Rouran (Chinese: 柔然; pinyin: Róurán; literally "soft-like"; Wade-Giles: Jou-jan), Ruanruan/Ruru (Chinese: 蠕蠕/茹茹; pinyin: Ruǎnruǎn/Rúrú; literally "wriggling insects/fodder") also known as Tan Tan^[1] (Chinese: 檀檀; pinyin: Tántán; literally "Tartar") was the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of China Proper from the late 4th century until the late 6th century. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Wade-Giles (ˌweɪdˈʤaɪlz) sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization system (phonetic notation and Transcription) for the Mandarin Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that China proper (also known as Inner China) refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority Ethnic group, in contrast As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. It has sometimes been hypothesized that the Rouran are identical to the Eurasian Avars who later appeared in Europe. The Caucasian Avars are a modern people of Caucasus, mainly of Dagestan. The term Rouran is a Mandarin Chinese transcription of the pronunciation of the name the confederacy used to refer to itself. Ruanruan and Ruru remained in modern usage despite once being derogatory. They derived from orders given by the Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, who waged war against the Rouran and intended to intimidate the confederacy. Early life Tuoba Tao was born in 408 while his father Tuoba Si was still the Prince of Qi under his grandfather Emperor Daowu, without having officially been The Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏 Pinyin: běi wèi 386 - 534) also known as the Tuoba Wei (拓拔魏 Later Wei (後魏 or the power of the Rouran was broken by an alliance of Göktürks, the Chinese Northern Qi and Northern Zhou dynasties and tribes in Central Asia in 552. Göktürks ( Turkish: Gök Türkler) were a Turkic people of ancient Central Asia. The Northern Qi Dynasty (Chinese 北齊 Běiqí was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577. The Northern Zhou Dynasty (Chinese北周 followed the Western Wei, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. Events By Place Europe Battle of Asfeld: Longobards under king Audoin defeat the Gepids.

Origin and expansion

Asia in 500AD, showing the Juan-Juan Empire and its neighbors.

The Rouran were supposedly proto-Mongolic people who were first noted as having defeated the Gaoche and establishing an empire extending all the way to the Hulun, at the eastern Inner Mongolia. The Mongolic languages are a group of languages spoken in Central Asia. The Dingling (丁零 or Gaoche (高車 Chile (敕勒, Tiele (鐵勒 were an ancient Siberian people For the city see Hailar Hulun was the original Manchu and Tungus name for the territory between the Stanovoi mountains Inner Mongolia ( Mongolian:, Öbür mongɣul; occasionally romanized to Nei Mongol is the Mongol To the west of the Rouran was a horde known in the west as the Hephthalites who originally, until the 5th century, were a vassal horde of the Rouran. The Hephthalites or White Huns were a Central Asian Nomadic confederation whose precise origins and composition remain obscure The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. The Rouran controlled the area of Mongolia from the Manchurian border to Turpan and, perhaps, the east coast of Lake Balkhash, and from the Orkhon River to the China Proper. Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Manchuria ( Romanized Manchu: Manju,, Маньчжурия Mongolian: Манж is a historical name given to a vast geographic region in northeast Turfan Prefecture ( simplified Chinese: 吐鲁番地区 Pinyin: Tulufán Dìqū تۇرپان ۋىلايىتى|Turpan Wilayiti|Turpan Vilayiti is located in Lake Balqash ( Kazakh: kk Балқаш Көлі, also Balkhash from the Russian ru Озеро Балхаш) is a Lake in southeastern The Orkhon River (Орхон гол Orkhon gol) is a River in Mongolia. China proper (also known as Inner China) refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority Ethnic group, in contrast Their ancestor Mugulu is said to have been originally a slave of the Toba tribes, situated at the north banks of Yellow River Bend. Tuoba (拓拔 Pinyin Tuòbá or T'o-pa in Wade-Giles was a Clan of the Xianbei people in the early centuries of the 1st millennium The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho ( Hatan Gol Queen river) is the second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the Mugulu's descendant Shelun is said to be the first chieftain who was able to unify the Rouran tribes and to found the power of the Rouran by defeating the Gaoche and Xianbei. Yujiulü Shelun (郁久閭社崙 Pinyin: Yùjiǔlǘ Shèlún (B The Xianbei ( were a significant nomadic people residing in Manchuria and eastern Mongolia, or Xianbei Shan. Shelun was also the first of the steppe peoples to adopt the title of khagan (可汗) in 402, originally a title of Xianbei nobility. For other titles related to and uses of Khan, see that article Origin The title Events By Place Western Roman Empire Stilicho recalls troops from the frontiers of the Roman Empire to

The Rouran and the Hephthalites had a falling out and problems within their confederation were encouraged by Chinese agents. In 508, the Gaoche, then operating under the name Tiele, defeated the Rouran in battle. Events By Place Europe Clovis I establishes Paris ( Lutetia) as his capital In 516, the Rouran defeated the Tiele. Events By Place Europe Sigismund, son of Gundobad becomes king of Burgundy. The Dingling (丁零 or Gaoche (高車 Chile (敕勒, Tiele (鐵勒 were an ancient Siberian people Within the Rouran confederation was a Turkic tribe noted in Chinese annals as the Tujue. Göktürks ( Turkish: Gök Türkler) were a Turkic people of ancient Central Asia. After a marriage proposal to the Rouran was rebuffed, the Tujue joined with the Western Wei, successor state to the Northern Wei, and revolted against the Rouran. The Western Wèi Dynasty (Chinese西魏 followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 535 to 556. In 555, they beheaded 3,000 Rouran. Events By Place Byzantine Empire An Earthquake devastates Latakia. European history books commonly claim that the Rouran then fled west across the steppes and became the Avars, though this is probably a mistake. The remainder of the Rouran fled into China, were absorbed into the border guards, and disappeared forever as an entity. The last Rouran khagan fled to the court of Western Wei, but at the demand of Tujue, Western Wei executed him and the nobles that accompanied him.

Little is known of the Rouran ruling elite, which the Book of Wei cited as an offshoot of the Xianbei. The Book of Wei ( is a classic Chinese historical writing compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and serves as an important historical The Rouran subdued modern regions of Xinjiang, Mongolia, Central Asia and parts of Siberia and Manchuria from the late 4th century. Xinjiang ( Uyghur: شىنجاڭ Shinjang;; Postal map spelling: Sinkiang; Turkish: Sincan, Sincan Uygur Özerk Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century Their frequent interventions and invasions profoundly affected neighboring countries. Though they admitted the Ashina of Göktürks into their federation, the power of the Rouran was broken by an alliance of Göktürks, the Chinese Northern Qi and Northern Zhou dynasties and tribes in Central Asia in 552. Ashina ( Asen, Asena, etc was a tribe and the ruling dynasty of the ancient Turks who rose to prominence in the mid- 6th century when their leader Göktürks ( Turkish: Gök Türkler) were a Turkic people of ancient Central Asia. The Northern Qi Dynasty (Chinese 北齊 Běiqí was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577. The Northern Zhou Dynasty (Chinese北周 followed the Western Wei, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. Events By Place Europe Battle of Asfeld: Longobards under king Audoin defeat the Gepids. The Northern Wei, for instance, established the Six Garrisons bordering the Rouran, which later became the foci of several major mutinies in the early 6th century. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. nb

Qaghans of the Rouran

Sources

• Map of their empire
• Definition
• information about the Rouran
• Kradin, Nikolay. Nikolay Nikolaevich Kradin (born in Onokhoy Buryatia USSR on April 17 1962 is a Russian Anthropologist and Archaeologist. "From Tribal Confederation to Empire: the Evolution of the Rouran Society". Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Vol. 58, No 2 (2005): 149-169.

See also

• Battle of Ikh Bayan