The Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu Flashcards
Early Imperial Period Timeline - Qin
Qin (221-207 BCE)
Founder: Ying Zheng (r. 246-210; First Emperor since 221)
Capital: Xianyang
Xiang Yu was King of Chu from 206-202 BCE
Pb = quick conquest, even if they tried to unify everything = ruled over conquered territories
After 1st king death (textbook)
3rd = surrendered = 14 years
Story by han dynasty
Opposition = loabor and military service
1st revolt by 2 soldiers (textbook?) = defeated but start of others like the one of Liu Bang
Local officials based on their reputation
Rebellion = mausoleum site and men working there = prisonners escaped so released them all
Propanganda = agaisnt qin = law = ride of harsh law, change it
Shuihudi tomb
*Qin not as extremely harsh as Han sources suggest
*Emphasis on adherence to clear laws, not ludicrously extreme punishments
217 bce = men called for service that didnt attend where beated not killed
Wrote on bamboo slips
Punishment werent as extreme as han stories, more unfair
Leader justification or as harsh as said?
Fengjian vs Junxian
Fengjian 封建
*“Feudalism”
*Distribution of land to allies and relatives
*Decentralization/autonomous localities
Junxian 郡縣
*“Commanderies and Counties”
*Centrally appointed officials governing local territories
*Centralized control, no hereditary political power outside imperial family
Basis of merit and service = no independant challenges = standard of rule = more unity = prevent rise of competetors to central state
Combine the two = states after will prefer junxian system
Fengjina for weaker central states
Early Imperial Period Timeline - Western Han
Western Han (202 BCE-9 CE)
Founder: Liu Bang (r. 206-202 as King of Han; r. 202-195 as Emperor, posthumously Gaozu)
Capital: Chang’an
Important ruler: Emperor Han Wudi (r. 141-87 BCE)
King of the chu = east coast = killed last king? = divided into 18 kingdoms for generals and rivals = overload but not rulling totally
Han river =liu bang took over china = didnt discard qin institution but preserved them especially in the west (core of qin rule) = right in front of qin capital
Limites = divided into 10 kingdoms to followers = but changed, to brothers or sons
Combining two systems of rule = funxiang? Feudalism = land hereditary, decentralised system to family members or relatives= stable system cuz not building massive central state and materials
West = qin system = junxian system (next slide)
Units? Provinces and counties??
4 strategies
= ruler of large kingdom died = divided into sons = smaller and weaker
= without heir = back to centralized system
= confiscated territories = broke rule (declared maybe)
= rebellion = accused even = taken away
Rebeliion to
154bbce = cease to be political threats
Half 2nd century bce
Wu = martial
5themperor
Influence in central asia
Expending into south and east
Reached greatest size
84 commanderies
18 kingdoms
Promote confucion institutions (school) = canon of confucius thoughts = central = 50 students and 5 scholars = up to 3000 stu
After = mother of emperor that died young = benefit own family = give power to her relative =
Nephew = wang mang = 9ce = end of han dynasty and creates new dynasty
Ratical reforms = confiscated land and redistributed etc.. ??
Heavy resistance (abolish wealth?) = stopped them
Rebellion = blamed for yellow river flood = suggest badness in the emperor = but actually unhappy and disatisfactions
Found distant relative = restore han dynasty = moved capital to luoyang (eastern)
Early Imperial Period Timeline - Xin
Xin (9-23 CE)
Founder: Wang Mang
Capital: Chang’an
Eastern Han (23-220 CE)
Founder: Liu Xiu (r. 25-57 CE; Emperor Guangwu)
Capital: Luoyang
Late Han collapse
*Loss of control over armies
*Political power decentralized in hands of local elites
*Rebellions, including by religious sects like Yellow Turbans
*Private armies of local elites – Cao Cao
Region
Litterary and artistary are more important
Not military
Pressure from frontiers and neighbors = 2nd ce = armies lose ties to han dynasty = loyalty to commanders = ignored orders from centers = private armies
Yellow turbans = religious rebellions large = defeated
Capture king = passed to war loads
8 kigdoms =
Caocao = king of way = 20 years of having emperor = larger landlord and army
Last han emperor = 220?? = divide china in 3
The Han frontier
Military garrisons in southern china, northern vietnam = not inhabited by chinese people = not ferm control = rely on local chiefs and exchange titles and seals against goods = few chinese settled there = interest for rare goods in SW
East = NK = late century bce = under han wudi = but own state = not remain on chinese based state
The Xiongnu
*Modun, first chanyu (or shanyu) of the Xiongnu
*Heqin policies – “peace and kinship”
*Emperor Wu shifts to war policy
*Importance of Central Asian oases, especially Turpan
*Divisions within Xiongnu stoked by Han lead to collapse
Nomads in the north
May or may not be from the huns = mulan = response to qin empire = amur river and gobi desert= push them
Modun = title = chinese transcription of late xiongdu = alleageance of tribes from munchuria (reading)
Enforce arny in those northern frontiers = pyramidal structure = own small subunits = authorimous military commanders
Xiongdu = financing = raid chinese territories = tarim basin for goods and small territories (oasis) =
Heqin = princesses for wifes, gold sulk and ?? = to not attack
Accepted so would be submissed?
Didnt work = wanted to be equals = rulers of southern land and nomad archers of the north
Deals never lasted long = x controls on subordunates = prestige and goods = violated =
Wu = new strategy = armies to compete them = losts men on both sides and lost money = difficulty in transport = couldnt remain in the fields
Defeat in the borders but not further
Under successors and him = refuse to pay tribute = damaged status of xiongnu = couldnt
Capture of turpan= cut access
Sima Qian (145-86 BCE)
*Castrated for defense of defeated Han commander Li Ling
*Responsible for much of our narrative of early Chinese history
*Dealt with both rulers and more ordinary people
*Focused on moral judgments
*Critical of Han dynasty
Father = court historian = inherited title
Li ling (date) = surrendered = blamed for defeat
Great embition = history of humanity or his china = went throught castration
Record of the grand historian = narrative of early chinese history
Universal monarchs (yellow emperor to wu of han dynasty)
Hereditayr
Rituals, calendar, sacrifices, nomal people biographies,
Earlier sources = multiple perspections = emphasized moral judgements
Critical of ruler = emperor wu
Ban Gu (32-92 CE)
Author of History of the Former Han (Qian Han shu)
*Followed Sima Qian’s structure: annals, chronological tables, treatises, biographies
*Official history, not private history
*Carried out writing with assistance of Eastern Han state, in interests of the dynasty
Early eastern han = his own
Similar structure but critical to siam qian = same sections = 4 parts of history = used by later historians
Deviaded = moral failings
Offical by emperor ming = tradition into all empire tradition
Only of western han and qin dyansty= moral judgement of former dynasty
Supported of eastern han = and critic of siman qian = rely on his texts = useful to criticed western rulers
Ban Zhao (45-117 CE)
*Completed brother’s History of the Former Han after his death
*Author of Lessons for Women (Nü jie)
*Emphasized patriarchy, female submission
*But also, education for women and female literacy
Sister = finish his history after death = lessons for women = patriarcal view = serve men and not speak their mind
Insisted to be educated and litterate =
Women and family in the Han
*Conflict between lineage and nuclear family
*Women had no place in lineage, substantial influence in nuclear family
*Ideal behavior as taught in Liu Xiang’s 18 BCE Biographies of Exemplary Women (Lienü zhuan) – sacrifice own interests for those of husband and his patriline
Family and gender order
=large linieage unites living together (neighboring houses) = patriarcal 9filial) = confusian matters = not part of family, no land if no marriage
family unit of qin and western han state = smaller tax payers and service labor = women have the most influence = sons respect and obey them = widows dictate property = han state inforced = witnessed to validate her decision = endorce authority
Clear in stories = stablize lineage
Biography = résumé = women should protect husband and elder sons = celebrated to avoid remarriage
Double standard = chose lineage over nuclear family
Recap
*Early Han state, especially under emperor Wu, attempted to maintain power of the center, with substantial continuities with Qin
*By the end of the Han, wealthy local families had become major powerholders, helping bring about the collapse of Han power and division of the empire
*Han interactions with Xiongnu shifted from appeasement to war to policy of divide and conquer – all three had drawbacks (appeasement didn’t stop attacks, war was hugely expensive, divide and conquer brought nomads into territory of empire where they would eventually turn against it)
*The origins of the imperial Chinese historical tradition come in the works of Sima Qian and Ban Gu
