The Study Of The Empress’s Clans And The Politics In Liao Dynasty

The empress’s clans of Liao dynasty includes the traditional clans named Baliand Yishiyi and the new clans raised with the Abaoji’s forces named Shulv andChengtian. The traditional clans faced a great challenge along with the raises of thenew empress’s clans, and gradually replaced by the new raised clans. The new clanshad been awarded the political, economic and other privileges depended on theirgreat helpful in the process of Abaoji to build a new dynasty which provides a strongfoundation for their participation in the political affairs.In different historical periods, the empress’s clans played a different role for thedevelopment of Liao dynasty. In Shulv’s period, under the help from the empress’sclans, Liao Taizu had established and consolidated the autocratic monarchy, totallychanged the political status of Liao dynasty; in Chengtian’s period, consolidated anddeepen developed the autocratic monarchy, the national power soared and reachedthe most prosperity status; but in Qinai’s period, the struggle between the empress’sclans and royal family, and the stifle between the empress’s clans leaded the wholenation to the decline and fall from the prosperity.Liao dynasty was established by the nomads, so the thought on women inpolitics and other issues are different with the central plains dynasty. The articleanalyzes the similarities and differences between the empress’s clans of Liao dynastyand empress’s clans of central plains dynasty, and from the culture level to observethe differences between the nomadic culture and the Central Plains culture.The empress’s clans married with the royal family generation by generation, theblood makes them integrated into one. They are united as one, like the teeth andmouth, so the empress’s clans support for the royal or not largely determine thedirection of development of the Liao dynasty. The empress’s clans was accompaniedwith the Liao dynasty from the stage of the establishment and development toprosperity and to declined and perished.This paper discusses the clans, offices, the political situations and the effect ofthe empress’s clans in Liao dynasty, the empress’s clans is an important andindispensable, they’re not only played a positive role but also a negative role in thewhole dynasty.