Rouran Khaganate

Rouran Khaganate
Khaganate
← 330–555 →   →   →   →
Capital		Mumo city, Orkhon River, Mongolia
Religion		Shamanism Buddhism
Political structure		Khaganate
Khagan
-	330	Yùjiǔlǘ Mùgǔlǘ
-	555	Yujiulü Dengshuzi
Legislature		Kurultai
Historical era		1st millennium
-	Established	330
-	Disestablished	555
Area
-	405[1][2]	4,000,000 km² (1,544,409 sq mi)
Today part of		Mongolia  China  Kazakhstan  Russia

History of Mongolia
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Prehistoric period Prehistory
Ancient period Slab Grave culture 1300–300 BC Proto-Mongols Prehistory–Antiquity Xiongnu 209 BC–93 AD Xianbei state 93-234 Nirun Khaganate 330-555 Turkic Khaganate 555-744 Uyghur Khaganate 744-840 Khitan Empire 907-1125
Medieval period Mongol khanates IX-X Khamag Mongol X-1206 Mongol Empire 1206-1368 Yuan dynasty 1271-1368 Post-Imperial Mongolia 1368-1691 Four Oirat 1399-1634 Dzungar Khanate 1634-1758 Manchu rule 1691-1911
Modern period National Revolution 1911 Bogd Khaganate 1911-1924 People's Revolution 1921 Mongolian People's Republic 1924–1992 Democratic Revolution 1990 History of modern Mongolia 1990-present Mongolia 1992-present
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Rouran, Nirun Khaganate^[3](Mongolian: Нирун, Nirun; ~human's back, the name origin similar to Alan Gua's myth; Chinese: 柔然; pinyin: Róurán; literally: "soft-like"), Ruru/Ruru (Chinese: 蠕蠕/茹茹; pinyin: Rúrú/Rúrú; Wade–Giles: Juan²-juan²/Ju²-ju²; literally: "wriggling insects/fodder"), or Tan Tan^[4] (Chinese: 檀檀; pinyin: Tántán; Wade–Giles: T'an²-t'an²) was the name of a state of nomadic Mongolic tribes in Mongolia from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century.^[5] It has sometimes been hypothesized that the Rouran are identical to the Pannonian Avars who later appeared in Europe.^[6]

The term Rouran is a Mandarin Chinese transcription of the pronunciation of the name the confederacy used to refer to itself. Ruanruan and Ruru remained in modern usage despite once being derogatory. They derived from orders given by the Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei (Tuoba), who waged war against the Rouran and intended to intimidate the confederacy.

The power of the Rouran was broken by an alliance of Göktürks, Tuoba's Northern Qi and Northern Zhou dynasties and tribes in Central Asia in 552.

Origin and expansion

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 were first noted as having defeated the Tiele and establishing an empire extending all the way to the Hulun, in eastern Inner Mongolia.

Mùgǔlǘ or Mugulyui was ancestor of the Rouran kings and Emperor of Northern Wei gave him name "Joujan". Book of Wei links Rourans with Mongolic Donghu people: "Joujan is descendant of the Dongu, and his family is Yùjiǔlǘ".^[7]

During the reign of Yujiulü Shelun king (402-410) Rouran became powerful empire.

To the west of the Rouran was a horde known in the west as the Hephthalite Empire (408–670) who originally, until the beginning of the 5th century, were a vassal horde of the Rouran.^[8][9]

Between Hephthalites and Rourans were also close contacts, although they had different languages and cultures, and Hephthalites borrowed much of their political organization from Rourans.^[9] In particular, the title “Khan“, which according to McGovern was original to the Rourans, was borrowed by the Hephthalite rulers. ^[9] The reason for the migration of the Hephthalites southeast was to avoid a pressure of the Rourans. Further, the Hephthalites defeated the Yuezhi in Bactria and their leader Kidara led the Yuezhi to the south.^[9]

According to "Book of Song" (section Joujan), "Joujan's (Rouran) another name was "Tatar" or "Tartar", and they were Xiongnu's tribe".

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 Xianbei nobility.

The Rouran Khaganate arranged for one of their princesses, Khagan Yujiulü Anagui's daughter Princess Ruru 蠕蠕公主 to be married to the Han Chinese ruler Gao Huan of the Eastern Wei.^[10][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 Tujue. After a marriage proposal to the Rouran was rebuffed, the Tujue joined with the Western Wei, successor state to the Northern Wei, and revolted against the Rouran. In 555, they beheaded 3,000 Rouran. Some scholars claim that the Rouran then fled west across the steppes and became the Avars, though many other scholars contest this claim.^[5] The remainder of the Rouran fled into China, were absorbed into the border guards, and disappeared forever as an entity. The last Rouran khagan fled to the court of Western Wei, but at the demand of Tujue, Western Wei executed him and the nobles that accompanied him.

Asia in 400 AD, showing the Nirun Khaganate (Rouran), Tuoba's Northern Wei, Xianbei's Tuyuhun Kingdom, Southern Liang, Later Yan and Xiongnu's Üeban and Northern Liang states

The Rouran Khaganate, c. 500

Nirun, Tuoba's Northern Wei, Xianbei's Tuyuhun Kingdom 500 AD

Little is known of the Rouran ruling elite, which the Book of Wei cited as an offshoot of the Xianbei. The Rouran subdued modern regions of Xinjiang, Mongolia, Central Asia, and parts of Siberia and Manchuria from the late 4th century. Their frequent interventions and invasions profoundly affected neighboring countries. Though they admitted the Ashina of Göktürks into their federation, the power of the Rouran was broken by an alliance of Göktürks, the Chinese Northern Qi and Northern Zhou dynasties and tribes in Central Asia in 552. 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.

Qaghans of the Rouran

The Rourans were the first people who used the titles Khagan and Khan for their emperors (which are, therefore, assumed to be Mongolic in origin), replacing the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, whom Grousset and others assume to be Turkic.^[12]

Mongolian historian G.Sükhbaatar restored Mongol name of the Rouran kings.^[13]

References

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rouran Khaganate.

• Findley, Carter Vaughn. (2005). The Turks in World History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516770-8 (cloth); ISBN 0-19-517726-6 (pbk).
• Grousset, René. (1970). The Empire of the Steppes: a History of Central Asia. Translated by Naomi Walford. Rutgers University Press. New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A.Third Paperback printing, 1991. ISBN 0-8135-0627-1 (casebound); ISBN 0-8135-1304-9 (pbk).
• Map of their empire
• Definition
• information about the Rouran
• Kradin, Nikolay. "From Tribal Confederation to Empire: the Evolution of the Rouran Society". Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Vol. 58, No 2 (2005): 149-169.