Western Xia - Foundations

Foundations

The founder of the Tangut-Western Xia was the Tuoba Xianbei from the Tuyuhun Kingdom. After Tuyuhun Kingdom was destroyed by the Tibetans in 670, its famous prince, Tuoba Chici, who controlled the "Dangxiang Qiang" submitted under the Tang Dynasty and was "bestowed" with the royal name of Li (李). In the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Tuoba brought troops to suppress the Huang Chao Rebellion on behalf of the Tang court and took control of the Xia State, or Xia Zhou, in northern Shaanxi in 881. After the Tang fell in 907, the Tuoba descendants formally declared resistance against the expanding Northern Song in 982 and proclaimed independence to establish the Western Xia or Tangut, in 1038.

The foundation of Western Xia goes back to the year 982 under Li Deming. However, it would not be until 1038 that the Tangut chieftain Li Yuanhao, Li Deming's son, who also ordered the creation of a Tangut writing system and the translation of Chinese classics into Tangut, named himself emperor of Da Xia, and demanded of the Song emperor recognition as an equal. The Song court accepted the recognition of Li Yuanhao as 'governor', but not 'emperor', a title considered exclusive to the Song emperor. After intense diplomatic contacts, in 1043 the Tangut state accepted the recognition of the Song emperor as emperor in exchange for annual gifts, which implied tacit recognition on the part of the Song of the military power of the Tangut