Northern Han

The Northern Han kingdom (simplified Chinese: 北汉; traditional Chinese: 北漢; pinyin: Běi Hàn) is a state of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by Liu Min (劉旻), formerly known as Liu Chong (劉崇), and lasted from 951 to 979.

Founding of the Northern Han

The short-lived state of Later Han fell in 950. Liu Min founded the Northern Han Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Eastern Han, in 951 claiming that he was the legitimate heir to the imperial throne of Later Han. Liu Min immediately restored the traditional relationship with the Khitans, who had founded the Liao Dynasty.

Sources conflict as to the origin of the Later Han and Northern Han emperors, some indicate sinicized Shatuo ancestry<ref name=http://books.google.se/books?id=SQWW7QgUH4gC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=Imperial+China:+900%E2%80%931800&source=bl&ots=j7zwpy_kAh&sig=S4nTOx01EZ7y3AcabOgF68Ivbh0&hl=sv&sa=X&ei=uJ18VMLSI8bIyAOHloDQCQ&ved=0CHYQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Imperial%20China%3A%20900%E2%80%931800&f=false>Mote, Frederick W (2003). Imperial China 900-1800. pp. 67–68. </ref> while another claims that the emperors claimed patrilineal Han Chinese ancestry.

Northern Han (disambiguation)

The term Northern Han is used in at least two ways.