Timeline of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

See also: Timeline of the Tang dynasty, Timeline of the Khitans, and Timeline of the Song dynasty

This is a timeline of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907–979), which followed the collapse of the Tang dynasty in 907 AD. The Five Dynasties refer to the succession of dynasties which ruled northern China following the Tang collapse while the Ten Kingdoms, with the exception of Northern Han, ruled in southern China. This era of division ended in 979 AD with the rise of the Song dynasty under Emperor Taizu of Song, although the Song would never reconquer the northern territory lost to the Khitans, collectively known as the Sixteen Prefectures.

Map of warlords ("jiedushi") in 902, before the end of Tang dynasty

900s

Year	Date	Event
907		Later Liang: Zhu Wen deposes Emperor Ai of Tang and founds the Later Liang in Kaifeng, ruling over North China^[1]
		Later Liang: The Khúc clan takes control of Annam and establishes tributary relations with Later Liang^[2]
		Jin: Li Keyong stays independent as Jin in Shanxi^[1]
		Chu: Later Liang makes Ma Yin Prince of Chu^[1]
		Wuyue: Qian Liu becomes Prince of Wuyue^[1]
		Former Shu: Wang Jian declares himself emperor of Former Shu in Chengdu^[1]
908		Jin: Li Keyong dies and is succeeded by his son Li Cunxu^[1]
909		Later Liang: Zhu Wen moves the Ancestral Temple to Luoyang^[1]
		Min: Wang Shenzhi becomes Prince of Min in Fuzhou^[1]

910s

Year	Date	Event
911		Yan: Liu Shouguang declares Yan around modern day Beijing^[3]
912		Later Liang: Zhu Wen is killed by his son Zhu Yougui, who usurps power^[1]
913		Jin: Defeats Liu Shouguang^[3]
		Later Liang: Zhu Yougui is killed by his brother Zhu Youzhen, who seizes power and moves the capital to Kaifeng^[1]
916		Abaoji declares himself emperor of the Khitans^[4]
917		Southern Han: Liu Yan declares himself emperor of Great Yue in Guangzhou^[1]
918		Southern Han: Liu Yan renames Great Yue to Southern Han^[1]
919		Wu: Yang Longyan declares himself Prince of Wu^[1]
		The gunpowder slow match appears in China.^[5]

920s

Year	Date	Event
922		Abaoji raids Jin^[6]
923		Later Tang: Li Cunxu conquers Later Liang and founds Later Tang^[7]
		Qi: Li Maozhen submits to Later Tang^[8]
		Abaoji raids Later Tang^[6]
924		Later Tang: Capital is moved to Luoyang^[7]
		Jingnan: Gao Jixing becomes Prince of Nanping in Jingzhou^[7]
925		Later Tang: Conquers Former Shu and names Luoyang its Eastern Capital^[7]
926		Later Tang: Li Cunxu is killed and Li Siyuan becomes emperor in Luoyang^[7]

930s

Year	Date	Event
930		Southern Han: Invades Annam and removes the Khúc clan from power^[9]
		Later Tang: Yelü Bei flees to Later Tang^[10]
931		Southern Han: Dương Đình Nghệ expels Southern Han from Đại La and declares himself governor^[9]
932		Wuyue: Qian Liu dies and is succeeded by his son Qian Yuanguan who dies not long after and is succeeded by Li Congke^[7]
		The Twelve Classics and other texts are printed^[11]
934		Later Tang: Li Siyuan dies and is succeeded by his son Li Conghou^[7]
		Later Shu: Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor of Later Shu and dies not long after and is succeeded by his son Meng Chang^[7]
936	28 November	Later Jin: Khitans install Shi Jingtang as emperor of the Later Jin. In return Shi transfers 16 prefectures in Shanxi and Hebei to the Liao.^[7]
		Later Jin: Conquers Later Tang^[7]
937		Southern Tang: Li Bian declares himself emperor of Southern Tang in Jinling and replaces Wu^[7]
		Southern Han: Kiều Công Tiễn kills Dương Đình Nghệ and calls Southern Han into a war against his enemies in the southern provinces, however Đình Nghệ's son-in-law Ngô Quyền murders Công Tiễn^[12]
		Later Jin: Shi Jingtang kills Yelü Bei^[10]
938		Battle of Bạch Đằng: Ngô Quyền defeats the Southern Han fleet^[12]
939		Ngô Quyền declares his own Ngô dynasty at Cổ Loa Citadel^[12]

940s

Year	Date	Event
942		Southern Han: Liu Yan dies^[7]
		Later Jin: Shi Jingtang dies and is succeeded by his nephew Shi Chonggui^[7]
943		Southern Tang: Li Bian dies^[7]
945		Southern Tang: Conquers Min^[7]
947		The Khitan state is named the Liao dynasty^[4]
		Liao dynasty invades Later Jin and sacks Xiang Prefecture, killing most of its population^[7]
		Later Han: Liu Zhiyuan declares himself emperor of Later Han in Kaifeng^[7]
948		Later Han: Liu Zhiyuan dies and is succeeded by his son Liu Chengyou^[7]

950s

Year	Date	Event
950		Later Han: Liu Chengyou fails to kill Guo Wei and dies^[7]
		Fire lances appear in China.^[13]
951		Later Zhou: Guo Wei declares himself emperor of Later Zhou^[7]
		Northern Han: Liu Chong declares himself emperor of Northern Han in Taiyuan^[7]
		Southern Tang: Annexes Chu^[7]
953		The Iron Lion of Cangzhou, the largest and oldest surviving cast iron artwork in China, is cast^[14]
954		Later Zhou: Guo Wei dies and is succeeded by his adopted son Chai Rong^[7]
955		Later Zhou: Chai Rong launches proscription campaign against Buddhism^[7]
956		Later Zhou: Chai Rong launches expedition against Southern Tang^[7]
957		Later Zhou: Chai Rong captures areas south of the Huai from Southern Tang^[7]
959		Later Zhou: Chai Rong dies and is succeeded by his son Chai Zongxun^[7]

960s

Year	Date	Event
960	February	Song dynasty: Zhao Kuangyin declares himself Emperor Taizu of Song, replacing Later Zhou^[15]
963		Song: Conquers Jingnan^[15]
		Song: Introduces the appointment by protection system, which allows high officials to nominate their sons, grandsons, and nephews for the civil service^[16]
965		Song conquest of Later Shu: Song conquers Later Shu^[15]
		Tao Gu provides the first written documentation of using cormorants for fishing^[17]
968		Đinh Bộ Lĩnh of the Đinh dynasty declares independence from China^[18]
969		Gunpowder propelled fire arrows, rocket arrows, are invented by Yue Yifang and Feng Jisheng.^[19]

970s

Year	Date	Event
971		Song conquest of Southern Han: Song conquers Southern Han^[15]
974		The earliest natural history of pharmaceuticals, the Kaibao Bencao, is printed^[20]
975		Song conquest of Southern Tang: Song conquers Southern Tang^[15]
976	14 November	Song: Emperor Taizu of Song dies and his brother Zhao Guangyi succeeds him as Emperor Taizong of Song^[21]^[22]
978		Song: Conquers Wuyue^[15]
979		Song conquest of Northern Han: Song conquers Northern Han^[15]

Gallery

•  
  Later Liang in 907 AD
•  
  Later Tang in 926 AD
•  
  Later Jin in 939 AD
•  
  Later Han in 949 AD
•  
  Later Zhou in 951 AD
•  
  Song dynasty's conquest of China

References

1. Xiong 2009, p. cxvi.
2. Taylor 2013, p. 44.
3. Xiong 2009, p. 326.
4. Xiong 2009, p. 311.
5. Needham 1986f, p. 85.
6. Mote 2003, p. 44.
7. Xiong 2009, p. cxvii.
8. Xiong 2009, p. 300.
9. Taylor 2013, p. 45.
10. Twitchett 1994, p. 69.
11. Wilkinson 2012, p. 910.
12. Taylor 2013, p. 46.
13. Andrade 2016, p. 35.
14. Needham 2008, p. 291.
15. Xiong 2009, p. cxviii.
16. Kuhn 2009, p. 124.
17. Needham 1986h, p. 460.
18. Twitchett 2009, p. 247.
19. Liang 2006.
20. Needham 1986h, p. 280.
21. Twitchett 2009, p. 228.
22. Twitchett 2009, p. 242.

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Preceded by Tang dynasty

Dynasties in Chinese history 907–960

Succeeded by Song dynasty Liao dynasty