Qara Khitai
Great Liao 大遼 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1124–1218 | |||||||||||||||||||
Territory of the Qara Khitai ("Western Liao") and main neighbouring polities, circa 1160 | |||||||||||||||||||
Qara Khitai c. 1160 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Sinicized Khitan-ruled empire in Central Asia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Balasagun | ||||||||||||||||||
| Common languages |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Kara Khitan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||||||||||||
• 1124–1143 | Emperor Dezong | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1144–1150 | Empress Gantian (regent) | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1150–1164 | Emperor Renzong | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1164–1178 | Empress Dowager Chengtian (regent) | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1178–1211 | Yelü Zhilugu | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1211–1218 | Kuchlug | ||||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||||
• Yelü Dashi proclaims himself king | 1124 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Fall of Liao dynasty | 1125 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1132 | |||||||||||||||||||
• Yelü Dashi captures Balasagun and establishes capital | 1134 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Kuchlug usurps power | 1211 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Kuchlug executed by Mongols | 1218 | ||||||||||||||||||
• All former territories fully absorbed into Mongol Empire | 1220 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1130 est. | 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1210 est. | 1,500,000 km2 (580,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Currency | cash coins | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
The Qara Khitai, or Kara Khitai (simplified Chinese: 哈剌契丹; traditional Chinese: 喀喇契丹; pinyin: Kālā Qìdān or Chinese: 黑契丹; pinyin: Hēi Qìdān; lit. 'Black Khitan'), also known as the Western Liao (Chinese: 西遼; pinyin: Xī Liáo), officially the Great Liao (Chinese: 大遼; pinyin: Dà Liáo), was a dynastic regime based in Central Asia ruled by the Yelü clan of the Khitan people. Being a rump state of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty, Western Liao was culturally Sinicized to a large extent, especially among the elites consisting of Liao refugees.
The dynasty was founded by Yelü Dashi (Emperor Dezong), who led the remnants of the Liao dynasty from Manchuria to Central Asia after fleeing from the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty conquest of northern China. The empire was usurped by the Naimans under Kuchlug in 1211; traditional Chinese, Persian, and Arab sources consider the usurpation to be the end of the dynasty, even though the empire would not fall until the Mongol conquest in 1218. Some remnants of the Qara Khitai would form the Qutlugh-Khanid dynasty in southern Iran.
The territories of the Qara Khitai corresponded to parts of modern-day China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Anushtegin dynasty, the Karluks, Qocho kingdom, the Kankalis, and the Kara-Khanid Khanate were vassal states of the Qara Khitai at some point in history. Chinese and Muslim historiographical sources, such as the History of Liao, considered the Qara Khitai to be a legitimate Chinese dynasty.