Khitan people

The Khitan (also Khitan, Qidan of Chinese契丹, Pinyin Qidan ) was a proto- Mongolian people from today's Manchuria that existed in the 6th century. They led various battles with the Köktürken and Tang China ( 560, 696/697, 733/735 ).

History

Yelü Abaoji (Chinese耶律 阿保机, Pinyin Yēlǜ Ābǎojī, died 926 ) 924 launched an offensive to the west, thereby defeating the Kirghiz in Mongolia, then waved to Gansu to submit Uyghur, Tangut and Tuyuhun. 926 the pretty civilized state Balhae was ( Parhae ) in what is now northeastern China and North Korea eliminated.

Finally proclaimed Abaojis son and successor Yelü Deguang (耶律 德光, Yēlǜ Deguang ) 947 in North China, the Liao Dynasty. Under the Liao and the subsequent Jin- rule cities were founded in Manchuria up to the Amur River, with 60-70 hectares and up to ten meters high walls. One plant there crops, raised horses, owned iron foundries and mills. The Kitan used also influenced by the two Chinese writings (around 920), mainly composed of logograms so-called large type and the later developed so-called small font. The latter also includes phonograms and is therefore for the Altaic Linguistics of very great interest as the earliest surviving form of the Mongolian languages. Both writings have influenced later also the development of the two also referred to as upper and lower case font of the Tungusic Jurchen own writings, the forerunner of the Manchus and Xibe.

In the period from about 1116 ( taking Liaoyang ) to 1125 ( capture of the emperor), the Liao Empire was of his former vassals, the likewise derived from Manchuria Jurchen ( Jin Dynasty ), taken over.

Part of the Khitan fled west (partly through southern Siberia ) and founded in 1130 as Kara Kitai under Prince Yelü Dashi (耶律大石, Yēlǜ Dashi ) a new realm. This empire asserted its existence in 1141 with a victory over Sanjar, the Sultan of the Seljuks, in the Katwan-Steppe/Samarkand. It existed until the Mongol invasion of 1217/18.

The Russian ( Kitaj ), Mongolian ( qitad / xyatad ) and Uighur name ( خئتاي / hitay ) etc. in China goes back to the Khitan, see also Cathay.