The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State, was a state situated in modern Yunnan province, China from 937 until 1253. In 1253, it was conquered by the Mongols but members of its former ruling dynasty continued to administer the area as tusi chiefs under the auspices of the Yuan dynasty until the Ming conquest of Yunnan in 1382. Today the former capital of the Dali Kingdom is still called Dali in modern Yunnan Province.
Duan Ye was the first king of Northern Liang of the Sixteen Kingdoms period in Chinese history. He was of Han ethnicity, and was originally a commandery governor of Later Liang, but after Xiongnu generals Juqu Mengxun and Juqu Nancheng (沮渠男成) rebelled against Later Liang, Juqu Nancheng persuaded Duan Ye to accept the leadership role of the rebellion. During his reign, the Juqus were powerful, and eventually, in 401, after Duan Ye was tricked by Juqu Mengxun into executing Juqu Nancheng, Juqu Mengxun used this as the excuse to start a coup against Duan Ye, killing him and replacing him as king. Duan Ye was described as a kind but weak ruler who was unable to keep his subjects in check, and who overly trusted witchcraft and magic.
Murong Xi, courtesy name Daowen (道文), formally Emperor Zhaowen of (Later) Yan ( 燕昭文帝), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Later Yan dynasty of China. He was one of the youngest sons of Murong Chui, and after the death of his nephew Murong Sheng became emperor due to his affair with Murong Sheng's mother, Empress Dowager Ding. He was regarded as a cruel and capricious ruler, who acted at the whims of himself and his wife, Empress Fu Xunying, greatly damaging the Later Yan state. After Empress Fu died in 407, he left the capital Longcheng to bury her, and the soldiers in Longcheng took this chance to rebel and replace him with Murong Bao's adopted son Murong Yun, and Murong Xi himself was captured and killed.
Li Gao or Li Hao, courtesy name Xuansheng (玄盛), nickname Changsheng (長生), formally Prince Wuzhao of (Western) Liang ( 涼武昭王), was the founding duke of the Chinese Western Liang dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. While he claimed only the title of duke during his reign, he was posthumously honored with the princely title. He was initially a Northern Liang official, but in 400, he seceded from Northern Liang's prince Duan Ye's rule and established his own independent state. His state only lasted for 21 years, but his descendants would remain key officials and nobles throughout Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui dynasty, and one of them, Li Yuan, would found the Tang dynasty in 618. After the founding of the Tang dynasty, he was posthumously honored as Emperor Xingsheng (興聖皇帝).
Juqu Mengxun was a king of the Xiongnu-led Chinese Northern Liang dynasty, and the first from the Juqu clan. His cousin Juqu Nancheng (沮渠男成) and he initially supported Duan Ye as prince of Northern Liang in 397 after rebelling against Later Liang, but in 401, Juqu Mengxun tricked Duan Ye into wrongly executing Juqu Nancheng, and then used that as an excuse to attack and kill Duan Ye, taking over the throne himself. While he maintained his own state, he also nominally served as a vassal of the Later Qin, Jin, and Northern Wei dynasties. He was considered a capable ruler when young, but in old age was considered cruel and arbitrary.
Duan Yu (1083–1176), courtesy name Heyu, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Xianzong of Dali, was the 16th emperor of the Dali Kingdom, reigning between 1108 and 1147. Following a family tradition, Duan's father, Duan Zhengchun, abdicated and became a monk in 1108. Duan succeeded his father as the emperor of Dali and renamed himself Duan Zhengyan (段正嚴). He abdicated and became a monk in 1147 and was succeeded by his son Duan Zhengxing.
Duan Zhengchun, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Zhongzong of Dali, was the 15th emperor of the Dali Kingdom. He reigned from 1096 to 1108. He was the younger brother of Duan Zhengming, and the first ruler of the Later Dali Kingdom.
Duan Zhixing, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Xuanzong of Dali, was the 18th emperor of the Dali Kingdom between 1172 and 1200. Duan Zhixing's reign was marred by the power struggles within the influential Gao family, whose power had long eclipsed the ruling Duan family.
Emperor Wenxuan of (Northern) Qi ( 齊文宣帝) (526–559), personal name Gao Yang, courtesy name Zijin (子進), Xianbei name Hounigan (侯尼干), was the founding emperor of the Northern Qi dynasty of China. He was the second son of the Eastern Wei's paramount general Gao Huan. Following the death of his brother and Gao Huan's designated successor an eldest son Gao Cheng in 549, Gao Yang became the regent of Eastern Wei. In 550, he forced the Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei to yield the throne to him, ending the Eastern Wei dynasty and starting the Northern Qi dynasty.
Empress Li Zu'e was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi, known at times semi-formally as Empress Zhaoxin (昭信皇后). Her husband was Emperor Wenxuan, the first emperor of Northern Qi.
Liu Yin (劉隱), formally Prince Xiang of Nanhai (南海襄王), later further posthumously honored Emperor Xiang (襄皇帝) with the temple name of Liezong (烈宗) by his younger brother Liu Yan, was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang dynasty and Tang's succeeding dynasty Later Liang of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, who ruled Qinghai Circuit as its military governor (Jiedushi). It was on the basis of his rule that Liu Yan was later able to establish the state of Southern Han.
Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi ( 齊武成帝) (537–569), personal name Gao Zhan, nickname Buluoji (步落稽), was an emperor of the Chinese Northern Qi dynasty. In traditional Chinese historiography, he was presented as a minimally competent ruler who devoted much of his time to feasting and pleasure-seeking, neglecting the affairs of the state. The state was governed with assistance from his adviser He Shikai and other appointed administrators. In 565, he passed the throne to his young son Gao Wei, taking the title Taishang Huang, but continued to make key decisions. He died in 569 at the age of 31, and the Northern Qi would fall in 577.
Tusi, often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain ethnic minorities in central China, western China, southwestern China, and the Indochinese peninsula nominally on behalf of the central government. As succession to the Tusi position was hereditary, these regimes effectively formed numerous autonomous petty dynasties under the suzerainty of the central court. This arrangement is known as the Tusi System or the Native Chieftain System. It should not to be confused with the Chinese tributary system or the Jimi system.
Gao Shengtai was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Dazhong Kingdom from 1094 until his death in 1096. He was from Cang Mountain in the present-day southern Chinese province of Yunnan.
Duan Wenchang, courtesy name Moqing (墨卿), alternative name Jingchu (景初), formally the Duke of Zouping (鄒平公), was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Muzong.
Gao Pian, courtesy name Qianli (千里), formally the Prince of Bohai (渤海王), was a Chinese military general, poet, and politician of the Tang Dynasty. He initially gained renown for defeating Nanzhao incursions, but later became known for his failure to repel the rebel army under Huang Chao and his mismanagement of Huainan Circuit, which he governed as military governor (jiedushi). A rebellion against him in 887 resulted in intense internal warfare in Huainan Circuit and his imprisonment by Qin Yan, who eventually put him to death.
Prince of Lan Ling is a 2013 Chinese television series that is set during the lifetime of the Northern Qi Dynasty prince Gao Changgong. It starred Chinese actor Feng Shaofeng as the titular Prince of Lan Ling, alongside Taiwanese actress singer Ariel Lin and Hong Kong actor singer Daniel Chan.
Tianyou (天祐) was a Chinese era name used by several emperors of China. It may refer to:
Duan Suying, also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Zhaoming of Dali (大理昭明帝), was the sixth emperor of the Dali Kingdom. His reign lasted from 985 to 1009.
