The Manchus: Where Did They Come From?

Summary

The Manchus originated from the Jurchen tribes and played a significant role in Chinese history. After the Song Dynasty's fall to the Jin Dynasty, the Mongol Yuan Dynasty succeeded, governing China as part of a vast empire. Post-Yuan, the Ming Dynasty emerged. In the late 16th century, Nurhaci unified the Jurchen tribes, established a new Jin Dynasty, and created a Manchu script, laying the groundwork for the rise of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty.

Takeaways

• 🏰 The Manchus originated from a group known as the Jurchen people.
• 🗡️ In 1114, the Song Dynasty lost its capital and northern territories to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty.
• 🌏 The Mongols established the largest territorial empire in history, which included parts of modern-day China.
• 🏛️ The Yuan Dynasty, a Mongol khanate, governed present-day China as a multi-ethnic empire.
• 🧞‍♂️ After the Mongol Yuan Dynasty's collapse in 1368, many Jurchen people returned to their homelands.
• 🔄 At the end of the 16th century, a new Jurchen power base formed around the figure of Nurhaci.
• 🔗 Nurhaci unified the three main Jurchen tribes into a political and military coalition.
• 📜 He created a written Manchu script based on a revision of the Mongolian script to unify Jurchen languages.
• 🏵️ In 1616, Nurhaci declared the foundation of a new Jin Dynasty, named after his own clan, the Aisin Gioro or Golden Clan.

Q & A

Who were the Manchus descended from?

The Manchus descended from a cluster of peoples and tribes known as the Jurchens.

In what year did the Song Dynasty lose its capital and northern territories to invaders?

The Song Dynasty lost its capital and northern territories to the Jurchen invaders in the year 1114.

Which dynasty did the Jurchen invaders establish after defeating the Song Dynasty?

The Jurchen invaders established the Jin Dynasty after defeating the Song Dynasty.

How long did the Jin Dynasty rule North China?

The Jin Dynasty ruled North China for over a century until they fell to the Mongols.

Who were the Mongols and what was their historical significance?

The Mongols were a foreign conquering army that established the most extensive territorial empire in history, stretching from the Korean peninsula to Eastern Europe and from the Russian taiga to the northern tip of the Indian subcontinent.

Which dynasty governed present-day China as part of the Mongol Empire?

Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty governed present-day China as part of the broader multi-ethnic Mongol Empire.

What happened to the Jurchens after the collapse of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty?

After the collapse of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty in 1368, many Jurchens seemed to have returned to their earlier homeland.

Who was Nerhachi and what was his significance?

Nerhachi was a Jurchen chieftain in the late 1500s who brought together the three main Jurchen tribes into a political and military coalition and is significant for his role in the formation of the Manchu state.

What did Nerhachi order to be created to help unify the Jurchen languages?

Nerhachi ordered the creation of a written Manchu script, which was based on a revision of the Mongolian script, to help unify the Jurchen languages.

In what year did Nerhachi declare the foundation of a new Jin Dynasty?

Nerhachi declared the foundation of a new Jin Dynasty in 1616.

What was the name of the new Jin Dynasty established by Nerhachi and what did it signify?

The new Jin Dynasty established by Nerhachi was named after his own clan name, the Icen Gyora or Golden Clan, signifying the Chinese word for gold.