The Tang Dynasty of China was founded by Li Yuan. It lasted from June 18, 618 to June 4, 907. The reign of the Tang Dynasty is considered the era of the highest power of the state. During this period, it was significantly ahead of other contemporary countries in its development.
History of the Tang Dynasty
Li Yuan was considered a large landowner. He was from the northern border area, where the Tabgach people lived. These were the descendants of the steppe-toba. Li Yuan and his son Li Shimin (the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty) won the civil war. It was unleashed as a result of the reckless policy of Yang-di. After the death of this emperor, Li Yuan ascended the throne in Chang'an in 618. After a while, he was overthrown by his son. However, the Tang dynasty, founded by him, existed until 907. In 690-705. There was, however, a short break. During this period, the throne was occupied by the Chinese Empress of the Tang Dynasty Zetian. However, her era stands out as a separate royal branch of Zhou.
Ideology
The reign of the Tang dynasty was carried out by combining two principles. Herthe founder was well acquainted with the peoples of the Great Steppe, their customs and customs. And many people close to Li Yuan were like that. At the first stages of the existence of the dynasty, there was an active cultural exchange between the regions. The steppe provided an advanced army, consisting of heavy cavalry. Nomads were attracted by the ancient and sophisticated culture of the Tang Dynasty. For them, Li Yuan was the khan of the Tabgach people, equal to them. Such a perception, in particular, is fixed in the epitaph of Kul-Tegin (the Turkic ruler), who speaks of himself and his subjects as slaves, vassals of the Tabgach Khagan, and not about the Chinese people.
Breaking from tradition
The idea of uniting the Steppe and China under the rule of one emperor has determined the foreign and domestic policy of the country for centuries. However, later the Tabagh branch began to be perceived as something alien. This was mainly due to the large numerical predominance of ethnic Chinese. The government's policy towards the "barbarian" nomads began to be regarded as unacceptable. As Gumilev wrote, it was this consistent desire to combine the incongruous that led to the rapid flourishing and then to the rapid fall of the state.
Economy and culture
Order and peace reigned in the state. This made it possible to concentrate all the forces of the population for the good of the country. Agriculture flourished in China, trade and handicrafts were well developed. Weaving technologies achieved new successes, dyeing, pottery, shipbuilding,metallurgy. Land and water routes ran throughout the country. The Tang Dynasty established close ties with Japan, India, Persia, Arabia, Korea and other states. Technology and science began to develop. In 725, masters Liang Lingzan and Yi Xing created the first mechanical clock equipped with an escapement mechanism. Gunpowder weapons began to spread. At first it was a device for fireworks, "fire kites", missiles in the fleet. Subsequently, real guns adapted for firing projectiles began to be made. Tea drinking spread throughout China. The drink has developed a special relationship. Tea art began to develop in the country. Previously, tea was considered a medicine and a food product. The Tang Dynasty gave the drink a special meaning. The names of the great masters of the tea ceremony, Lu Yu and Lu Tong, were immortalized in classical literature.
Decay
In the 8th century, there were several uprisings, and there were military defeats. The Tang Dynasty began to weaken. By the 40s. Khorasan Arabs entrenched themselves in Sogdiana and the Ferghana Valley. In 751, the Talas battle took place. During it, mercenary units of Chinese troops left the battlefield. Commander Gao Xianzhi was forced to retreat. An Lushan's uprising soon began. In 756-761. it destroyed everything that the Tang Dynasty had built up over the years. An Lushan formed his state of Yan. It existed from 756 to 763. and occupied the capitals Luoyang and Chang'an, spreading over a large area. There were four emperors in Yan. Suppression of the uprisingit was quite difficult, despite the support of the Uyghurs. The Tang Dynasty was so weakened that subsequently it was never able to achieve its former greatness. She lost control over the territory of Central Asia. In this region, the influence of the dynasty ceased until the unification of the two countries by the Mongols.
Provincial governors
The Tang government relied on them and their troops to suppress armed resistance on the ground. The authorities, in turn, recognized their right to maintain an army, collect taxes and pass on their titles by inheritance. However, the influence of provincial governors gradually began to grow. Over time, they began to compete with the central government. The prestige of the government began to decline rapidly in the provinces. As a result, a large number of river pirates and bandits appeared, united in numerous groups. They attacked settlements along the banks of the Yangtze with impunity.
Flood
It happened in 858. A flood near the Grand Canal claimed tens of thousands of lives. As a result, the faith of the people in the chosenness of the aging dynasty was shaken. The idea began to spread that the central government had angered the heavens and lost its right to the throne. In 873 there was a catastrophic crop failure in the country. In a number of areas, people hardly managed to collect half of the usual amount. Tens of thousands were on the verge of starvation. In the early days of the Tang dynasty, the Tang dynasty was able to avert the devastating consequences of crop failures through significant grain accumulations. ToIn the 9th century, the authorities were unable to save their people.
Additional factor
The decline of the Tang dynasty was also due to the dominance of eunuchs in the court. They formed an advisory body. By the 9th century, eunuchs had sufficient power to influence political decisions and have access to the treasury. Supposedly, they could even kill emperors. In 783-784. The Zhu Qi rebellion took place. After him, the Shengze troops were under the command of the eunuchs. Wen Zong began to actively oppose them after the murder of his older brother in 817. However, his campaign was not successful.
Census
The rulers of the Tang Dynasty always sought to know exactly the number of their subjects. This was necessary for military and tax accounting. In the first years of the reign, an easy collection of cloth and grain from each family was established. According to the census of 609, there were 9 million households in the country (50 million people). The next recount took place in 742. According to contemporaries, even if some of the people did not participate in the census, the country was inhabited by more people than the Han Empire. According to the data, 58 million people were registered for the second time. In 754, the empire had 1,859 cities, 1,538 districts, and 321 prefectures. The main part of the population - 80-90% - lived in rural areas. There was a migration of people from the northern regions to the southern ones. This is evidenced by the statistics. In the northern part in the early years of the dynasty, 75% lived, and by the last years only 50%. The population did not grow much until the beginning of the Song era. Since this period, rice production has been actively growing in South and Central China. When processing fields, developed irrigation systems began to be used. Thanks to the rapid development of the economy, the population of the state will at least double.
The last years of the reign
As mentioned above, at the last stage of the dynasty, the influence of provincial governors greatly increased. They began to behave almost like independent, independent rulers. Corruption was widespread in the administration of the imperial court. The central government itself was too incompetent to eradicate it. In addition, adverse climatic conditions had a negative impact on the position of the dynastic family. A drought began everywhere, which led first to crop failure, and then to famine. All this led to popular unrest, which ultimately resulted in large-scale uprisings. The reign of the Tang Dynasty was finally interrupted by a movement led by Huang Chao and later by his followers. Within the ruling class, various groups began to form, entering into constant conflicts with each other. The rebels captured and then plundered both capitals of the state - Luoyang and Chang'an. It took more than 10 years to suppress the uprising of the central government. Despite the fact that the unrest was stopped, the Tang dynasty could no longer bring the state to its former prosperous state. Zhu Wen,who was in the past the leader of the peasant rebels, made a coup in the country. He overthrew the last emperor, Li Zhu, in 907. Zhu Wen, who had participated in the long last rebellion, betrayed Huang Chao. First, he went over to the side of the Tang dynasty. However, later, approaching the court, he overthrew the last king. He created a new dynasty and adopted the temple name Taizu. His coup d'etat marked the beginning of a new period in the country's history. From 907 to 960 there was an era of Ten Kingdoms and Five Dynasties.
Conclusion
The Tang Dynasty lasted long enough. Her reign, however, was successful only in the first part before the break of 690-705. In general, the government of the country was not competent enough. Emperors, with the exception of the first, gave too much power to their subjects. This led to a relatively quick loss of control over the people and the state as a whole.
