Xianbei Confederation

Overview

The Xianbei were an ancient nomadic people in northern East Asia who developed a distinct cultural and political identity by the 1st century BC. They inhabited regions spanning parts of present-day northeastern China, Inner Mongolia, and the eastern Eurasian steppe. Several Xianbei groups formed ruling regimes, with early political center around present-day Datong in Shanxi. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multilingual, multi-ethnic confederation consisting of mainly Proto-Mongols, 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 3rd 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 1st 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.

Wikipedia: Xianbei·CC BY-SA 4.0

Borders & accuracy

A pastoralist or hunter-gatherer range whose extent shifted constantly with seasons and alliances.

• SOURCEhand-crafted from scholarly atlases
• DETAILhand-crafted-from-atlases
• SNAPSHOT175 CE
• MATCHEDXianbei under Tanshihuai (peak)
• POLITY TYPEnomadic-range

Deeper Manchurian extent than Xiongnu; Hexi only loosely held.

Also during this period

No conflict record yet names this polity as a belligerent; these overlap its dates only.

• Three Kingdoms Wars184–280 CE
  World-changing · 36M dead
• Three Kingdoms Period (China)220–280 CE
  World-changing · 20M dead
• Three Kingdoms Period Wars220–280 CE
  Major conflict · 20M dead
• Yellow Turban Rebellion184–205 CE
  Major conflict · 2.0M dead
• Jewish-Roman Wars66–135 CE
  Major conflict · 600K dead
• Roman-Parthian Wars53 BCE–217 CE
  Major conflict · 500K dead