Western Xia
Great Xia 大夏 (白高大夏國) (大白高國) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 1038–1227 AD | |||||||||||||||||||
Extent of Western Xia (green) in 1111 over modern borders | |||||||||||||||||||
Western Xia in 1150 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Xingqing (modern Yinchuan) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | |||||||||||||||||||
| 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 AD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1100 est. | 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||||||||
• Peak | 3,000,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Currency | Barter, copper coins See Western Xia coinage | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Part of a series on the |
| History of China |
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The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (Chinese: 西夏; pinyin: Xī Xià; Wade–Giles: Hsi1 Hsia4), officially the Kingdom of the Great Xia of the White and Lofty (Tangut: 𗴂𗹭𘜶𗴲𗂧) or Great Xia (大夏; Dà Xià; Ta4 Hsia4), also known as the Tangut Empire, was a Tangut-led imperial dynasty of China that existed from 1038 to 1227 AD. At its peak, the dynasty ruled over 800,000 square kilometres (310,000 square miles) of modern-day north-central China.
The capital of the Western Xia was Xingqing, now Yinchuan; another major Xia city and archaeological site is Khara-Khoto. The Western Xia was annihilated by the Mongols in 1227 AD. Most of its written records and architecture were destroyed, and the origins and history of the empire remained obscure until Chinese and Western research in the 20th-century. Today the Tangut language and its unique script are extinct, only fragments of Tangut literature remain.
The Western Xia occupied the area around the Hexi Corridor, a stretch of the Silk Road, the most important trade route between northern China and Central Asia. They made significant achievements in literature, art, music, and architecture, which was characterized as "shining and sparkling". Their extensive stance among the other empires of the Liao, Song, and Jin was attributable to their effective military organizations that integrated cavalry, chariots, archery, shields, artillery (cannons carried on the back of camels), and amphibious troops for combat on land and water.