Rouran Khaganate

Rouran Khaganate
330–555
Status	Khanate
Capital	Mumo city, Orkhon River, Mongolia
Common languages	Ruanruan Mongolian Chinese
Religion	Tengrism Shamanism Buddhism
Khagan
• 330	Yùjiǔlǘ Mùgǔlǘ
• 555	Yujiulü Dengshuzi
Legislature	Kurultai
History
• Established	330
• Disestablished	555
Area
405[1][2]	2,800,000 km2 (1,100,000 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Xianbei state Turkic Khaganate Northern Qi Northern Zhou
Today part of	Mongolia China Kazakhstan Russia

History of Mongolia
Timeline States Rulers Nobility Culture Politics Geography Language Religion
Ancient period Prehistory Slab Grave culture 1300–300 BC Xiongnu 209 BC–93 AD Xianbei state 93–234 Rouran Khaganate 330–555 Turkic Khaganate 555–630, 682–744 Xueyantuo 628–646 Tang Protectorate 647–682 Uyghur Khaganate 744–840 Liao dynasty 907–1125
Medieval period Mongol khanates 9th–10th cent. Khamag Mongol 10th cent.–1206 Mongol Empire 1206–1368 Yuan rule 1271–1368 Northern Yuan 1368–1635 Four Oirat 1399–1634 Dzungar Khanate 1634–1758 Qing rule 1691–1911
Modern period National Revolution 1911 Bogd Khaganate 1911–19, 1921–24 Chinese occupation 1919–1921 People's Revolution 1921 People's Republic 1924–1992 Democratic Revolution 1990 Modern Mongolia 1990–present
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The Rouran Khaganate (Chinese: 柔然; pinyin: Róurán), Ruanruan (Chinese: 蠕蠕; pinyin: Ruǎnruǎn/Rúrú; Wade–Giles: Juan-juan/Ju-ju), Ruru (Chinese: 茹茹; pinyin: Rúrú; Wade–Giles: Ju-ju), or Tantan^[3] (Chinese: 檀檀; pinyin: Tántán) was the name of a state of uncertain origin (Proto-Mongols, Turkic, or non-Altaic),^[4] from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century.

Rouran is a Classical Chinese transcription of the endonym of the confederacy. Ruanruan and Ruru remained in usage despite being derogatory. They derived from orders given by the Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, who waged war against the Rouran and intended to intimidate the confederacy. According to René Grousset, Ju-juan – an alternate Chinese name for the Rouran – was a "disparaging pun" derived from Juan-Juan: "unpleasantly wriggling insects".^[5]

The power of the Rouran was broken in 555 by an alliance of Göktürks, the states of Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, and tribes in Central Asia.

It has sometimes been hypothesized that the Rouran are synonymous with the Pannonian Avars – also known by names such as Varchonites and "Pseudo Avars" – who settled in Eastern Europe during the 6th century.^[6]

Origin and expansion

Asia in 400, showing the Rouran Khaganate, the Northern Wei, the Tuyuhun, Southern Liang, Later Yan, Yueban and Northern Liang

The Rouran were a confederation led by Xianbei people who remained in the Mongolian steppes after most Xianbei migrated south to Northern China and set up various kingdoms. They considered the Tuoba and Rourans to be descended from common ancestors.^[7] Also some contemporary historians studying the history of Northern Wei, like Kwok Kin Poon, proposed that the Rouran descended specifically from Xianbei of Donghu heritage.^[8] They were first noted as having defeated the Tiele and establishing an empire extending all the way to the Hulun, an alliance in eastern Inner Mongolia. During the reign of Yujiulü Shelun (402–410), Rouran became a powerful empire. To the west of the Rouran Khaganate was the Hephthalite Empire (408–670), which was a vassal of the Rouran until the beginning of the 5th century.^[9][10]

The Hephthalites and Rouran had close contact, although they had different languages and cultures, and the Hephthalites borrowed much of their political organization from the Rouran.^[10] In particular, the title "Khan", which according to McGovern was original to the Rouran, was borrowed by the Hephthalite rulers.^[10] The reason for the migration of the Hephthalites southeast was to avoid pressure from the Rouran. Further, the Hephthalites defeated the Yuezhi in Bactria and their leader Kidara led the Yuezhi to the south.^[10]

The Rouran controlled the area of Mongolia from the Manchurian border to Turpan and, perhaps, the east coast of Lake Balkhash, and from the Orkhon River to China proper. Their ancestor Mugulu is said to have been originally a slave of the Tuoba tribes, situated at the north banks of Yellow River Bend. Mugulu's descendant Yujiulü Shelun is said to be the first chieftain who was able to unify the Rouran tribes and to found the power of the Rouran by defeating the Tiele and Xianbei. Shelun was also the first of the steppe peoples to adopt the title of khagan (可汗) in 402, originally a title of the Xianbei nobility.

The Rouran Khaganate arranged for one of their princesses, Khagan Yujiulü Anagui's daughter Princess Ruru, to be married to the Han Chinese ruler Gao Huan of the Eastern Wei.^[11]

The Rouran and the Hephthalites had a falling out and problems within their confederation were encouraged by Chinese agents. In 508, the Tiele defeated the Rouran in battle. In 516, the Rouran defeated the Tiele. Within the Rouran confederation was a Turkic tribe noted in Chinese annals as the Göktürks (Chinese: 突厥). After a marriage proposal to the Rouran was rebuffed, the Göktürks joined the Western Wei, successor state of the Northern Wei, and revolted against the Rouran. In 555, they beheaded 3,000 Rouran. A better date for their defeat may be 552. Some scholars claim that the Rouran then fled west across the steppes and became the Avars, though many other scholars contest this claim.^[4] The remainder of the Rouran fled into China, were absorbed into the border guards, and disappeared forever as an entity. The last khagan fled to the court of the Western Wei, but at the demand of Tujue, Western Wei executed him and the nobles who accompanied him.

The Rouran Khaganate, c. 500

Northern Wei and Tuyuhun, c. 500

Little is known of the Rouran ruling elite, which the Book of Wei cited as an offshoot of the Xianbei. The territory of the Rouran Khaganate comprised Mongolia, Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai, southern Irkutsk Oblast, Tuva, Altay Republic, Altay Krai, northern Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, eastern Kazakhstan, southern Siberia and Northeast China from the late 4th century. Their frequent interventions and invasions profoundly affected neighboring countries. Though they admitted the Ashina of Göktürk into their federation, the power of the Rouran was broken by an alliance of Göktürk, the states of Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, and the Central Asian tribes in 555. The Northern Wei, for instance, established the Six Garrisons bordering the Rouran, which later became the foci of several major mutinies in the early 6th century.

Language

Alexander Vovin (2004, 2010)^[12][13] considers the Ruan-ruan language to be an extinct non-Altaic language that is not related to any modern-day language, and is hence unrelated to Mongolic. Vovin (2004) notes that Old Turkic had borrowed some words from an unknown non-Altaic language that may have been Ruan-ruan.

Khaghans of the Rouran

The Rourans were the first people who used the titles Khagan and Khan for their emperors, replacing the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, whom Grousset and others assume to be Turkic.^[14]

1. Yujiulü Mugulü, 4th century
2. Yujiulü Cheluhui, 4th century
3. Yujiulü Tunugui, 4th century
4. Yujiulü Bati, 4th century
5. Yujiulü Disuyuan, 4th century
6. Yujiulü Pihouba, 4th century
7. Venheti, 4th century
8. Yujiulü Mangeti, 4th century
9. Yujiulü Heduohan, 4th century
10. Yujiulü Shelun, 402–410
11. Yujiulü Hulü, 410–414
12. Yujiulü Datan, 414–429
13. Yujiulü Wuti, 429–444
14. Yujiulü Tuhezhen, 444–450
15. Yujiulü Yucheng, 450–485
16. Yujiulü Doulun, 485–492
17. Yujiulü Nagai, 492–506
18. Yujiulü Futu, 506–508
19. Yujiulü Chounu, 508–520
20. Yujiulü Anagui, 520–552
21. Yujiulü Poluomen, 521–524
22. Yujiulü Tiefa, 552–553
23. Yujiulü Dengzhu, 553
24. Yujiulü Kangti, 553
25. Yujiulü Anluochen, 553–554
26. Yujiulü Dengshuzi, 555

Rulers family tree

See also

• History of the eastern steppe

References

External links

• Media related to Rouran Khaganate at Wikimedia Commons