Abaoji

A Khitan ruler who founded the Liao dynasty and reigned as its emperor from 907 to 926. He united Khitan tribes and established an empire across parts of northern China and Mongolia.

Khitan people: A nomadic people of northeastern Asia who founded the Liao dynasty. Abaoji rose to power among Khitan tribes and made their confederation an empire.
Khitan script: A writing system created for the Khitan language during the Liao dynasty. Abaoji ordered the creation of a script to support Khitan administration and identity.
Shulü Ping: Abaoji’s wife and a powerful political figure in the early Liao court. Her influence in court and succession politics continued after Abaoji’s death.
Sixteen Prefectures: A region of northern China ceded to the Khitan-led Liao in 936. The Liao later secured this strategic territory, extending a legacy of Abaoji’s state-building.
Tang dynasty: A Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 618 to 907. Its collapse created opportunities for regional rulers such as Abaoji.
Dual administration system: A Liao governing structure that used separate institutions for pastoral and settled populations. The empire’s governing model addressed the different social and economic systems under Abaoji’s rule.
Yelü Bei: Abaoji’s eldest son, a scholar and prince who became a central figure in Liao succession struggles. His position as heir exposed tensions over succession within Abaoji’s family.
Emperor Taizong of Liao: The second emperor of the Liao dynasty, who ruled from 926 to 947. Abaoji’s successor expanded the dynasty and carried forward his imperial project.
Zhu Wen: A Chinese warlord who founded the Later Liang dynasty in 907 after ending Tang rule. His seizure of the Tang throne marked the political rupture accompanying Abaoji’s rise.
Khitan confederation: A political union of Khitan tribes that preceded and became the core of the Liao state. Abaoji consolidated tribal leadership into the political foundation of his empire.

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