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The Xianbei state or Xianbei confederation was a nomadic empire which existed in modern-day Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, northern Xinjiang, Northeast China, Gansu, Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, Tuva, Altai Republic and eastern Kazakhstan from 156-234. Like most ancient peoples known through Chinese historiography, the ethnic makeup of the Xianbei is unclear. The Xianbei were a northern branch of the earlier Donghu and it is likely at least some were proto-Mongols. ==History== After the downfall of the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, who were a northern branch of the Donghu, established domination in Mongolia starting from 93 CE. While their specific ethnicity is unclear, it is likely they were at least partially proto-Mongols. The Xianbei state reached their height under the rule of the khagan Tanshihuai (141–181). Uneasiness at the Han court about this development of a new power on the steppes finally ushered in a campaign on the northern border to annihilate the confederacy once and for all. In 177, 30,000 Han cavalry attacked the confederacy, commanded by Xia Yu (夏育), Tian Yan (田晏) and Zang Min (臧旻), each of whom was the commander of units sent respectively against the Wuhuan, the Qiang, and the Southern Xiongnu before the campaign. Each military officer commanded 10,000 cavalrymen and advanced north on three different routes, aiming at each of the three federations. Cavalry units commanded by chieftains of each of the three federations almost annihilated the invading forces. Eighty percent of the troops were killed and the three officers, who only brought tens of men safely back, were relieved from their posts. A Han memorial submitted in 177 states: Another memorial submitted in 185 states: Tanshihuai died in 181 at the age of 40. The Xianbei state of Tanshihuai fragmented following the fall of Budugen (reigned 187–234), who was the younger brother of Kuitoi (reigned 185–187). Kuitou was the nephew of Tanshihuai's incapable son and successor Helian (reigned 181–185). The economic base of the Xianbei was animal husbandry combined with agricultural practice. They were the first to develop the khanate system,〔Wittfogel, Karl August and Chia-sheng Feng (1949). History of Chinese society: Liao, 907–1125. Philadelphia, American Philosophical Society distributed by the Macmillan Co. New York. p. 1.〕 in which formation of social classes deepened, and developments also occurred in their literacy, arts and culture. They used a zodiac calendar and favored song and music. Tengrism was the main religion among the Xianbei people. After they lost control over Mongolia, their descendants in North China later became fully versed in Chinese cultural traditions.〔Patricia Buckley Ebrey, Kwang-ching Liu – The Cambridge illustrated history of China〕 In 235, Cao Wei, the state that succeeded the Eastern Han (25–220) in North China, assassinated the last khagan of the Xianbei, Kebineng, and caused the disintegration of the Xianbei state.〔Lü, Jianfu (), 2002. Tu zu shi (Tu History ) 土族史. Beijing (), Zhongguo she hui ke xue chu ban she (Social Sciences Press ) 中囯社会科学出版社.〕 After the fall of the last khans, Budugen and Kebineng, in 234, the Xianbei state began to split into a number of smaller independent domains. The third century saw both the fragmentation of the Xianbei state in 235 and the branching out of the various Xianbei tribes later to establish significant empires of their own. The most prominent branches were the Murong, Tuoba, Khitan people, Shiwei and Rouran Khaganate. Xianbei peoples subsequently pushed their way inside the Great Wall of China and established an extensive presence in the Sixteen Kingdoms (304–439), Northern Dynasties (386–581),〔Ma, Changshou () (1962). Wuhuan yu Xianbei (and Xianbei ) 烏桓與鮮卑. Shanghai (), Shanghai ren min chu ban she (People's Press ) 上海人民出版社.〕〔Liu, Xueyao () (1994). Xianbei shi lun (Xianbei History ) 鮮卑史論. Taibei (), Nan tian shu ju (Press ) 南天書局.〕〔Wang, Zhongluo () (2007). Wei jin nan bei chao shi (of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties ) 魏晋南北朝史. Beijing (), Zhonghua shu ju (Press ) 中华书局.〕 all through the Sui (581–618) and Tang Dynasties (618–907).〔Chen, Yinke (), 1943, Tang dai zheng zhi shi shu lun gao (of Discussions on the Political History of the Tang Dynasty ) 唐代政治史述論稿. Chongqing (), Shang wu ().〕〔Chen, Yinke () and Tang, Zhenchang (), 1997, Tang dai zheng zhi shi shu lun gao (of Discussions on the Political History of the Tang Dynasty ) 唐代政治史述論稿. Shanghai (), Shanghai gu ji chu ban she (Ancient Literature Press ) 上海古籍出版社.〕〔Wang, Qinghuai () (2008). Tang tai zong (Taizong of the Tang ) 唐太宗. Beijing (), Zhongguo she hui ke xue chu ban she (Social Sciences Press ) 中国社会科学出版社.〕〔Yang, Jun () and Lü Jingzhi () (2008). Xianbei di guo chuan qi (of the Xianbei Empires ) 鲜卑帝国传奇. Beijing (), Zhongguo guo ji guang bo chu ban she (International Broadcasting Press ) 中国国际广播出版社.〕 The Khitan people, who founded the Liao dynasty (916–1125) in China proper,〔 were included among the Yuwen Xianbei of southern Mongolia,〔Cheng, Tian () (2008). Qidan di guo chuan qi (of the Khitan Empires ) 契丹帝国传奇. Beijing (), Zhongguo guo ji guang bo chu ban she (International Broadcasting Press ) 中国国际广播出版社.〕 who had earlier founded the Western Wei (535–556) and Northern Zhou (557–581)〔Liu, Zhanwu () and Ren Xuefang () (2007). Sui Tang wu dai da shi ben mo (Events of the Sui, Tang, and Wudai Dynasties ) 隋唐五代大事本末. Beijing (), Zhongguo guo ji guang bo chu ban she (International Broadcasting Press ) 中国国际广播出版社.〕 of the Northern Dynasties in North China in opposition to the Southern Dynasties founded by the Chinese in South China. Khitan-ruled Liao China gave rise to the use of "Cathay" as a name for China in the Persianate world and medieval Europe.〔Fei, Xiaotong () (1999). Zhonghua min zu duo yuan yi ti ge ju (Framework of Diversity in Unity of the Chinese Nationality ) 中华民族多元一体格局. Beijing (), Zhongyang min zu da xue chu ban she (Nationalities University Press ) 中央民族大学出版社. p. 176.〕 This same term is an archaism for the Western world in Standard Chinese. The Mongols derived their ancestry from the Mengwu Shiwei of northern Manchuria and northeastern Mongolia, where Shiwei is a variant transcription for Xianbei.〔Zhang, Jiuhe () (1998). Yuan Menggu ren de li shi: Shiwei--Dada yan jiu (of the Original Mongols: research on Shiwei-Dadan ) 原蒙古人的历史: 室韦--达怛研究. Beijing (), Gao deng jiao yu chu ban she (Education Press ) 高等教育出版社. pp. 27–28.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Xianbei state」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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