| A universal guide for China studiesChinese History - The Sixteen Kingdoms 五胡十六國 (300~430) |
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The Sixteen Kingdoms |  period before (Jin Dynasty)-- Southern Dynasties -- Northern Wei next period (Sui)  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 |  The Chinese Li Gao 李暠 - said to be an ancestor of the founders of the great Tang Dynasty 唐 - served the Later Liang Dynasty (Houliang 後涼) as local governor, before he declared himself Duke of Liang 涼公 and area commander-in-chief (da dudu 大都督) in 400 and established his own kingdom. After some initial battles with his neighbors, the Western Liang rulers employed relatively peaceful politics. Li Gao saw himself as subject to the Jin Dynasty 晉 and tried to built up a civil administration although he had to rely on the northwestern aristocracy and large land estate owners. The large size resettlement of population was a common measure during the time of the Sixteen Kingdoms. The name of the empire Liang 涼 is derived the prefecture Liangzhou 涼州.  See also titles of rulers.Note: The rulers of the sideline dynasties are usually not called with their posthumous dynastic titles but with their personal names as they are not accepted as righteous rulers by official historiographies.
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