Qara Khitai

The Qara Khitai, also called the Western Liao, was a kingdom led by the Yelü family of the Khitan people. It was in Central Asia and was a smaller part of the earlier Liao dynasty. The leaders there had strong Chinese influences because they came from China.

The kingdom started when Yelü Dashi, a leader from the Liao dynasty, moved his people from Manchuria to Central Asia. They left because the Jurchen people had taken over northern China. Later, in 1211, leaders from the Naimans took control, and this is often seen as the end of Qara Khitai rule. The area was taken over by the Mongol conquest in 1218.

Today, the lands of the Qara Khitai are parts of modern China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Many nearby groups, like the Anushtegin dynasty, the Karluks, and the Kara-Khanid Khanate, were sometimes ruled by the Qara Khitai. Chinese history books, such as the History of Liao, saw the Qara Khitai as a true Chinese dynasty.

Names

See also: Liao dynasty, Khitan people, Cathay, and Names of China

In 1124, the Qara Khitai was started by Yelü Dashi. It used the name "Great Liao". Historians often call it the "Western Liao" or "Qara Khitai". The people called themselves the "Great Liao Khitan" and thought they were continuing the Liao dynasty.

The name "Western Liao" comes from Chinese. "Qara Khitai" is a Turko-Mongol name. This name became common after the Mongol invasions. Some Turko-Mongol speakers thought it meant "Black Khitans". The name appeared in Chinese too as "Black Khitans" (黑契丹).

Because the Khitan people ruled in Northeast China, Mongolia, and Central Asia, the word "Khitai" came to mean "China" to nearby peoples. This name reached medieval Europe and became known as "Cathay". Today, words related to "Khitai" are still used for China by some groups like the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the people of Kazakhstan, and some Slavic peoples such as the Russians and Bulgarians.

The Khitans from the 10th century were the ancestors of the Qara Khitai.

History

See also: Timeline of the Khitans

Origin

The Qara Khitai empire, also called the Western Liao dynasty, was part of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty. Between 1114 and 1125, the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty took over the Liao. In 1122, two groups of Khitans moved west to escape the Jin invasion. One group was led by Yelü Dashi, who joined the Liao emperor, Tianzuo, at the border of the Western Xia kingdom. Dashi was captured by the Jin and forced to lead them, but later rejoined Tianzuo.

Founding of the Qara Khitai

In 1124, Yelü Dashi moved northwest and set up his headquarters at Kedun on the Orkhon River. He gained support and declared himself ruler. He conquered tribes and settled towns, gaining control in places like Qocho and Transoxiana. He also took over cities such as Kashgar, Khotan, and Beshbalik.

Battle of Qatwan

The Western Karakhanids were under the Seljuk Empire. In 1141, forces fought, and the Khitans won. After the victory, Yelü Dashi stayed in Samarkand and appointed new rulers.

Territorial extent

The Qara Khitai in 1143 covered a large area including parts of modern Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. Their capital was Balasagun, and they had control over several kingdoms and tribes.

Conflict with Jin

Dashi tried to attack the Jin to take back land, but these efforts failed. He realized his empire was weaker and stopped trying to reconquer.

Xiao Tabuyan (r. 1143-1150)

When Yelü Dashi died, his wife Xiao Tabuyan became regent for their son. She held power and used several titles. During her time, there were invasions and conflicts, but she kept control.

Yelü Yilie (r. 1150-1163)

Yelü Yilie ruled from 1150 to 1163. He took a census of people over 18, which showed 84,500 households. During his time, there were rebellions and conflicts with other groups.

Yelü Pusuwan (r. 1164–1177)

Yelü Pusuwan ruled from 1164 to 1177. She focused on areas to the west and dealt with conflicts and rebellions. Her time ended when her husband and she were killed in a coup.

Yelü Zhilugu (r. 1177-1211)

Khwarazm war

Xiao Wolila put Yelü Zhilugu on the throne in 1178. During his rule, there were conflicts with the Khwarazm and Ghurid rulers. The Qara Khitai had some successes but also faced defeats.

Tribal conflict

There were attempts to work with other groups and deals to prevent attacks. There were also rebellions and conflicts with tribes.

Ghurid war

In 1198, the Ghurids took land from the Qara Khitai. The Qara Khitai invaded but were defeated. Later, they helped the Khwarazm Shah against the Ghurids and reached an agreement.

Rise of Khwarazm

Muhammad II of Khwarazm saw the Qara Khitai as weaker and began to interfere in their lands. There were conflicts and changes in control over areas like Bukhara and Samarkand.

Rebellions in the east

In 1204, there was a rebellion in Khotan and Kashgar. In 1209, Qocho rebelled, and the Qara Khitai lost control there. Other groups also began to break away.

Kuchlug's usurpation and end of the Khanate

Main articles: Kuchlug and Mongol conquest of the Qara Khitai

In 1208, a Naiman prince, Kuchlug, fled to the Qara Khitai. In 1211, he rebelled and captured Yelü Zhilugu, who died two years later. In 1218, Kuchlug was captured and killed, and the Mongols took over the lands in 1220.

Aftermath

The Qara Khitais were absorbed into the Mongol Empire. Some joined the Mongol army, and others settled in places like Kirman. Over time, they lost their identity, but their name lives on in places from Afghanistan to Moldova. Today, a Khitay tribe lives in northern Kyrgyzstan.

Qara Khitai is shown on the Asia map of Nicolas and Guillaume Sanson from 1669.

Administration

The Khitans ruled from their capital at Balasagun in today’s Kyrgyzstan. They controlled some areas directly and other areas had their own rulers. These included Khwarezm, the Karluks, the Kingdom of Qocho of the Uyghurs, the Kankalis, and the Western, Eastern, and Fergana Kara-Khanids. Later, the Naimans joined their empire before taking control under Kuchlug.

The Khitan leaders used ideas from older ways of ruling, like Confucian methods and special symbols of power. They called their ruler the Gurkhan. They followed the Chinese calendar and used Chinese titles for their emperors. They also kept local titles like tayangyu and had a vizier.

The Khitans kept many of their own traditions. They lived as nomads, wore traditional clothes, and practiced their own religions. They mixed Buddhism with their beliefs, which included fire worship and special customs. One new idea they had was paying their soldiers regularly.

The people they ruled were mostly farmers, but later many became nomads. Most were Muslims, but some followed Buddhism or Nestorianism. The Khitan language was used for official work, but Chinese was also important. The Uyghur language may have been used too. Letters to Muslim areas were written in Persian using Muslim styles.

Association with China

In Chinese history, the Qara Khitai is called the "Western Liao" and is seen as a Chinese dynasty, just like the Liao dynasty. Its history is recorded in the History of Liao, written during the Yuan dynasty.

After the fall of the Tang dynasty, many rulers who were not Han Chinese tried to rule China. The leaders of the Qara Khitai used the title of "Chinese emperor" and were known as the "Khan of Chīn". They used Chinese ways to show their power, like using Chinese coins, titles, writing, and customs. Even though there were not many Han Chinese in the Qara Khitai, they kept many Chinese traditions. This helped them rule over Central Asia, where most people were Muslim. Some writers from that time thought of Central Asia as part of China because of the Qara Khitai's rule.

The idea of the Khitan being linked to China left a lasting mark. The name "Cathay" comes from Khitai and is how some European countries referred to China. Even today, some languages use names from Khitai to call China, though in some places this is not considered polite.

Seals

Further information: Seal (East Asia)

In 2019, a bronze seal was found near an old building called a Caravanserai close to the Ustyurt Plateau. The seal weighed 330 grams and was about 50 by 52 by 13 millimeters. It had writing in the Khitan large script. Experts think this seal was made in the year 1197 during the rule of Emperor Yelü Zhilugu. This shows that the Qara Khitai Khanate used some Chinese ways of running their government.

As of 2020, we still do not know if the rules for seals in Qara Khitai were the same as in China.

Sovereigns of Qara Khitai

For a more comprehensive list, see List of emperors of the Liao dynasty.