First Era of Northern Domination facts for kids

Quick facts for kids First Era of Northern Domination Bắc thuộc lần thứ nhất 北屬吝次一
111 BC–40 AD
Map of the Han dynasty under Emperor Wu of Han
Status	Commanderies of the Western Han dynasty, Xin dynasty, Eastern Han dynasty
Capital	Long Biên
Government	Monarchy
Emperor
• 111–87 BC	Emperor Wu of Han (first)
• 87–74 BC	Emperor Zhao of Han
• 40 AD	Emperor Guangwu of Han (last)
History
• Han-Nam Việt War	111 BC
• Establishment of Jiaozhi province	111 BC
• Trưng sisters Uprising	40 AD
Currency	Cash coins
Preceded by Succeeded by Nanyue Trưng sisters Second Era of Northern Domination
Today part of	Vietnam China

The First Era of Northern Domination was a time in Vietnamese history. During this period, the northern part of what is now Vietnam was ruled by the Han dynasty and the Xin dynasty. It was known as Jiaozhi province and later Jiaozhou province. This era is seen as the first of four times that China ruled over Vietnam. It was also the first of three almost continuous periods called Bắc thuộc, meaning "Northern Domination."

In 111 BC, the powerful Han dynasty conquered a kingdom called Nanyue. This happened as the Han empire expanded south. They took control of what is now northern Vietnam. They also took parts of modern Guangdong and Guangxi in China. These lands became part of the growing Han empire.

Background

The Yue People

Historians from the Han dynasty did not write much about the daily lives or cultures of the Yue people. Most of what we know is about their political roles. This is because the Han court mostly interacted with them through trade and colonization.

The term "Yue" was used by outsiders to describe these people. The Yue people themselves might not have used this name. There wasn't one single "Yue" culture. Instead, the term covered many different groups. These groups lived across what is now southern China and northern Vietnam. They were called the "Hundred Yue" to show there were many different tribes.

Qin Empire's Expansion

After the Qin dynasty defeated the state of Chu in 223 BC, they turned their attention south. In 221 BC, the Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huang, launched a military campaign. He wanted to conquer the Baiyue territories in Lingnan. This area includes parts of southern China and northern Vietnam today.

The emperor sent a huge army of 500,000 soldiers south. Their goal was to conquer and add the Yue lands to the Qin empire. By 214 BC, Guangdong, Guangxi, and parts of northern Vietnam were under Qin control. However, Qin rule was short. When the Qin dynasty fell, the Yue tribes became independent again.

Rise of Nanyue Kingdom

After the Qin dynasty collapsed, a Qin general named Zhao Tuo saw his chance. He took advantage of the weak political situation in the south. He set up his own kingdom called Nanyue. Nanyue's main city was Panyu, which is modern-day Guangzhou. It stretched from present-day Vietnam to modern-day Hunan.

In 179 BC, Zhao Tuo conquered the Vietnamese state of Âu Lạc. Even though he was from the North, Zhao Tuo became part of the Yue culture. He married a Yue woman and included local people in his army. He even fought off later Han invasions to protect his kingdom. Some historians see him as a defender of Vietnam. They don't see him as a foreign conqueror. The importance of his rule, known as the Triệu dynasty, is still debated by Vietnamese historians. Zhao Tuo wanted to expand his territory further south, into the Red River Delta region.

Zhao Tuo brought Han culture with him to Nanyue. This led to a mix of Han and Yue styles in music, crafts, and designs. Objects found from the Nanyue Kingdom show this cultural blend. This was especially true in the tomb of Zhao Mo, which showed off Han grandeur. Other Han people also moved south and influenced Yue culture. Even though Nanyue was independent, Han Chinese influences were still strong. Nanyue often sent gifts to the Han government. This led to constant interactions between the two regions. The leaders of Nanyue were a mix of Han Chinese and former Yue leaders. They blended their cultures over time. This mix helped them later during the Han conquest of Nanyue. They could act as a link between the Yue tribes and the Han Chinese.

One reason for this cultural mix was that there were no clear borders. Chinese farmers moved south because the climate was better for growing crops. As they crossed the border, they met the Yue people and their cultures. This unclear border meant Chinese and Yue cultures influenced each other more and more. This eventually led to Chinese dynasties trying to conquer the Yue lands.

History

Han Conquest of Nanyue

In 196 BC, Emperor Gaozu sent a diplomat named Lu Jia to Nanyue. His goal was to officially recognize Zhao Tuo as king. However, relations between Han and Nanyue were sometimes difficult. Zhao Tuo was upset when Empress Lü banned exports of metal goods and female livestock to Nanyue. In 183 BC, he called himself the "Martial Emperor of the Southern Yue." This meant he thought he was equal to the Han emperor. Two years later, Nanyue attacked the Changsha Kingdom, which was part of the Han empire. In 180 BC, Lu Jia went to Nanyue again. He convinced Zhao Tuo to give up his emperor title. Zhao Tuo agreed to show respect to Han as a lesser ruler.

Jade burial suit of King Zhao Mo

In 135 BC, King Zhao Mo of Nanyue asked the Han court for help. He needed help against attacking Minyue forces. The Han court quickly responded. This led to Zhao Mo agreeing to send his son, Prince Zhao Yingqi, to serve in the Han palace. In 113 BC, the Queen Dowager of Nanyue suggested making Nanyue a kingdom under Han rule. She was Han Chinese herself and married to Zhao Yingqi. However, many Nanyue ministers did not like this idea. Lü Jia was the main official against it. In 112 BC, the opposition fought back violently. They executed the Queen Dowager. This act caused the Han to send a large naval force to Nanyue.

The Han military had six armies. They traveled by sea, directly south, or from Sichuan along the Xi River. In 111 BC, General Lu Bode and General Yang Pu moved towards Panyu (modern-day Guangzhou). Nanyue surrendered, and the Han empire took control of it that same year.

Trưng Sisters' Uprising

In March 40 AD, two sisters, Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị, led the Lac Viet people. They rose up in the Trưng sisters' rebellion against the Han in Jiaozhi. The rebellion started in the Red River Delta. Soon, it spread to other Yue tribes along the coast. About 65 towns and settlements supported the uprising. Trưng Trắc was eventually declared queen. She controlled the countryside but could not capture the strong, fortified towns.

In 111 BC, Emperor Han Wudi successfully conquered Nanyue and annexed it into the Han empire.

A Han general named Ma Yuan led a military campaign from 42 AD to 43 AD. This led to the Han taking back control of the region. The Trưng sisters were captured and executed. This marked the start of the Second Era of Northern Domination.

Sinicization

During the hundreds of years of Chinese rule, the newly conquered Nanyue changed. This change, called sinicization, happened in several ways. The Han brought their military power and many Chinese people moved there. These included refugees, officers, soldiers, merchants, scholars, and even prisoners. At the same time, Chinese officials wanted to use the region's natural resources and trade opportunities. Han officials also took fertile land from Vietnamese nobles. This land was then given to new Han Chinese immigrants. Han rule brought new influences to the local Vietnamese. Vietnam, as a Chinese province, became an important outpost for the Han Empire. The Han dynasty wanted to control the rich Red River Delta. This area was a good supply point and trading post for Han ships. These ships traded with kingdoms in South and Southeast Asia and even the Roman Empire. The Han dynasty relied on trade with the Nanyue. The Nanyue produced special items like bronze and pottery, ivory, and rhinoceros horns. The Han used these goods in their trade network. This network stretched from Lingnan through Yunnan to Burma and India.

For the first hundred years of Chinese rule, Vietnam was governed gently. There were no immediate changes to local ways. At first, local Vietnamese officials governed the Lac Viet people. But later, new Han Chinese officials replaced them. Han officials generally tried to have peaceful relations with the local Yue people. They focused on managing the main towns and keeping trade routes safe. However, by the first century AD, the Han dynasty tried harder to make the new territories more like China. They raised taxes and changed marriage and land inheritance rules. These changes aimed to make Vietnam a society where men held power. This would make it easier for the Han to control.

The local Luo chiefs paid high taxes to the Han officials. This helped maintain the local government and military. The Chinese strongly tried to make the Vietnamese adopt Chinese ways. This was either by force or by Chinese political control. The Han government wanted to make the Vietnamese part of their dynasty. They saw this as a "civilizing mission" to keep their empire unified.

Some Vietnamese welcomed Chinese culture. They thought it was more advanced and better. The Vietnamese adopted useful technical elements from the Chinese. However, they generally did not want to be ruled by outsiders. They wanted to keep their political freedom and regain Vietnamese independence. This showed Vietnamese resistance to Chinese control. Han Chinese officials tried to bring Chinese high culture to the Vietnamese. This included their government methods, Confucianism, education, art, literature, and language. The conquered Vietnamese had to use the Chinese writing system and respect the Chinese emperor. This was often at the cost of their own language, culture, and identity.

Administration

In 111 BC, the Han dynasty defeated the rulers who came after Zhao Tuo. They took control of Nanyue and the former Âu Lạc. After this, the area was named Jiaozhi (Giao Chỉ). The former kingdom was divided into nine commanderies. The last three are often mentioned in modern Vietnamese history books:

• Nanhai (located in Lingnan, modern central Guangdong)
• Hepu (located in Lingnan, modern southern coastal Guangxi)
• Cangwu (located in Lingnan, modern eastern Guangxi)
• Yulin (located in Lingnan, modern Guangxi)
• Zhuya (located on Hainan)
• Dan'er (located on Hainan)
• Jiaozhi (located in northern Vietnam and part of southern Guangxi)
• Jiuzhen (located in central Vietnam)
• Rinan (located in central Vietnam)

All nine districts were managed from Long Biên, near modern Hanoi. Each was ruled by a Chinese mandarin. The old system of local Vietnamese rulers, like Lac Hau and Lac Tuong, stayed the same.

Population

Here are the population numbers from 2 AD for what is now Northern Vietnam:

Governors

Governors, called taishou, and inspectors, called cishi, were the main rulers of Han dynasty commanderies. The first taishous were former commanders from Nanyue. They worked under the inspectors. Here are some recorded cishis and taishous:

• Thạch Đái (111 BC-?)
• Chu Chương — appointed by Emperor Zhao of Han
• Ích Cư Xương (? - 54 BC)
• Đặng Nhượng (鄧讓) (ruled independently during Wang Mang's time)
• Tích Quang (錫光) — taishou, appointed by Emperor Ping of Han. He made Han rule stronger in Jiaozhi.
• Nhâm Diên (壬延) — taishou of Jiuzhen, appointed by Emperor Guangwu of Han
• Tô Định (蘇定) (30-40 AD) — His harsh rule led to the Trưng sisters' rebellion.

See also

• Timeline of Vietnam under Chinese rule
• Vietnam under Chinese rule