Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu: Map & History
The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China established by Liu Bang, and preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and the interregnum known as the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC).
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The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China established by Liu Bang, and preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and the interregnum known as the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC). It was succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD) and also briefly interrupted by the Xin dynasty (9–23 AD) established by the usurping regent Wang Mang. It is thus separated into two periods—the Western Han and the Eastern Han (25–220 AD). The Han dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history, impacting Chinese identity in later periods. The majority ethnic group of modern China refer to themselves as the "Han people", while spoken Chinese and written Chinese are referred to respectively as the "Han language" and "Han characters".
Modern Countries Once Part of Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu
At its mapped extent, Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu covered territory in 7 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Hong Kong S.A.R.50 BCE – 105 CE · nearly all
- Macau S.A.R50 BCE – 105 CE · nearly all
- Mongolia50 BCE – 105 CE · most
- China50 BCE – 105 CE · most
- North Korea50 BCE – 105 CE · most
- Vietnam50 BCE – 105 CE · a large part
- Kazakhstan50 BCE – 105 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
- Shandong, China
- Guangdong, China
- Hubei, China
- Sichuan, China
- Hebei, China
- Henan, China
- Xinjiang Uygur, China
- Jiangsu, China
- Anhui, China
- Hunan, China
- Zhejiang, China
- Fujian, China
- Gansu, China
- Liaoning, China
- Jiangxi, China
- Shanxi, China
- Guangxi, China
- Shaanxi, China
- Nei Mongol, China
- Yunnan, China
- Guizhou, China
- East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu in Depth
History
China's first imperial dynasty was the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). The Qin united the Chinese Warring States by conquest, but their regime became unstable after the death of the first emperor Qin Shi Huang. Within four years, the dynasty's authority had collapsed in a rebellion. Two former rebel leaders, Xiang Yu (d. 202 BC) of Chu and Liu Bang (d. 195 BC) of Han, engaged in a war to determine who would have hegemony over China, which had fissured into Eighteen Kingdoms, each claiming allegiance to either Xiang Yu or Liu Bang. Although Xiang Yu proved to be an effective commander, Liu Bang defeated him at the Battle of Gaixia (202 BC) in modern-day Anhui. Liu Bang assumed the title of Emperor at the urging of his followers and is known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu (r. 202–195 BC).
Government and politics
In Han government, the emperor was the supreme judge and lawgiver, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and sole designator of official nominees appointed to the top posts in central and local administrations; those who earned a 600-bushel salary-rank or higher. Theoretically, there were no limits to his power.
However, state organs with competing interests and institutions such as the court conference (tingyi 廷議)—where ministers were convened to reach a majority consensus on an issue—pressured the emperor to accept the advice of his ministers on policy decisions. If the emperor rejected a court conference decision, he risked alienating his high ministers. Nevertheless, emperors sometimes did reject the majority opinion reached at court conferences.
Economy
The Han dynasty inherited the ban liang coin type from the Qin. In the beginning of the Han, Emperor Gaozu closed the government mint in favour of private minting of coins. This decision was reversed in 186 BC by his widow Grand Empress Dowager Lü Zhi (d. 180 BC), who abolished private minting. In 182 BC, Lü Zhi issued a bronze coin that was much lighter in weight than previous coins. This caused widespread inflation that was not reduced until 175 BC, when Emperor Wen allowed private minters to manufacture coins that were precisely 2.6 g (0.092 oz) in weight.
In 144 BC, Emperor Jing abolished private minting in favour of central-government and commandery-level minting; he also introduced a new coin.
Culture and society
In the hierarchical Han social order, the emperor was at the apex of Han society and government. However, the emperor was often a minor, ruled over by a regent such as the empress dowager or one of her male relatives. Ranked immediately below the emperor were the kings who were of the same Liu family clan. The rest of society, including nobles lower than kings and all commoners excluding slaves, belonged to one of twenty ranks (èrshí gōngchéng 二十公乘).
Each successive rank gave its holder greater pensions and legal privileges.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Han dynasty (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 6,888,426 km² in 46 BCE.
Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu exist?
Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu is dated to 50 BCE – 105 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
How large was Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu at its peak?
At its peak in 46 BC Alliance between Han Dynasty and Xiongnu covered about 6,888,426 km².