page_title: History of Mongolia
section_title: Rouran state (330–555)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Mongolia / Ancient period / Rouran state (330–555)
caption_attribution_description: English: based on File:Asia laea relief location map.jpg. Data source: partially based on "Mongolian National Atlas" (2009)
context_page_description: Various nomadic empires, including the Xiongnu, the Xianbei state, the Rouran Khaganate, the First 552–603 and Second Turkic Khaganates and others, ruled the area of present-day Mongolia. The Khitan people, who used a para-Mongolic language,
  founded an empire known as the Liao dynasty and ruled Mongolia and portions of the present-day Russian Far East, northern Korea, and North China.
  In 1206, Genghis Khan was able to unite the Mongols, forging them into a fighting force which went on to establish the largest contiguous empire in world history, the Mongol Empire. After the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire, Mongolia came to be ruled by the Yuan dynasty based in Khanbaliq. Buddhism in Mongolia began with the Yuan emperors' conversion to and dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism.
  After the collapse of the Mongol-led China-based Yuan dynasty in 1368, the Yuan court retreated to the Mongolian Plateau, marking the start of the Northern Yuan dynasty. The Mongols returned to their earlier patterns of internal strife and their old shamanist ways after the collapse of Yuan dynasty. It was only in the 16th and 17th centuries did Buddhism reemerge in Mongolia.
context_section_description: A branch of the Xianbei, the Rouran (also known as Nirun) were consolidated under Mugulyu. In the late 5th century, the Rouran established a powerful nomadic empire spreading generally farther north of Northern Wei. It was probably the Rouran who first used the title khan. The Rouran ruled Mongolia, eastern Kazakhstan, part of Gansu, northern Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, parts of Northeastern China and southern Siberia. The Hephthalite Empire was a vassal state to the Rouran for 100 years. Shelun assumed the title of Khagan in 402 landmarking the establishment of the state of the Rouran Khaganate. The Tuoba waged long wars against the Rouran Khaganate. The Altai Turkics that were subjects of the Rouran revolted in 552 establishing the Turkic Khaganate. The Rouran Khaganate was finally defeated by the Turkics in 555. Part of the Rouran left the present territory of Mongolia. A number of historians maintain that they established the Avarian Kaganate between the river Danube and the Carpathian Mountains. The Rourans that stayed in Mongolia became the ancestors of the Tatar tribes. The Tatars and other Mongol tribes lived in the eastern part Mongolia during the Turkic period. Other Mongols that migrated east returned in the 8th century.
caption: Rouran Khaganate
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)"}