Tanshihuai (137–181) was a Xianbei chieftain who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty period of China. Under Tanshihuai the Xianbei became a unified polity and posed a constant threat to the Han dynasty's northern borders for many years. After his death, however, his state quickly fell apart as his grandsons failed to maintain the support of the tribes.
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👉 Tanshihuai in the context of Murong
The Murong (Chinese: 慕容; pinyin: Mùróng; Wade–Giles: Mu-jung; LHC: *mɑ-joŋ; EMC: *mɔ-juawŋ) or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (r. 156–181). Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the Mongol nomadic confederation in Central Asia. The Former Yan (337–370), Later Yan (384–409), Western Yan (384–394), Southern Yan (398–410) dynasties as well as Tuyuhun (285–670) were all founded by Murong peoples.
Murong is also a surname, predominantly used by people of Xianbei descent. Prominent individuals who bear the surname include the Emperors and family of Former Yan and Later Yan, Murong Ke, Murong Long, Murong Sanzang (慕容三藏), Murong Yanzhao (慕容延钊), Murong Yanchao, Murong Nong, Murong Han, Murong Chuqiang (慕容楚强), Murong Haoran (慕容浩然), and the fictional character Murong Fu (慕容復). When Han peoples during the reign of Yuwen Tai were forced to change their surnames, Murong was one of three officially mandated Xianbei surnames. This policy was reversed by Emperor Wen of Sui, but some Han people retained the Murong surname.
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Tanshihuai in the context of Xianbei
The Xianbei (/ʃjɛnˈbeɪ/; simplified Chinese: 鲜卑; traditional Chinese: 鮮卑; pinyin: Xiānbēi) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multilingual, multi-ethnic confederation consisting of mainly Proto-Mongols (who spoke either pre-Proto-Mongolic, or Para-Mongolic languages), and, to a minor degree, Tungusic and Turkic peoples. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the Wuhuan and Xianbei when they were defeated by the Xiongnu at the end of the third century BC. Following the split, the Xianbei people did not have direct contact with the Han dynasty, residing to the north of the Wuhuan. In the first century BC, the Xianbei began actively engaging in the struggle between the Han and Xiongnu, culminating in the Xianbei replacing the Xiongnu on the Mongolian Plateau.
In the mid-2nd century, the chieftain, Tanshihuai unified the Xianbei and waged war against the Han dynasty. His confederation threatened the Han's northern borders for many years, but quickly disintegrated following his death in 181 AD. After suffering several defeats by the end of the Three Kingdoms period, the Xianbei migrated southwards and settled in close proximity to Han society, submitting as vassals to the Chinese dynasties. As one of the so-called "Five Barbarians", they fought as auxiliaries for the Western Jin dynasty during the War of the Eight Princes and the Upheaval of the Five Barbarians before eventually distancing themselves and declaring their autonomy while the Jin were pushed out from northern China. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the Xianbei founded several short-lived states and established themselves on the Central Plains.