Wulei (; - died 18 AD), born Xian, 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 BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209& ...
. The brother and successor of
Wuzhuliu
Wuzhuliu () or Wuzhuliuruodi (), born Nangzhiyasi (; , died 13 AD), was a chanyu, ''chanyu'' of the Xiongnu Empire. The brother and successor of Juya Chanyu, he reigned from 8 BC to 13 AD. Wuzhuliu sent his son Wududiyasi to the Han dynasty#Weste ...
, he reigned from 13 to 18 AD. Xian took part in subjugating
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 ...
. Han envoys attempted to split up the Xiongnu by creating 15 different ''chanyus''. Xian was one of them, the Xiao Chanyu. He sent his two sons to be educated in
Chang'an
Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
. When Wuzhuliu died in 13 AD, the Xiongnu Princess Xubu Juci Yun wished to maintain good relations with the Han, so she arranged for the succession to go to Xian, who became Wulei Chanyu. Wulei initially acquiesced to Han demands to return fugitives who had fled to the Xiongnu, but changed his mind when he realized his son, Deng, had died while still living in Chang'an. Xiongnu raiding on Han territory resumed once more. In 15 AD,
Wang Mang
Wang Mang (45 BCE6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun, officially known as the Shijianguo Emperor (), was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the ...
sent to Wulei the body of his son together with presents, however Wulei continued to allow raiding into Han territory. Wulei died in 18 AD and was succeeded by his half-brother Huduershidaogao Chanyu.
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)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wulei
Chanyus1st-century monarchs in Asia18 deaths