Shi Tianze (; 1202 – 5 March 1275) was a general in the early period of the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. Later, he was promoted to the post of deputy prime minister and became the first ethnic Chinese minister of the Yuan dynasty. He played a key role in early Yuan politics.

Name

Shi Tianze is also mentioned under the name Samka ba'tur () in Persian historical sources such as the

Jami' al-tawarikh ''Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh'' () is a work of literature and history, produced in the Mongol Ilkhanate. Written by Rashid al-Din Hamadani (1247–1318 AD) at the start of the 14th century, the breadth of coverage of the work has caused it to be call ...

. This name is derived from the Chinese word "三哥 (sangge)," meaning "third son".

Life

Shi Tianze was an ethnic Han who lived in the Jin dynasty. Interethnic marriage between Han and Jurchen became common at this time. His father was Shi Bingzhi (Shih Ping-chih, 史秉直). Shi Bingzhi was married to a Jurchen woman (surname Na-ho) and a Han woman (surname Chang), it is unknown which of them was Shi Tianze's mother. Shi Tianze married two Jurchen women, a Han woman, and a Korean woman, and his son Shi Gang was born to one of his Jurchen wives. His Jurchen wives's surnames were Mo-nien and Na-ho, his Korean wife's surname was Li, and his Han wife's surname was Shi. Shi Tianze defected to the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

's forces upon their invasion of the Jin dynasty. Shi, Zhang Rou (Chang Jou) zh, and Yan Shi (Yen Shih) zh and other high ranking Han who served in the Jin dynasty and defected to the Mongols helped build the structure for the administration of the new state.

Family of Shi Tianze

References

Sources

* Ikeuchi, Isao（池内功） (1984). "The Formation of Khubilai's Power and the Chinese Troops under His Rule." The journal of Oriental researches, Volume 43. * Thackston, W. M, Classical writings of the medieval Islamic world v.3, (London, 2012) Yuan dynasty right chancellors Yuan dynasty generals 1202 births 1275 deaths 13th-century Chinese military personnel 13th-century generals {{Mongol-Empire-stub