Li Jiqian () (963–1004), occasionally also known by his Song-bestowed name of Zhao Baoji (趙保吉), was a Tangut leader and progenitor of China's Western Xia dynasty. He resisted the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

and organized a rebellion in 984. He also created a successful alliance with the Liao dynasty for military support. Li Jiqian arranged a peace agreement with the Song emperor, but violated the treaty himself. To avoid costly military campaigns, Emperor Zhenzong of Song made Li Jiqian the ''

jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (, Old Turkic: Tarduş) or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissi ...

'' of Dingnan (定難節度使), and recognized Li Jiqian's new autonomous rule. He supported the construction of irrigation canals that were crucial for the development of agriculture in the arid areas of northwestern China, especially around the capital Xingqing (modern

Yinchuan Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut people, Tangut-led Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 C ...

). Li Jiqian was father of Li Deming, and grandfather of Li Yuanhao, the founder of the Western Xia dynasty. He was conferred the

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

"Wuzong" (武宗) and the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

"Emperor Yingyun Fatian Shenzhi Rensheng Zhidao Guangde Guangxiao" (應運法天神智仁聖至道廣德光孝皇帝) by Li Deming in 1005. Later, he was honored with the temple name "Taizu" (太祖) and the posthumous name "Emperor Shenwu" (神武皇帝) by Li Yuanhao. In 1644,

Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by his nickname, the Thunder King, was a Chinese Late Ming peasant rebellions, peasant rebel leader who helped overthrow the Ming dynasty in April 1644 and ruled over northe ...

, founder of the short-lived

Shun dynasty The Shun dynasty, officially the Great Shun, also known as Li Shun, was a short-lived Dynasties of China, dynasty of China that existed during the Transition from Ming to Qing, Ming–Qing transition. The dynasty was founded in Xi'an on 8 Februa ...

, gave Li Jiqian the temple name "Taizu" (太祖). Zicheng grew up in a

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 ...

village called "Li Jiqian's walled village" (李繼遷寨) and claimed to be descended from Jiqian.

Family

Consorts and issue: * Empress Shuncheng Yixiao, of the Yeli clan (順成懿孝皇后野利氏, d.1007) ** Li Deming *

Yelü The Yelü clan (Khitan language, Khitan: , spelled , pronounced ''Yeruuld''; ), alternatively rendered as Yila () or Yarud, was a prominent family of ethnic Khitan people, Khitan origin in the history of China. The clan assumed leadership of the ...

Ting, Princess Yicheng of Khitan (義成公主耶律汀)

References

External links

www.chinaknowledge.de
963 births 1004 deaths Song dynasty jiedushi 10th-century Tangut rulers Liao dynasty jiedushi People from Northwest China 11th-century Tangut rulers {{China-mil-bio-stub