Wanyan Aguda
Encyclopedia
Emperor Taizu of Jin (August 1, 1068 - September 19, 1123)was Emperor of Jin from January 28, 1115 to September 19, 1123.
He was the chieftain of the Jurchen (女真) Wanyan
(完顏) tribe, founder and first emperor
of the Jin Dynasty (金朝). He was the younger brother of Wanyan Wuyashu
(完颜鳥雅束). Aguda was given the temple name
Taizu (太祖).
The name [Wanyan] Aguda is transcribed [Wan-yen] A-ku-ta in Wade-Giles
; the alternative but official spelling Akutta (possibly from reconstruction of Jurchen language
) appears in a very small number of books as well.
Aguda was born to Shizu, Wanyan Helibo
(完顏劾里缽), in 1068. He was well known in his tribe for bravery and participated in numerous campaigns against rival Jurchen tribes at the command of the Liao Dynasty
. In 1109, during the height of a widespread famine, Aguda assisted his father Helibo to absorb famished warriors from other tribes to strengthen his own clan. Later, he fought wars against other Jurchen clans and succeeded to unify all Jurchens under Wanyan leadership. In 1113, Aguda succeeded Wuyashu as leader of his tribe, or Dubojilie (都勃极烈). Like other Jurchens, Aguda loathed what he considered the exploitations of his tribesmen by corrupt Liao officials. He gained fame when in 1112, when Liao Emperor Tianzuodi (辽天祚帝) undertook a fishing expedition in Jurchen territory and decreed all the chieftains to dance for him, Aguda was the only person who refused to accept the emperor's order.
In 1114, Aguda sent spies to Liao and prepared to revolt against the Khitan regime, which he considered decadent. His chief advisors were
Nianhan (粘罕; later known by his Chinese name, Zonghan 宗翰; 1080-1136 or 1137), Wushi
(also known by his Chinese name, Xiyin), and Gushe (骨括, or Hushe, 胡舍; a nephew or cousin of Aguda).
In September of 1114, Aguda rallied his tribesmen (around 2,500 men) at Liushui (流水) (modern day Lalin River near Fuyu Weizitun, Jilin
province) and began open rebellion. His cavalry troops captured Ningjiangzhou(宁江州) (modern day Fuyu, Jilin province) and defeated a 7000-strong Liao troops at Battle of Chuhedian (出河店) in November. In January 1115, following a series of military successes, Aguda proclaimed himself emperor of the new Jin Dynasty. In August, his army conquered the major city of Huanglongfu (黄龍府) (modern day Nongan, Jilin province) and defeated 700,000 Liao troops with only 20,000 Jurchen cavalrymen at the Battle of Hubudagang (戶步達崗). In 1116, Aguda completed the conquest of the entire Liaodong Peninsula. Between 1119 and 1122, Aguda's army repeatedly defeated Liao armies and captured all of Liao's five capitals.
Since the Jurchen were enemies of the Liao, the Northern Song Dynasty considered them their natural allies. In 1117, the Song sent emissaries to the Jurchen, ostensibly to buy horses, but in reality to negotiate an alliance against the Liao. Between 1117 and 1123, seven Song delegations visited the Jurchen, and six Jurchen embassies went to the Song capital Kaifeng
.
According to the Alliance on the Sea
(海上之盟), which resulted from Aguda's embassy to the Song in 1119,
Song troops would attack Liao from the south. In return, Jurchen troops would return the sixteen Yanyun states
to Song.
During the war against the Liao, Aguda also took time to establish the new feudal governmental system based upon Jurchen tribal customs. He also organized the national agriculture with a collectivist system known as the Meng'an-Mouke (猛安謀克). Furthermore, Aguda absorbed elements of Chinese culture and ordered his "chancellor" Wanyan Xiyin
(完颜希尹) to develop a unique Jurchen writing system
.
Wanyan Aguda died in August 1123, at the age of 56, a few months after the Jin and Song Empires signed a treaty whereby the two emperise recognizing each other as equal, and the Song agreed to pay to in the Jin an annual tribute of 200,000 tael
s of silver and 300,000 bolts of silk. His younger brother Wanyan Wuqimai (完颜吴乞买; Han name 完颜晟; temple name Taizong
) succeeded in capturing Liao emperor Tianzuodi
and destroying the Liao Dynasty
in 1125. Aguda was later buried in Ruiling (睿陵) in Dafang Mountain (大房山) outside Zhongdu
(中都) (modern day Beijing
).
have been erected on the grounds of the Jin Dynasty History Museum (金上京歷史博物馆)
at the site of the old Jin capital of Shangjing
, near today's Acheng, Heilongjiang
.
He was the chieftain of the Jurchen (女真) Wanyan
Wanyan
Wanyan was a Heishui Mohe tribe living in the drainage region of the Heilong River during the Khitan Liao Dynasty time. The Wanyan clan was founded by Hanpu, who, according to the "History of the Jin" , came from the kingdom of Goryeo at the age of sixty...
(完顏) tribe, founder and first emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of the Jin Dynasty (金朝). He was the younger brother of Wanyan Wuyashu
Wanyan Wuyashu
Wanyan Wuyashu was the chief of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe. He was the elder brother of Taizu , founder of the Jin Dynasty. He was given the temple name Kangzong ....
(完颜鳥雅束). Aguda was given the temple name
Temple name
Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive...
Taizu (太祖).
The name [Wanyan] Aguda is transcribed [Wan-yen] A-ku-ta in Wade-Giles
Wade-Giles
Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most...
; the alternative but official spelling Akutta (possibly from reconstruction of Jurchen language
Jurchen language
Jurchen language is an extinct language. It was spoken by Jurchen people of eastern Manchuria, the creators of the Jin Empire in the northeastern China of the 12th–13th centuries. It is classified as a Southwestern Tungusic language.-Writing:...
) appears in a very small number of books as well.
Aguda was born to Shizu, Wanyan Helibo
Wanyan Helibo
Wanyan Helibo was the second son of Wanyan Wugunai. Like his grandfather, Wanyan Helibo was the Khitan Liao Empire appointed chieftain of the Wanyan Tribe...
(完顏劾里缽), in 1068. He was well known in his tribe for bravery and participated in numerous campaigns against rival Jurchen tribes at the command of the Liao Dynasty
Liao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
. In 1109, during the height of a widespread famine, Aguda assisted his father Helibo to absorb famished warriors from other tribes to strengthen his own clan. Later, he fought wars against other Jurchen clans and succeeded to unify all Jurchens under Wanyan leadership. In 1113, Aguda succeeded Wuyashu as leader of his tribe, or Dubojilie (都勃极烈). Like other Jurchens, Aguda loathed what he considered the exploitations of his tribesmen by corrupt Liao officials. He gained fame when in 1112, when Liao Emperor Tianzuodi (辽天祚帝) undertook a fishing expedition in Jurchen territory and decreed all the chieftains to dance for him, Aguda was the only person who refused to accept the emperor's order.
In 1114, Aguda sent spies to Liao and prepared to revolt against the Khitan regime, which he considered decadent. His chief advisors were
Nianhan (粘罕; later known by his Chinese name, Zonghan 宗翰; 1080-1136 or 1137), Wushi
Wanyan Xiyin
Wanyan Xiyin was a trusted advisor of the Jurchen chieftain, Wanyan Aguda . Described by modern writers as the "Chief Shaman" of the pre-Jin Jurchen state, he became deeply interested in Chinese culture, and isparticularly known as the creator of the first writing system for the Jurchen...
(also known by his Chinese name, Xiyin), and Gushe (骨括, or Hushe, 胡舍; a nephew or cousin of Aguda).
In September of 1114, Aguda rallied his tribesmen (around 2,500 men) at Liushui (流水) (modern day Lalin River near Fuyu Weizitun, Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
province) and began open rebellion. His cavalry troops captured Ningjiangzhou(宁江州) (modern day Fuyu, Jilin province) and defeated a 7000-strong Liao troops at Battle of Chuhedian (出河店) in November. In January 1115, following a series of military successes, Aguda proclaimed himself emperor of the new Jin Dynasty. In August, his army conquered the major city of Huanglongfu (黄龍府) (modern day Nongan, Jilin province) and defeated 700,000 Liao troops with only 20,000 Jurchen cavalrymen at the Battle of Hubudagang (戶步達崗). In 1116, Aguda completed the conquest of the entire Liaodong Peninsula. Between 1119 and 1122, Aguda's army repeatedly defeated Liao armies and captured all of Liao's five capitals.
Since the Jurchen were enemies of the Liao, the Northern Song Dynasty considered them their natural allies. In 1117, the Song sent emissaries to the Jurchen, ostensibly to buy horses, but in reality to negotiate an alliance against the Liao. Between 1117 and 1123, seven Song delegations visited the Jurchen, and six Jurchen embassies went to the Song capital Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
.
According to the Alliance on the Sea
Alliance on the Sea
The Alliance on the Sea was a political alliance in Chinese history between the Song and Jin Dynasties in the early 12th century against the Liao Dynasty. The alliance was negotiated from 1115 to 1123 by envoys who crossed the Bohai Sea, and is also called the Alliance Conducted at Sea...
(海上之盟), which resulted from Aguda's embassy to the Song in 1119,
Song troops would attack Liao from the south. In return, Jurchen troops would return the sixteen Yanyun states
Sixteen Prefectures
The Sixteen Prefectures are a region in northern China stretching from present-day Beijing westward to Datong. In most areas, it is approximately seventy to one hundred miles in width...
to Song.
During the war against the Liao, Aguda also took time to establish the new feudal governmental system based upon Jurchen tribal customs. He also organized the national agriculture with a collectivist system known as the Meng'an-Mouke (猛安謀克). Furthermore, Aguda absorbed elements of Chinese culture and ordered his "chancellor" Wanyan Xiyin
Wanyan Xiyin
Wanyan Xiyin was a trusted advisor of the Jurchen chieftain, Wanyan Aguda . Described by modern writers as the "Chief Shaman" of the pre-Jin Jurchen state, he became deeply interested in Chinese culture, and isparticularly known as the creator of the first writing system for the Jurchen...
(完颜希尹) to develop a unique Jurchen writing system
Jurchen script
Jurchen script was the writing system used to write Jurchen language, the language of the Jurchen people who created the Jin Empire in the northeastern China of the 12th–13th centuries. It was derived from the Khitan script, which in turn was derived from Chinese...
.
Wanyan Aguda died in August 1123, at the age of 56, a few months after the Jin and Song Empires signed a treaty whereby the two emperise recognizing each other as equal, and the Song agreed to pay to in the Jin an annual tribute of 200,000 tael
Tael
Tael can refer to any one of several weight measures of the Far East. Most commonly, it refers to the Chinese tael, a part of the Chinese system of weights and currency....
s of silver and 300,000 bolts of silk. His younger brother Wanyan Wuqimai (完颜吴乞买; Han name 完颜晟; temple name Taizong
Taizong
Taizong may refer to:*Emperor Taizong of Tang , Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty*Emperor Daizong of Tang , Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty...
) succeeded in capturing Liao emperor Tianzuodi
Tianzuodi of Liao
The Emperor Tianzuo of Liao , born as Yelü Yanxi , was the last emperor of the Liao Dynasty. He succeeded his grandfather Daozong, and reigned from 12 February 1101 to 26 March 1125....
and destroying the Liao Dynasty
Liao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
in 1125. Aguda was later buried in Ruiling (睿陵) in Dafang Mountain (大房山) outside Zhongdu
Zhongdu
Zhongdu is the name that was used for the capital city of some of Chinese dynasties. This includes:* Zhongdu, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, now Beijing; see History of Beijing#Liao and Jin Dynasties...
(中都) (modern day Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
).
Commemoration
Mounted statues of Aguda and his chief commander NianhanWanyan Nianhan
Wanyan Nianhan , later known by his Chinese name, Zonghan was one of the top military commanders of the Jurchen people both during their pre-imperial and early Jin Empire period.-Biography:...
have been erected on the grounds of the Jin Dynasty History Museum (金上京歷史博物馆)
at the site of the old Jin capital of Shangjing
Huining Fu
Huining Fu was a prefecture in the Shangjing region of Manchuria . It served as the first superior capital of the Jin Dynasty between 1122 to 1234 .- History :...
, near today's Acheng, Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
.
Literature
- Herbert Franke, 1997 (I): "Chinese Texts on the Jurchen (I): a Translation of the Jurchen in the San ch'ao pei-meng hui-pien. Originally published in Zantralasiatische Studien 9. Wiesbaden, 1975. Reprinted in: Herbert Franke and Hok-lam Chan, "Studies on the Jurchens and the Chin Dynasty", Variorum Collected Series Studies: CS591, Ashgate, 1997. ISBN 0-86078-645-5. (The work whose name is transcribed in Wade-GilesWade-GilesWade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most...
as San ch'ao pei-meng hui-pien is Xu Mengxin's (徐夢莘) "Collected Accounts of the Treaties with the North under Three Reigns" (三朝北盟会编, pinyin: San chao beimeng huibian). Franke translates and comments on Chapter 3 of this collection, which deals with the history and customs of the Jurchen people). - (CHT) The Cambridge History of China, vol. 6.
- Jing-shen Tao, The Jurchen in Twelfth-Century China. University of Washington Press, 1976, ISBN 0-295-95514-7.