Liu Min

Liu Min (劉旻) (895 - 954), also known as Liu Chong, was the founder of the Northern Han kingdom of China’s Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, traditionally dated from 907 to 960. Liu was a Shatuo Turk.

Formation of the Northern Han

Liu Min was the brother of Liu Zhiyuan, the founder of the Later Han Dynasty, which was the last of three successive Shatuo Turk dynasty. The Later Han Dynasty fell in 950 with the rise of the Later Zhou Dynasty. Liu Min declared himself the legitimate successor of the Later Han Dynasty, and formed the Northern Han (sometimes called Eastern Han) kingdom in Shanxi, the traditional power base of the Shatuo Turks.

Relations with neighbors

The kingdom was wedged between its two larger, more powerful neighbors, the Later Liang Dynasty to the south, and the Khitan Liao Dynasty to the north. Liu Min restored traditional ties with the Khitans, who served as protectors to the Northern Han Kingdom, allowing it to last later than any of the other kingdoms traditionally listed as one of the Ten Kingdoms

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