The Chinese Tang Dynasty 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 modern countries in its development.
Tang Dynasty History
Li Yuan was considered a large landowner. He was a native of the northern border territory in which the Tabgach people lived. These were the descendants of the Toba steppe. Li Yuan and his son Li Shimin (the second emperor from the Tang Dynasty) won the civil war. She was unleashed due to the reckless policies 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 Zetian dynasty. However, her era stands out in a separate royal branch of Zhou.
Ideology
The reign of the Tang Dynasty was carried out by combining two principles. Its founder was well acquainted with the peoples of the Great Steppe, their customs and mores. And many people close to Li Yuan were like that. In the early stages of the dynasty, there was an active cultural exchange between the regions. The steppe provided the advanced army, consisting of heavy cavalry. The nomads were attracted by the ancient and refined culture of the Tang Dynasty. For them, Li Yuan was a khan of the Tabgach ethnic group. Such a perception, in particular, is enshrined in the epitaph of Kul-Teguin (the Turkic ruler), who speaks of himself and his subjects as slaves, vassals of the Tabagan kagan, and not the Chinese people.
A departure from tradition
The idea of uniting the Steppe and China under the authority of one emperor for centuries determined the country's foreign and domestic policy. Later, however, the Tabagchi branch began to be perceived as something alien. This was mainly due to the large numerical predominance of ethnic Chinese. The policy of the authorities in relation to the nomad "barbarians" has become regarded as unacceptable. As Gumilyov wrote, it was this consistent desire to combine the incongruous that led to a rapid flourishing, and then to a rapid fall of the state.
Economics 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, and trade and craft were well developed. Weaving technology has achieved new successes, dyeing, pottery, shipbuilding, and metallurgy have improved. Over the country there were land and waterways. The Tang Dynasty established close ties with Japan, India, Persia, Arabia, Korea and other states. Technology and science began to develop. In 725, the craftsmen Liang Lingzan and Yi Xing first created a mechanical watch equipped with an anchor mechanism. Gunpowder began to spread. At first it was a device for fireworks, "fire serpents", missiles in the navy. Subsequently, real guns adapted for firing shells began to be manufactured. Tea has spread throughout China. A special relation has formed to the drink. Tea art began to develop in the country. Previously, tea was considered a medicine and a food product. The Tang Dynasty attached special importance to the drink. In classical literature, the names of the great masters of the tea ceremony - Lu Yu and Lu Tong - were immortalized.
Decline
In the 8th century, several uprisings took place, and military defeats took place. The Tang Dynasty began to weaken. By the 40s Khorasan Arabs entrenched in Sogdiana and Ferghana Valley. In 751, the Battle of Talas took place. During it, mercenary troops of the Chinese forces left the battlefield. Commander Gao Xianzhi was forced to retreat. Soon the rebellion of An Lushan began. In the years 756-761. it destroyed everything that the Tang Dynasty created over the years. An Lushan formed his state of Yan. It existed from 756 to 763 years. and occupied the capitals of Luoyang and Chang'an, spreading over a considerable territory. Four emperors were replaced in Yan. The suppression of the uprising was quite difficult, despite the support of the Uighurs. The Tang Dynasty was so weakened that subsequently it was not able to achieve its former greatness. She lost control of 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 quell armed resistance on the ground. The authorities, in turn, recognized their right to hold the army, collect taxes and transfer 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 plummet in the provinces. As a result, a large number of river pirates and bandits appeared, united in numerous groups. They attacked with impunity settlements located along the banks of the Yangtze.
Flood
It happened in 858. Flooding at the Great Canal claimed tens of thousands of lives. As a result, the people's faith in God's chosen people of an aging dynasty shook. The idea began to spread that the central government 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 the usual volume. On the brink of death from starvation were tens of thousands. In the initial period of the reign, the Tang Dynasty could prevent the disastrous consequences of crop failure due to significant accumulations of grain. By the 9th century, power was unable to save its people.
Additional factor
The decline of the Tang dynasty was also due to dominance at the court of eunuchs. An advisory body was formed from them. By the 9th century, eunuchs had enough power to influence political decisions and have access to the treasury. Presumably, they could even kill emperors. In 783-784 years. there was an uprising of Zhu Tzu. After him, under the command of the eunuchs, the Shenzi troops were found. Wen-Zong began to actively oppose them after the murder of his older brother in 817. However, his campaign was unsuccessful.
Censuses
The rulers of the Tang dynasty always sought to know the exact number of their subjects. This was necessary for military and tax accounting. In the early years of the reign, easy collection of cloth and grain from each family was established. According to the census of 609, the country had 9 million households (50 million people). The next time the 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 for the second time, 58 million people were registered. In 754, the empire had 1,585 cities, 1,538 districts, 321 prefectures. The main part of the population - 80-90% - lived in rural areas. There was a migration of people from the northern to the southern. This is evidenced by 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. From this period, rice production in South and Central China began to grow rapidly. When processing fields, developed irrigation systems began to be used . Thanks to the rapid development of the economy, the population of the state will increase at least twice.
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. The administration of the imperial court was very widespread corruption. The central government itself was too incompetent to eradicate it. In addition, adverse climatic conditions had a negative effect on the position of the dynastic clan. Drought everywhere began, which led first to crop failure, and then to famine. All this led to popular unrest, which eventually resulted in large-scale uprisings. Finally, the reign of the Tang Dynasty was interrupted by a movement led by Huang Chao, and then his followers. Within the ruling class, various groups began to form, which entered into constant conflicts with each other. The rebels captured and then looted both state capitals - Luoyang and Chang'an. It took more than 10 years to crush the rebellion 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 the leader of peasant rebels in the past, carried out a coup in the country. He overthrew the last emperor Li Zhu in 907. Zhu Wen, who participated in a long last rebellion, betrayed Huang Chao. At 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 of Taizu. His coup d'etat marked the beginning of a new period in the history of the country. 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 governance of the country was not literate enough. The emperors, with the exception of the first, gave too much power to subjects. This led to a relatively rapid loss of control over the people and the state as a whole.