian nomads, nomadic Eurasian Steppe, steppe people of unknown origin mentioned in Chinese people, Chinese records from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. The Wusun originally l ...

. In 43 BC, Huhanye moved back north. Zhizhi was killed by the Han at the Battle of Zhizhi in 36 BC, leaving Huhanye the uncontested leader of the Xiongnu. In 33 BC, Huhanye visited Chang'an as part of the tributary system that existed between the Han and Xiongnu governments. He took the opportunity to request to become an imperial son-in-law. Unwilling to honour Huhanye with a real princess, Emperor Yuan ordered that the plainest girl in the palace be selected. A lady-in-waiting named Wang Zhaojun volunteered and the Emperor approved. However, Wang Zhaojun was revealed to be exceedingly beautiful (and was portraited to be plain by the selection painter, whom she did not bribe) and is considered one of the Four Beauties of ancient China, alongside

Xi Shi Xi Shi (Hsi Shih; , ), also known by the nickname Xizi, was one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived in a small Yue village (today part of Zhuji, a county-level city in Shaoxing, Zhejiang) during the end of ...

Diaochan Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Although based on a minor historical personage, she is mostly a fictional character. She is best known for her role in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', ...

, and

Yang Guifei Yang Yuhuan (; 719 – 15 July 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bing'shen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the ''Zhi'de'' era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on the ...

. Wang Zhaojun became a favorite of Huhanye Chanyu, giving birth to two sons. Only one, Yituzhiyashi, was recorded to have survived, and was involved in politics. They also had two daughters, Yun known as Subu Juci and Dangyu Juci. Yun was created Princess Yimuo and would later become a powerful figure in Xiongnu politics. Huhanye died in 31 BC and was succeeded by his son Diaotaomogao.

Family

Wives

*Lady Da Yanzhi (大阏氏) ** Fuzhulei Ruodi Chanyu (复株絫若鞮单于; r. 31–20 BC) ** Souxie Chanyu (搜谐单于; r. 20–12 BC) ** Wulei Chanyu (乌累若鞮单于; r. 13–18 AD) **Prince Xian of Zuo (左贤王) *Lady Zhuanqu Yanzhi (颛渠阏氏) ** Juya Chanyu (车牙单于; r. 12–8 BC) ** Wuzhuliu Chanyu (乌珠留单; r. 8 BC–13 AD) *Lady Tuqi Yanzhi (屠耆阏氏) **Prince Xian of You (右贤王) *Lady Diwu Yanzhi (第五阏氏) ** Huduershidaogao Chanyu (呼都而尸道皋若鞮单于) *Lady Wang Zhaojun (王昭君) **Prince Yituzhiyashi (伊屠智牙師) ** Another Prince

Footnotes

References

* *Bichurin N.Ya., ''"Collection of information on peoples in Central Asia in ancient times"'', vol. 1, Sankt Petersburg, 1851, reprint Moscow-Leningrad, 1950 * * * * *Taskin B.S., ''"Materials on Sünnu history"'', Science, Moscow, 1968, p. 31 (In Russian) * {{s-end Chanyus 1st-century BC monarchs in Asia 31 BC deaths