Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia (? - 1048), born Li Yuanhao (Chinese: 李元昊), was the first emperor of the Tangut Empire located in northwestern China, reigning from 1038 to 1048. He was the eldest son of the Tangut ruler Li Deming. Events The city of Oslo is founded by Harald Hardråde of Norway. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Events Independent declaration of Western Xia. ... Events The city of Oslo is founded by Harald Hardråde of Norway. ...

Early Background

As a youth Jingzong was physically imposing yet also possessed a love of learning; he knew both the Tibetan and Chinese languages. Being a voracious reader, he was knowledgable regarding matters of law and military strategy and also knew how to paint. After his father died in 1032, he became the leader of the Tangut. The Tibetan language is typically classified as member of the Tibeto-Burman which in turn is thought by some to be a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. ... Events February 2 - Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, becomes King of Burgundy. ...

Military Campaigns

Early on in his leadership, Jingzong discarded the sunames Li and Zhao which had been given by the Tang and Song dynasties, replacing them with the surname Weiming (Chinese: 嵬名). He took an aggressive stance with the Song dynasty, and they described him as "a vigorous and persevering leader versed in military strategy." At its height he claimed an army of 500,000 men. Also the name of a rock band. ... The Song Dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ... The Song Dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ...

In 1034 Jingzong attacked the Huanqing territories. He was largely successful in these expeditions and captured Song general Qi Zongju. At this point he changed his target to the Uyghur peoples of the West, and his efforts against them began in 1036. Events April 11 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium marries her chamberlain and elevates him to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael IV. Franche-Comté becomes subject to the Holy Roman Empire. ... The Uyghur (Turkish: Uygur; Simplified Chinese: 维吾尔; Traditional Chinese: 維吾爾; Hanyu Pinyin: ) are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group living in northwestern China mainly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where they are the largest ethnic group together with Han Chinese, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Russia. ... Events Emperor Go-Suzaku ascends the throne of Japan. ...

These campaigns proved to have more meaningful success. From the Uyghurs he took large portions of Gansu. The success of these efforts proved fairly permanent as well. The Tangut people would hold the He-xi corridor for 191 years. Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, or modified as Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Tangut, also known as the Western Xia were a Qiangic-Tibetan people who moved to the highlands of western Sichuan sometime before the 10th century AD. They spoke Tangut language a now-extinct Tibeto-Burman language. ...

In 1038 he declared himself the emperor of the Tangut Empire whose capital was situated in Xinqing. Afterwards he launched a campaign against the Song. Although the Tangut empire won a series of three large battles, the victories proved to be very costly and they found their forces depleted, due in part to a scored earth policy by the Song. In 1044 the Tangut Empire signed a treaty with the Song dynasty resulting in the nominal acknowledgment of Song sovereignty by the Tangut and the payment of tribute by the Song. Events Independent declaration of Western Xia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Events King Anawrahta seizes the throne of Pagan, Myanmar Births Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, known as The Cid (d. ...

Culture and Politics

The Emperor led to a reorganization of much of the Empire with the help of Chinese advisors. The Empire created new departments and administrative services. The Emperor also knew Chinese and had Chinese works translated into his people's language. He accomplished this by supporting the development of a written language for the Tangut people. (This development of new writing, however, would lead to immense headaches for historians, as few people (<10) can understand the writing.)

Neverthess Emperor Jingzong had strong opposition to the people imitating the Chinese too closely. He emphasized the value of their traditional nomadic way of life and discouraged any dependence on Chinese luxury items. Trade with the Song was minimized or cut off before the peace treaty that came four years before his death. The use of Chinese talents was not to lead to sinicization. Sinicization, or Sinification, is to make things Chinese. ...

Succession and Death

Jingzong was murdered in 1048 by his son, who cut off his nose and failed to kill him, but the wound would cause him to die of bacterial infections. Events The city of Oslo is founded by Harald Hardråde of Norway. ...

Reference

• The Ageless Chinese by Dun J. Li

External links

• Xixia.htm
• The Western Xia