# Timeline of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

This is a timeline of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907–979), which followed the collapse of the Tang dynasty in 907 AD. The Five Dynasties refer to the succession of dynasties which ruled northern China following the Tang collapse while the Ten Kingdoms, with the exception of Northern Han, ruled in southern China. This era of division ended in 979 AD with the rise of the Song dynasty under Emperor Taizu of Song, although the Song would never reconquer the northern territory lost to the Khitans, collectively known as the Sixteen Prefectures.

## 900s

| Year | Event |
| 907 | Later Liang: Zhu Wen deposes Emperor Ai of Tang and founds the Later Liang in Kaifeng, ruling over North China |
| 907 | Later Liang: The Khúc clan takes control of Annam and establishes tributary relations with Later Liang |
| 907 | Jin: Li Keyong stays independent as Jin in Shanxi |
| 907 | Chu: Later Liang makes Ma Yin Prince of Chu |
| 907 | Wuyue: Qian Liu becomes Prince of Wuyue |
| 907 | Former Shu: Wang Jian declares himself emperor of Former Shu in Chengdu |
| 908 | Jin: Li Keyong dies and is succeeded by his son Li Cunxu |
| 909 | Later Liang: Zhu Wen moves the Ancestral Temple to Luoyang |
| 909 | Min: Wang Shenzhi becomes Prince of Min in Fuzhou |

## 910s

| Year | Event |
| 911 | Yan: Liu Shouguang declares Yan around modern day Beijing |
| 912 | Later Liang: Zhu Wen is killed by his son Zhu Yougui, who usurps power |
| 913 | Jin: Defeats Liu Shouguang |
| 913 | Later Liang: Zhu Yougui is killed by his brother Zhu Youzhen, who seizes power and moves the capital to Kaifeng |
| 916 | Abaoji declares himself emperor of the Khitans |
| 917 | Southern Han: Liu Yan declares himself emperor of Great Yue in Guangzhou |
| 918 | Southern Han: Liu Yan renames Great Yue to Southern Han |
| 919 | Wu: Yang Longyan declares himself Prince of Wu |
| 919 | The gunpowder slow match appears in China. |

## 920s

| Year | Event |
| 922 | Abaoji raids Jin |
| 923 | Later Tang: Li Cunxu conquers Later Liang and founds Later Tang |
| 923 | Qi: Li Maozhen submits to Later Tang |
| 923 | Abaoji raids Later Tang |
| 924 | Later Tang: Capital is moved to Luoyang |
| 924 | Jingnan: Gao Jixing becomes Prince of Nanping in Jingzhou |
| 925 | Later Tang: Conquers Former Shu and names Luoyang its Eastern Capital |
| 926 | Later Tang: Li Cunxu is killed and Li Siyuan becomes emperor in Luoyang |

## 930s

| Year | Date | Event |
| 930 | | Southern Han: Invades Annam and removes the Khúc clan from power |
| 930 | | Later Tang: Yelü Bei flees to Later Tang |
| 931 | | Southern Han: Dương Đình Nghệ expels Southern Han from Đại La and declares himself governor |
| 932 | | Wuyue: Qian Liu dies and is succeeded by his son Qian Yuanguan who dies not long after and is succeeded by Li Congke |
| 932 | | The Twelve Classics and other texts are printed |
| 934 | | Later Tang: Li Siyuan dies and is succeeded by his son Li Conghou |
| 934 | | Later Shu: Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor of Later Shu and dies not long after and is succeeded by his son Meng Chang |
| 936 | 28 November | Later Jin: Khitans install Shi Jingtang as emperor of the Later Jin. In return Shi transfers 16 prefectures in Shanxi and Hebei to the Liao. |
| 936 | | Later Jin: Conquers Later Tang |
| 937 | | Southern Tang: Li Bian declares himself emperor of Southern Tang in Jinling and replaces Wu |
| 937 | | Southern Han: Kiều Công Tiễn kills Dương Đình Nghệ and calls Southern Han into a war against his enemies in the southern provinces, however Đình Nghệ's son-in-law Ngô Quyền murders Công Tiễn |
| 937 | | Later Jin: Shi Jingtang kills Yelü Bei |
| 938 | | Battle of Bạch Đằng: Ngô Quyền defeats the Southern Han fleet |
| 939 | | Ngô Quyền declares his own Ngô dynasty at Cổ Loa Citadel |

## 940s

| Year | Event |
| 942 | Southern Han: Liu Yan dies |
| 942 | Later Jin: Shi Jingtang dies and is succeeded by his nephew Shi Chonggui |
| 943 | Southern Tang: Li Bian dies |
| 945 | Southern Tang: Conquers Min |
| 947 | The Khitan state is named the Liao dynasty |
| 947 | Liao dynasty invades Later Jin and sacks Xiang Prefecture, killing most of its population |
| 947 | Later Han: Liu Zhiyuan declares himself emperor of Later Han in Kaifeng |
| 948 | Later Han: Liu Zhiyuan dies and is succeeded by his son Liu Chengyou |

## 950s

| Year | Event |
| 950 | Later Han: Liu Chengyou fails to kill Guo Wei and dies |
| 950 | Fire lances appear in China. |
| 951 | Later Zhou: Guo Wei declares himself emperor of Later Zhou |
| 951 | Northern Han: Liu Chong declares himself emperor of Northern Han in Taiyuan |
| 951 | Southern Tang: Annexes Chu |
| 953 | The Iron Lion of Cangzhou, the largest and oldest surviving cast iron artwork in China, is cast |
| 954 | Later Zhou: Guo Wei dies and is succeeded by his adopted son Chai Rong |
| 955 | Later Zhou: Chai Rong launches proscription campaign against Buddhism |
| 956 | Later Zhou: Chai Rong launches expedition against Southern Tang |
| 957 | Later Zhou: Chai Rong captures areas south of the Huai from Southern Tang |
| 959 | Later Zhou: Chai Rong dies and is succeeded by his son Chai Zongxun |

## 960s

| Year | Date | Event |
| 960 | February | Song dynasty: Zhao Kuangyin declares himself Emperor Taizu of Song, replacing Later Zhou |
| 963 | | Song: Conquers Jingnan |
| 963 | | Song: Introduces the appointment by protection system, which allows high officials to nominate their sons, grandsons, and nephews for the civil service |
| 965 | | Song conquest of Later Shu: Song conquers Later Shu |
| 965 | | Tao Gu provides the first written documentation of using cormorants for fishing |
| 968 | | Đinh Bộ Lĩnh of the Đinh dynasty declares independence from China |
| 969 | | Gunpowder propelled fire arrows, rocket arrows, are invented by Yue Yifang and Feng Jisheng. |

## 970s

| Year | Date | Event |
| 971 | | Song conquest of Southern Han: Song conquers Southern Han |
| 974 | | The earliest natural history of pharmaceuticals, the Kaibao Bencao, is printed |
| 975 | | Song conquest of Southern Tang: Song conquers Southern Tang |
| 976 | 14 November | Song: Emperor Taizu of Song dies and his brother Zhao Guangyi succeeds him as Emperor Taizong of Song |
| 978 | | Song: Conquers Wuyue |
| 979 | | Song conquest of Northern Han: Song conquers Northern Han |

## Gallery

* Later Liang in 907 AD
* Later Tang in 926 AD
* Later Jin in 939 AD
* Later Han in 949 AD
* Later Zhou in 951 AD
* Song dynasty's conquest of China