Western Xia: Map & History
Western Xia is mapped in the atlas for 990 CE – 1226 CE, with a peak mapped extent of about 474,374 km².
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The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (Chinese: 西夏; pinyin: Xī Xià; Wade–Giles: Hsi1 Hsia4), officially the Kingdom of the Great Xia of the White and Lofty (Tangut: 𗴂𗹭𘜶𗴲𗂧) or Great Xia (大夏; Dà Xià; Ta4 Hsia4), also known as the Tangut Empire, was a Tangut-led imperial dynasty of China that existed from 1038 to 1227 AD. At its peak, the dynasty ruled over 1,000,000 square kilometres (390,000 square miles) of modern-day north-central China.
Modern Countries Once Part of Western Xia
At its mapped extent, Western Xia 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 Xia'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 Xia in Depth
History
The Tanguts originally came from the Qinghai-Sichuan-Tibet region, whose home originally was in the highlands of western Sichuan. According to Chinese records, which called them the Dangxiang, the Tanguts were descended from the Western Qiang people, and occupied the steppes around Qinghai Lake and the mountains to its south.
In 608, the Tanguts helped the Sui dynasty defeat the Tuyuhun, however they were betrayed by the Sui forces, who took the chance to loot the Tanguts. In 635, they were requested to serve as guides for Emperor Taizong's campaign against Tuyuhun, but the Tang forces double crossed them in a surprise attack and seized thousands of livestock. In retaliation, the Tanguts attacked the Tang and killed thousands of their soldiers.
Military
Since ancient times we have fought using both infantry and cavalry. Although we have the Iron Hawks that can charge on the plains and the Trekker infantry that can fight in the hills, if we happen to encounter some new tactic our cavalry will have difficulty deploying. If we encounter [Mighty- Arm bows], then our infantry will be scattered. The problem is our troops can only fight according to convention and are unable to adapt to changes during battle.
In 1980, the Wuwei Bronze Cannon was discovered in a cellar dating to the Western Xia period. Dating to the early 13th century, it is one of the earliest cannons ever discovered. It weighs 108 kg and was discovered with an iron ball about 9cm in diameter inside its barrel.
Culture
The kingdom developed a Tangut script to write its own Tangut language, a now extinct Tibeto-Burman language probably related to the Horpa taxon.
Tibetans, Uyghurs, Han, and Tanguts served as officials in Western Xia. It is unclear how distinct the different ethnic groups were in the Xia state as intermarriage was never prohibited. Tangut, Chinese and Tibetan were all official languages.
to time; Buddhist sutras were donated no fewer than six times and some of them were translated and printed. After the Mongol conquest of Tangut and China, a Tangut edition of the Tripitaka in the Hsi-hsia script, in more than 3620 chüan, was printed in Hangchow and completed in 1302, and about a hundred copies were distributed to monasteries in the former Tangut region.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Western Xia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Western Xia: Key Facts
| Capital | Yinchuan |
|---|---|
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 1038 |
| Dissolved | 1227 |
Preceded by
- Song
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q7427 (CC0).
Western Xia Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Western Xia appears, with the other states of the time.
Western Xia Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 474,374 km² in 1172 CE.
Western Xia: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Western Xia exist?
Western Xia is dated to 990 CE – 1226 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Western Xia?
The capital of Western Xia was Xingqing (modern Yinchuan).
How large was Western Xia at its peak?
At its peak in 1172 AD Western Xia covered about 474,374 km².
How did the map of Western Xia change over time?
Western Xia appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1000 CE to 1200 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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