Emperor Jingzong of Western
Xia (1003 - 1048), born Li Yuanhao ( ),
was the first emperor of the Western Xia
Empire located in northwestern China
, reigning
from 1038 to 1048. He was the eldest son of the
Tangut ruler
Li
Deming.
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 knowledgeable 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.
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.
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.
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
Hexi corridor for 191 years.
In 1038 he declared himself the emperor of the
Western Xia Dynasty 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
scorched 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.
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 very
few people 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.
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.
References
- The Ageless Chinese by Dun J. Li
External links
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