China –
Western Xia Dynasty (1032-1227 A.D.) Shen Zong – Emperor: 1211-1223 A.D. Bronze
Guang Ding Yuan Bao Cash Token
24mm, Struck 1211-1223
Reference: H 18.109
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Emperor Shenzong (1163–1226), born Li
Zunxu 李遵頊, was the 8th emperor of the Western
Xia (reigned 1211–1223).
Shenzong took power after a coup d’état and continued Xiangzong’s
policy of invading Jin Empire. He started many campaigns against Jin
before the Jin Emperor counterattacked, killing many Western Xia
soldiers. However, Shenzong continued to attack Jin despite the poor
economy, causing high discontent among his people complaining of high
taxes. He did not listen to those who advised peace with Jin Empire, and
Western Xia sped up its decline. He passed power onto his son Lǐ Déwàng
in 1223, and died in 1226. Family Father: Prince Zhongwu of Qi (齐国忠武王)
The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (Chinese: 西夏; pinyin: Xī Xià; Wade–Giles: Hsi1 Hsia4), officially the Great Xia (Chinese: 大夏; pinyin: Dà Xià), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as Mi-nyak to Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-ruled empire and a dynasty of China which existed from 1038 to 1227 in what are now the northwestern Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, and southwest Inner Mongolia, and southernmost Outer Mongolia, measuring about 800,000 square kilometres (310,000 square miles). Its capital was Xingqing (modern Yinchuan), until its destruction by the Mongols in 1227. Most of its written records and architecture were destroyed, so the founders and history of the empire remained obscure until 20th-century research in China and the West.
The Western Xia occupied the area around the Hexi Corridor, a stretch of the Silk Road, the most important trade route between northern China and Central Asia. They made significant achievements in literature, art, music, and architecture, which was characterized as “shining and sparkling”. Their extensive stance among the other empires of the Liao, Song, and Jin was attributable to their effective military organizations that integrated cavalry, chariots, archery, shields, artillery (cannons carried on the back of camels), and amphibious troops for combat on land and water.
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