A study of historical development of the Khitan (916-1125) = 契丹(916-1125)水軍發展史研究

Abstract

Due to the influence of the concept "the navy from the south and the cavalry from the north", the navy of the Liao Dynasty (907-1125) did not receive the attention it deserved in the past. Recently, several related research with fruitful results have been launched and the existing gaps have been filled up. However, these fragmented studies of the Khitan Navy are lacking in coherent discussion. As the result, the existing studies are unable to understand the establishment of , the development of, and the restrictions being faced by the Khitan Navy. Thus, this dissertation mainly discusses the development of the Khitan navy with five parts: The first is the chapter “Introduction”. It intends to give a general introduction of the historical background. Besides, it provides a literature review on studying Khitan history, from the Liao Dynasty to the present. It also focuses on reviewing the studies of Khitan military system since 1911, thereby revealing the current research on the development of the Khitan navy has not been paid enough attention to. The second is the chapter "Research Perspective: The Relationship between the Army and Society". Under the perspective of military sociology, this part discusses the interactive relationship between military and society, as well as the development and limitations of the Khitan navy. The third is the chapters of "The Relationship between Zhang Zangying (894-962) and the Khitan Navy" and "The Rise of the "Jiangnan Navy" and the Khitan Water Combat Force". These two chapters attempt to clarify the establishment of the Khitan Navy and discuss its relationship with the development of the political situation under the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The fourth is the chapters of "The Characteristics of the Naval Garrisons" and "Comprehensive Analysis". These two chapters intend to make a historical and human geographical analysis by understanding the locations, the local histories, the administrative divisions and the ethnicities of four Khitan naval garrisons. The fifth is the chapter "The Conclusion". It makes a conclusion on the interactive relationship between Khitan navy and it’s cultural background, and finally points out that the development of the Khitan navy is related to the background of the Khitan society and the changing of the political situation.