# Western Xia

| Great Xia大夏  (白高大夏國)  (大白高國) |
| --- |
| 1038–1227 |
| Location of Western Xia in 1111 (green in north west) |
| Western Xia in 1150 |
| Capital | Xingqing (modern Yinchuan) |
| Common languages | * Tangut
* Chinese
 |
| Religion  | * Buddhism
* Taoism
* Confucianism
* Chinese folk religion
 |
| Government | Monarchy |
| Emperor |   |
|  |
| • 1038–1048  | Emperor Jingzong |
| • 1139–1193  | Emperor Renzong |
| • 1226–1227  | Li Xian (final) |
|  |
| Historical era | Post-classical history |
|  |
| • Rebellion by Li Jiqian against the Song dynasty  | 984 |
| • Dynasty established by Emperor Jingzong  | 1038 |
| • Subjugation by the Mongol Empire  | 1210 |
| • Destruction by the Mongol Empire  | 1227 |
|  |
| Area |
| 1100 Template:Est. | 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi) |
| Population |
|  |
| • peak  | 3,000,000 |
|  |
| Currency | Barter, copper coins *See Western Xia coinage* |
|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| **Preceded by** | **Succeeded by** |
|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Dingnan Jiedushi |
|  | Xiliangfu |
|  | Guiyi Circuit |
|  | Gansu Uyghur Kingdom |
|  | Liao dynasty |
|  | Song dynasty |

 |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Mongol Empire |  |

 |

 |

East Asia and Central Asia in AD 1142: the Southern Song dynasty in orange (  ); the Jin dynasty in grey (  ) in the northeast; the **Western Xia in turquoise** (  ) and the Western Liao (Qara Khitai) in lime green (  ) in the northwest; and the Dali Kingdom in dark green (  ) in the southwest.
The **Western Xia** or the **Xi Xia** (Chinese: 西夏; pinyin: *Xī Xià*; Wade–Giles: *Hsi1 Hsia4*), was a imperial dynasty of China. It was also called the **Great Xia** (大夏; *Dà Xià*; *Ta4 Hsia4*) and **Tangut Empire**. The Tanguts and Tibets called the Western Xia *Mi-nyak**.* The Western Xia was led by the Tangut people from 1038 to 1227. The dynasty was as big as northwestern modern China. The dynasty had parts of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, and southwest Inner Mongolia, and southernmost Outer Mongolia. It was 800,000 square kilometres (310,000 square miles) big.

The capital of Western Xia was Xingqing (modern Yinchuan). A major Xia city was Khara-Khoto. The Mongols took Western Xia in 1227. Most of its records and architecture were destroyed. Historians did not know much about the dynasty until the 20th-century. Today the Tangut language and its script are extinct. There is not much Tangut literature left.

The Western Xia was in the area of the Hexi Corridor. The Hexi Corridor was a part of the Silk Road, which was an important trade route from northern China and Central Asia.

## Rulers

450 years after the destruction of the Tangut empire, the "Kingdom of Tenduc or Tangut" was still shown on some European maps as China's northwestern neighbor

| Temple Name | Posthumous Name | Personal Name | Reign Dates |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jǐngzōng 景宗 | Emperor Wǔliè 武烈皇帝 | Lǐ Yuánhào 李元昊 | 1038–1048 |
| Yìzōng 毅宗 | Emperor Zhāoyīng 昭英皇帝 | Lǐ Liàngzuò 李諒祚 | 1048–1067 |
| Huìzōng 惠宗 | Emperor Kāngjìng 康靖皇帝 | Lǐ Bǐngcháng 李秉常 | 1067–1086 |
| Chóngzōng 崇宗 | Emperor Shèngwén 聖文皇帝 | Lǐ Qiánshùn 李乾順 | 1086–1139 |
| Rénzōng 仁宗 | Emperor Shèngdé 聖德皇帝 | Lǐ Rénxiào 李仁孝 | 1139–1193 |
| Huánzōng 桓宗 | Emperor Zhāojiǎn 昭簡皇帝 | Lǐ Chúnyòu 李純佑 | 1193–1206 |
| Xiāngzōng 襄宗 | Emperor Jìngmù 敬慕皇帝 | Lǐ Ānquán 李安全 | 1206–1211 |
| Shénzōng 神宗 | Emperor Yīngwén 英文皇帝 | Lǐ Zūnxū 李遵頊 | 1211–1223 |
| Xiànzōng 獻宗 | *None* | Lǐ Déwàng 李德旺 | 1223–1226 |
| *None* | *None* | Lǐ Xiàn 李晛 | 1226–1227 |

| Emperor | Era Name | Dates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jǐngzōng | Tiānshòu Lǐfǎ Yánzuò 天授禮法延祚 | 1038–1048 |
| Yìzōng | Yánsì Níngguó 延嗣寧國 | 1049 |
| Tiānyòu Chuíshèng 天祐垂聖 | 1050–1052 |
| Fúshèng Chéngdào 福聖承道 (Tangut 𗼃𗼕 or 𗣼𗧯) | 1053–1056 |
| Duǒdū 奲都 | 1057–1062 |
| Gǒnghuà 拱化 | 1063–1067 |
| Huìzōng | Qiándào 乾道 | 1068–1069 |
| Tiāncì Lǐshèng Guóqìng 天賜禮盛國慶 (Tangut 𘀗𗙀𗅲𗯿𗂧𗴴) | 1070–1074 |
| Dà'ān 大安 (Tangut 𘜶𗵐) | 1075–1085 |
| Tiān'ān Lǐdìng 天安禮定 (Tangut 𘓺𗪚𗅲𗧯) | 1086 |
| Chóngzōng | Tiānyí Zhìpíng 天儀治平 (Tangut 𘓺𗫸𗁣𘇚) | 1086–1089 |
| Tiānyòu Mín'ān 天祐民安 (Tangut 𘓺𗼕𘂀𗴴) | 1090–1097 |
| Yǒng'ān 永安 (Tangut 𗦷𗪚) | 1098–1100 |
| Zhēnguān 貞觀 (Tangut 𗣼𘝯) | 1101–1113 |
| Yōngníng 雍寧 (Tangut 𗖠𗪚) | 1114–1118 |
| Yuándé 元德 (Tangut 𗣼𗪟) | 1119–1127 |
| Zhèngdé 正德 (Tangut 𗣼𘇚) | 1127–1134 |
| Dàdé 大德 (Tangut 𘜶𗣼) | 1135–1139 |
| Rénzōng | Daqing 大慶 (Tangut 𘜶𘅝) | 1140–1143 |
| Rénqìng 人慶 (Tangut 𗸦𘅝) | 1144–1148 |
| Tiānshèng 天盛 (Tangut 𘓺𘃸) | 1149–1169 |
| Qiányòu 乾祐 (Tangut 𘀗𘑨) | 1170–1193 |
| Huánzōng | Tiānqìng 天慶 (Tangut 𘓺𘅝) | 1194–1206 |
| Xiāngzōng | Yìngtiān 應天 | 1206–1209 |
| Huángjiàn 皇建 (Tangut 𘓺𘚪) | 1210–1211 |
| Shénzōng | Guāngdìng 光定 (Tangut 𗪚𗏴) | 1211–1223 |
| Xiànzōng | Qiándìng 乾定 | 1223–1226 |
| Lǐ Xiàn | Bǎoqìng 寶慶 | 1226–1227 |

## Administrative divisions

| Region | Prefecture | Modern location |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hexi | Xingzhou (Xingqing, Ducheng) | Yinchuan |
| Dingzhou | Pingluo County |
| Huaizhou | East of Yinchuan |
| Yongzhou | Yongning County |
| Liangzhou (Xiliangfu) | Wuwei |
| Ganzhou (Xuanhuafu) | Zhangye |
| Suzhou | Jiuquan |
| Guazhou | Guazhou County |
| Shazhou | Dunhuang |
| Henan | Lingzhou | Northwest of Wuzhong |
| Hongzhou | Southwest of Jingbian |
| Youzhou | Otog Front Banner |
| Yinzhou | East of Hengshan |
| Xiazhou | North of Jingbian |
| Shizhou | Hengshan |
| Yanzhou | Dingbian County |
| Nanweizhou | Tongxin County |
| Huizhou | Jingyuan |
| Other | Xiningzhou | Xining |
| Lezhou | South of Ledu |
| Kuozhou | Southwest of Hualong |
| Jishizhou | Xunhua Salar Autonomous County |

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## Other websites

* 宁夏新闻网 (Ningxia News Web): 西夏研究 (Xixia Research).
* 宁夏新闻网 (Ningxia News Web): 文化频道 (Cultural Channel).