Northern Wei

  General Description   The Northern Wei dynasty (Tuoba or Bei Wei) unified northern China during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. ^[1] Before unification under the Northern Wei, the northern region was ruled by the Sixteen Barbarian States that had risen up when the Western Jin fled to the south. ^[1] The Northern Wei conquered Northern Yan and Northern Liang to unify the north. ^[2] During Northern Wei rule, Tuoba continued to expand its territory. By 439 CE the dynasty controlled Henan, Hebei, and parts of Shaanxi, Manchuria, Gansu, and Sichuan. ^[3] At its peak the territory of the Northern Wei expanded from the Tarim Basin to the Yellow Sea, and from the northern steppe to edge of territory of the Southern dynasties. ^[1] In 500 CE, the Northern Wei territory encompassed 1.7 million square kilometers. ^[4]
The rulers of the Northern Wei belonged to the Tuoba tribe of the Xianbei northern steppe federation. ^[1] The Tuoba language was close to Turkish, and the non-Han Chinese rulers were first seen as foreign invaders. ^[3] In the late 400s the Tuoba Sinicized their customs, language, and government, and moved their capital to Luoyang. ^[5] Buddhism was upheld as a state religion for most of the Northern Wei. The Buddhist caves of Yungang and Longmen were constructed during the period. ^[1] In the early 500s, Luoyang had over one thousand monasteries and number of mansions and large palaces. ^[6]
The fall of the Northern Wei was due to a civil war caused by rebellions in garrisons in the northern frontier ^[5] The rival army factions spilt the dynasty into Eastern and Western Wei in 535 CE. ^[2]
Population and political organization
In the Northern Dynasties, nobles and landowners often had vesting holdings with dependent servants and slaves who did not pay taxes. ^[1] The Northern Wei government attempted to break up these large holdings to reduce the power of provincial nobles. The government deported over 400,000 dependent peasants to unused land near the first capital of Pingcheng. ^[3] The Northern Wei also instituted an equal-fields system in which the state owned all land and individuals were given certain allotments for life. ^[6]
In the late 400s, the Northern Wei moved the capital to Luoyang and began to create a more Chinese-style state. ^[5] The Tuoba relied on Chinese civil servants to assist with governance. ^[5]
The population of the Northern Wei dynasty was 32 million in 500 CE. ^[7] The second Wei capital of Luoyang had a population of 600,000 at its peak. ^[8]

[1]: (Theobald 2000) Theobald, U. 2000. Northern Dynasties (386-581). Accessed June 15, 2017. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/beichao.html Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GSM2F6GX

[2]: (Xiong 2009, 384) Xiong, V C. 2009. Historical Dictionary of Medieval China. Scarecrow Press, Inc., Plymouth. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/ZE3I2EQK/q/xiong.

[3]: “Wei dynasty | Chinese history [386- 534 535].” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wei-dynasty. Accessed June 15, 2017. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/B2C94XG8

[4]: (Chase-Dunn Spreadsheet)

[5]: (Holcombe 2017, 109) Holcombe, Charles. 2017. “Was Medieval China Medieval? (Post-Han to Mid-Tang)” In A Companion to Chinese History, edited by Michael Szonyi. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. 106-117. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DJMEH684

[6]: (Ebrey 1996, 91) Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. 1996. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge: CUP. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TDMBGBF8

[7]: (Graff 2002, 127)Graff, D A. 2002. Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900. Routledge. London. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/NUJQCRPA

[8]: (Graff 2002, 98)Graff, D A. 2002. Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900. Routledge. London. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/NUJQCRPA