Chanyuan Treaty facts for kids
The Chanyuan Treaty was a very important agreement signed in 1005. It was made between two big powers in ancient China: the Northern Song dynasty and the Liao dynasty. This treaty was a major turning point in Chinese history. It brought almost a hundred years of peace between these two powerful groups. This peace lasted until the early 1100s. The way this treaty set up peace was so successful that other countries in East Asia copied it for a long time.
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Why Song and Liao Fought
When the Song dynasty started in 960, they got along okay with the Liao. The Song had other things to do, like taking over smaller kingdoms in the south. After they unified the south in 979, the Song leaders looked north. They wanted to take back land from the Liao.
One big problem was the Sixteen Prefectures. This area included what is now Beijing. The Song wanted this land back because it was very important for defense. The Song also destroyed a kingdom called the Northern Han. This kingdom was protected by the Liao, which caused more tension.
The Song tried to attack the Liao in 979 but lost badly. They tried again in 986, thinking the Liao had a young emperor. But the Liao won all the battles. After these defeats, the two sides started talking again. Things got worse in 999 when the Liao emperor, Emperor Shengzong, started attacking the Song every year. These attacks won battles but didn't change much until 1004.
The Liao Invasion of 1004
In the summer of 1004, Emperor Shengzong of Liao led a huge army himself. He brought his cavalry (soldiers on horseback) close to the Song capital, Kaifeng. The Song emperor, Emperor Zhenzong, was worried. He finally agreed to march north to meet the Liao army at a place called Chanyuan.
Chanyuan was important because it was the first big city across the Yellow River. Emperor Zhenzong thought crossing the river would make his soldiers feel brave. The Song leaders were very concerned for the emperor's safety. The Liao forces were making big advances. To protect Chanyuan, the Song general Kou Zhun set up defenses. But these defenses were already weak from heavy fighting. Many soldiers and generals had been lost. When Emperor Zhenzong arrived, it greatly boosted the Song troops' spirits.
In January 1005, a Song giant crossbow killed a key Liao leader named Xiao Dalin. This made the Liao army lose hope and weakened their attack.
Making Peace: The Chanyuan Treaty
From January 13 to 18, 1005, the two sides worked out a peace treaty. Some people say it was in 1004 because of the Chinese calendar. The Liao first wanted some land, but they gave up that demand.
The treaty had several important rules:
- The Song dynasty would give the Liao dynasty a yearly payment. This payment was 200,000 bolts of raw silk and 100,000 taels of silver. (A "bolt" is a roll of fabric, and a "tael" is a unit of weight for silver).
- These payments would be delivered to a specific place.
- Both sides agreed to respect the current borders.
- Neither side would help robbers or bandits who ran away from the other side.
- They would not allow farming in disputed border areas.
- Existing forts and walls could stay, but no new ones could be built.
- Neither side would ask for anything else outside of this treaty.
After the treaty, the two imperial families treated each other as equals. For example, the Liao Emperor called the Song Emperor "elder brother." The Song Emperor called the Liao Empress Dowager "aunt."
Even though the Song seemed to get a good deal, some Song leaders didn't like the treaty. But this agreement stopped any more big wars between the two states.
Wang Jizhong's Role
Wang Jizhong was a man from Kaifeng who was captured by the Liao in 1003. The Liao emperor gave him an official job. Wang used his position to talk to the Liao leaders about making peace with the Song. The Liao Empress Dowager, who was really in charge, was tired of war. She listened to Wang.
With her approval, Wang sent a message to the Song emperor. He said the Liao wanted friendly relations again. So, Wang helped start the first peace talks. He knew what both sides wanted. He even convinced the Liao empress to give up her demands for land. This was a big reason why the Chanyuan Treaty was signed.
Why the Treaty Was Important
The Chanyuan Treaty was the first time the Song dynasty had to accept another power as their equal. The Song thought they were the only true rulers of China. This equal relationship lasted until 1125. That's when the Song broke the treaty by asking the Jurchens (another group) to attack the Liao. This attack ended both the Liao dynasty and the Northern Song dynasty.
The treaty helped the Liao dynasty a lot financially. The yearly payments from the Song helped them build their capital city. Peace also let the Liao focus on their own country and trade with others. These payments helped them create a big international trade network.
For the Song, the treaty secured their land. The yearly payments were much less expensive than fighting a war. Now that the war was over, the Song could focus on other things, like diplomacy and their economy. They saved a lot of money by not having to spend so much on their military.
After the Treaty
The Chanyuan Treaty became a model for how the Song dealt with other states, like the Western Xia and the Jin dynasty. Later, the Western Xia attacked the Song. Because of this, the Song had to increase their yearly payments to the Liao. They paid 300,000 bolts of silk and 200,000 ounces of silver.
There were a few times when the peace was threatened. In 1042, the Liao threatened to attack to get more payments. In 1076, the Song gave the Liao some small pieces of land. This was against the original treaty rules.
The records of the treaty from the Liao and Song sides don't perfectly match. This shows that both sides wanted to keep their dignity. For the first time in Chinese history, there were two "Sons of Heaven" (rulers recognized by heaven) who accepted each other.
See also
- List of treaties
