Western Liang (Sixteen Kingdoms)

For the unrelated "Western Liang" (西梁) in the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, see Western Liang (555–587).

Liang, known in historiography as the Western Liang (traditional Chinese: 西涼; simplified Chinese: 西凉; pinyin: Xī Liáng; 400–421), was a dynastic state of China listed as one of the Sixteen Kingdoms. The Western Liang was founded by the Li family of Han descent. The founder of the Tang dynasty, Li Yuan (Emperor Gaozu), traced his patrilineal ancestry to the Western Liang rulers, and traced the ancestry of the Western Liang rulers to Li Guang and Laozi in the paternal line. The ruling Li clan of the Western Liang was known as the Longxi Li lineage (隴西李氏).^[1]

Liang 涼
400–421
Status	Vassal of Later Qin, Jin Dynasty (266–420), Northern Wei, Liu Song
Capital	Dunhuang (400–405, 420–421) Jiuquan (405–420)
Government	Monarchy
Duke
• 400–417	Li Gao
• 417–420	Li Xin
• 420–421	Li Xun
History
• Established	400
• Fall of Jiuquan	420
• Disestablished	421
Preceded by Succeeded by Northern Liang Northern Liang
Today part of	China Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan

Rulers of the Western Liang

Temple names	Posthumous name	Personal name	Durations of reigns	Era names
Taizu	Wuzhao	Li Gao	400–417	Gengzi (庚子) 400–405 Jianchu (建初) 406–417
–	–	Li Xin	417–420	Jiaxing (嘉興) 417–420
–	–	Li Xun	420–421	Yongjian (永建) 420–421

Rulers family tree

Western Liang rulers family tree
Li Gao (李暠) 351–417 Prince Wǔzhāo (武昭王) r. 400–417 Li Xin 李歆 d. 420; r. 417–420 Li Xun 李恂 d. 421; r. 420–421 Li Jingshou 李敬受 d. 437? Juqu Mujian 沮渠牧犍 of Northern Liang

See also

• Dunhuang
• Han Chinese
• Jiuquan
• Gansu
• Liangzhou District
• List of past Chinese ethnic groups
• Sixteen Kingdoms
• Wuwei, Gansu
• Wu Hu

References

1. 《新唐书·宗室世系表》