Western Liang: Map & History
Liang, known in historiography as the Western Liang, was a dynastic state of China listed as one of the Sixteen Kingdoms.
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Liang, known in historiography as the Western Liang, was a dynastic state of China listed as one of the Sixteen Kingdoms. The Western Liang was founded by the Li family of Han descent. The founder of the Tang dynasty, Li Yuan, traced his patrilineal ancestry to the Western Liang rulers and traced the ancestry of the Western Liang rulers to Li Guang, Li Xin, and Laozi in the paternal line. The ruling Li clan of the Western Liang was known as the Longxi Li lineage.
Modern Countries Once Part of Western Liang
At its mapped extent, Western Liang covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Western Liang'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.
Western Liang in Depth
History
Western Liang's founder, Li Gao was from the Li clan of Longxi, a prominent Han Chinese family that claimed descent from figures such as Laozi, Li Xìn and Li Guang. Under the Western Jin and Former Liang dynasties, his family members served as administrators in the Hexi Corridor. In 397, the Administrator of Jiankang (建康, in modern Zhangye, Gansu), Duan Ye, with support of the Lushuihu Juqu tribe, broke away from the Later Liang and founded the Northern Liang. Li Gao served as a magistrate under Northern Liang, and in 400, at the recommendation of the local Han elites, he was made the Administrator of Dunhuang.
That same year, the Administrator of Jinchang, Tang Yao (唐瑤) rebelled in his commandery and acclaimed Li Gao as his leader, offering him the title of Duke of Liang.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Western Liang (Sixteen Kingdoms) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Western Liang Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 88,385 km² in 408 CE.
Western Liang: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Western Liang exist?
Western Liang is dated to 407 CE – 409 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of Western Liang?
The capital of Western Liang was Dunhuang (400–405, 420–421), Jiuquan (405–420).
How large was Western Liang at its peak?
At its peak in 408 AD Western Liang covered about 88,385 km².