This is a timeline of the history of the Khitans. The Khitans were a nomadic people in Northeast Asia related to the Xianbei. Following the collapse of the Tang dynasty, they established the Liao dynasty in 916, encompassing parts of modern-day China, Mongolia, North Korea, and Russia. The Liao dynasty was eventually conquered by the Jin dynasty in 1125. Remnants of the Liao court led by Yelü Dashi fled westward to Central Asia where they established the Western Liao dynasty. In 1211, the Western Liao throne was usurped by a Naiman called Kuchlug. In 1218, the Mongol Empire defeated and conquered the Western Liao dynasty.
4th century Year Date Event 388 The Kumo Xi are defeated by the Northern Wei. As a result, the Khitans split from the Kumo Xi and emerge as a recognizable group of people around the Songmo region in modern Heshigten Banner and Ongniud Banner; at some point they migrate to the east of Daling River in modern Beipiao, Fuxin, and Zhangwu County
6th century Year Date Event 553 Khitans raid Northern Qi, who retaliate dealing devastating losses to the Khitans 585 Khitans move to the area between the Laoha River and Liao River
7th century Year Date Event 605 Yami Qaghan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate attacks the Khitans on behalf of the Sui dynasty 618 Dahe Duoluo comes to power 619 Khitans led by Sun Aocao, great-grandfather of Sun Wanrong, submit to the Tang dynasty 627 Dahe Mohui succeeds Dahe Duoluo 628 Khitans led by Dahe Mohui submit to the Tang dynasty as vassals 644 Dahe Kuge succeeds Dahe Mohui 648 Khitans submit to the Tang dynasty as vassals 653 Abugu succeeds Dahe Kuge 654 Mohe and Goguryeo attack the Khitans 660 Tang dynasty attacks the Khitans and captures their leader Abugu at Songmo; Abugu is sent to Luoyang; 675 Dahe Jinzhong comes to power 696 Li Jinzhong (Mushang Khan) of the Khitans along with his brother-in-law Sun Wanrong revolt against Tang hegemony and attack Hebei; Li dies soon after and Sun succeeds him 697 Tang dynasty and Qapaghan Qaghan of the Second Turkic Khaganate defeat Sun Wanrong and Khitans become vassals of the Turks; Dahe Shihuo succeeds Sun Wanrong
8th century Year Date Event 716 Khitans break alliance with the Turks and ally with Tang 717 Dahe Suogu succeeds Dahe Shihuo 720 Ketuyu attacks Suogu and Suogu flees to the governor-general of Ying Prefecture, who sends 500 Tang soldiers to back Suogu but is defeated Dahe Yugan succeeds Dahe Suogu 724 Dahe Tugan succeeds Dahe Yugan 725 Dahe Shaogu succeeds Dahe Tugan, who fled to the Tang dynasty in fear of Ketuyu 730 Ketuyu of the Khitans attacks Tang Julü succeeds Dahe Shaogu 732 Tang forces inflict heavy casualties on the Khitans and Kumo Xi 733 A Tang-Kumo Xi army attacks a Turk-Khitan army 734 Zhang Shougui defeats Khitan forces in Youzhou (Hebei) 735 Guozhe murders Ketuyu and succeeds Julü 736 An Lushan attacks the Khitans but is defeated 740 An Lushan attacks the Khitans 745 Two Khitan tribes revolt and are defeated by An Lushan 746 Kailuo succeeds Guozhe 750 Chinese cultural dominance in Liaoning disappears and is replaced by Khitan culture 752 An Lushan attacks the Khitans 778 Su Khagan succeeds Kailuo 795 60,000 Kumo Xi raid the Tang dynasty and are defeated by Liu Ji
9th century Year Date Event 800 Bala Khagan succeeds Su Khagan 820 Zhaogu Khagan succeeds Bala Khagan 830 Kumo Xi raid Youzhou and are defeated by Li Zaiyi 842 Qushu succeeds Zhaogu Khagan 847 The Kumo Xi rebel against the Tang dynasty and are defeated by Zhang Zhongwu 860 Xi'er succeeds Qushu 882 Qinde succeeds Xi'er 890 The Khitans drive the Kyrgyz away from the Orkhon Valley
10th century
900s Year Date Event 901 Abaoji is elected leader of the Yila tribe 903 Abaoji becomes Yuyue, commander of all the Khitan nation's military forces 905 Abaoji secures an alliance with Li Keyong in Datong 907 27 February Khitan chieftain Abaoji becomes khagan of the Khitans 908 Abaoji attacks the Shiwei
910s Year Date Event 910 Abaoji subdues a rebellion by the Kumo Xi 912 Abaoji attacks the Zubu 915 Abaoji attacks the Khongirad 916 Abaoji declares himself emperor of the Khitans and force Goryeo and Silla to pay tribute 917 Wuyue offers the Khitans naphtha but they refuse 918 Khitans relocate their capital to Shangjing, the Supreme Capital 919 Khitans subdue the Khongirad
920s Year Date Event 922 Abaoji raids Jin 923 Abaoji raids Later Tang 924 Abaoji conquers the Tartars 926 Khitans conquer Balhae and set up the puppet kingdom of Dongdan 6 September Abaoji dies and his son Yelü Bei withdraws his claim to the throne, and the second son Yelü Deguang becomes Emperor Taizong of Liao 928 Khongirad rebels in the north 929 Emperor Taizong of Liao orders the relocation of the Dongdan Kingdom and its people to the Eastern Capital in modern Liaoyang
930s Year Date Event 930 Yelü Bei flees to Later Tang 933 Khitans attack the Tanguts 936 28 November Khitans install Shi Jingtang as emperor of the Later Jin. In return Shi transfers 16 prefectures in Shanxi and Hebei to the Liao. 937 Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin kills Yelü Bei
940s Year Date Event 947 The Khitan state is named the Liao dynasty Liao dynasty invades Later Jin and sacks Xiang Prefecture, killing most of its population 15 May Emperor Taizong of Liao dies and the son of Yelü Bei, Yelü Ruan, succeeds him as Emperor Shizong of Liao
950s Year Date Event 951 7 October Emperor Shizong of Liao is murdered by a relative and is succeeded by Yelü Jing, son of Emperor Taizong of Liao, who becomes Emperor Muzong of Liao 952 Liao dynasty assists Northern Han in repelling Later Zhou 954 Liao dynasty assists Northern Han in repelling Later Zhou 959 Later Zhou invades the Liao dynasty but retreats after their emperor dies
960s Year Date Event 960 February Zhao Kuangyin declares himself Emperor Taizu of Song, replacing Later Zhou 963 Minor skirmishes occur along the Liao dynasty and Song dynasty borders 964 Liao dynasty assists Northern Han in repelling Song dynasty 965 Khongirad and Shiwei tribes rebel 967 Minor skirmishes occur along the Liao dynasty and Song dynasty border 969 12 March Emperor Muzong of Liao is murdered by his attendants and is succeeded by Yelü Xian, son of Emperor Shizong of Liao, who becomes Emperor Jingzong of Liao
970s Year Date Event 973 Jurchens raid Liao dynasty 975 Liao dynasty attacks Jeongan but fails 976 Liao dynasty assists Northern Han in repelling Song dynasty Jurchens raid Liao dynasty 977 Liao dynasty assists Northern Han in repelling Song dynasty An examination hall is built in Southern Capital 979 Liao dynasty attempts to assist Northern Han in repelling Song dynasty but is intercepted en route and demolished Battle of Gaoliang River: Song dynasty invades Liao dynasty and is defeated
980s Year Date Event 980 Emperor Jingzong of Liao invades the Song dynasty and retakes territory in Hebei 982 Emperor Jingzong of Liao invades the Song dynasty but is defeated 13 October Emperor Jingzong of Liao dies and his son Yelü Longxu succeeds him as Emperor Shengzong of Liao; Empress Xiao Yanyan becomes regent 983 The Liao dynasty reverts to calling itself the Khitans 986 Song dynasty attacks the Khitans but is defeated 988 Khitans begin holding regular imperial examinations
990s Year Date Event 992 Khitans attack the Tanguts 993 First conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War: Khitans invade Goryeo and acquire nominal tributary status over Goryeo 997 Zubu tribes rebel 998 Khitans invade the Song dynasty
11th century
1000s Year Date Event 1000 Khitan forces retreat from the Song dynasty after failing to take key cities 1001 Khitans attack the Song dynasty but are repulsed 1003 Khitans invade the Song dynasty and retreat without making permanent gains 1004 Emperor Shengzong of Liao conducts a full-scale invasion of the Song dynasty which ends in stalemate and the Chanyuan Treaty, an agreement to an annual payment of silk and silver from the Song to the Khitans 1006 The Kumo Xi are assimilated into the Khitan nation 1007 Zubu tribes rebel 1009 Empress Xiao Yanyan dies
1010s Year Date Event 1010 Second conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War: Mokjong of Goryeo is murdered by Kang Cho and the Khitans send an expedition to punish him; Kang Cho is killed 1012 Zubu tribes rebel 1018 Third conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War: Khitans invade Goryeo but are defeated 1019 Third conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War: Khitans prepares another army to attack Goryeo
1020s Year Date Event 1020 Hyeonjong of Goryeo sends envoys to pay tribute to the Khitans 1027 Khitans attack the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom but are repelled and then ambushed by Zubu tribes 1029 Da Yanlin, a distant relative of the defunct Balhae regime, rebels; he is defeated
1030s Year Date Event 1031 25 June Emperor Shengzong of Liao dies and his son Yelü Zongzhen succeeds him as Emperor Xingzong of Liao; Xiao Noujin becomes regent 1034 Xiao Noujin attempts to dethrone Emperor Xingzong of Liao but fails and is banished 1038 10 November Li Yuanhao declares himself Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia 1039 Xiao Noujin returns to the capital
1040s Year Date Event 1042 Khitans force the Song dynasty to increase annual tribute to 200,000 taels of silver and 300,000 bolts of silk 1044 Khitans attack the Western Xia but fail 1049 Khitans attack Western Xia but are repelled
1050s Year Date Event 1050 Khitans attack Western Xia and extract tribute 1055 28 August Emperor Xingzong of Liao dies and is succeeded by his son Yelü Hongji, who becomes Emperor Daozong of Liao All officials are required to wear Chinese court dress 1056 The Pagoda of Fogong Temple is completed 1059 Institutes of higher learning are established in the capitals and prefectural and county schools are established
1060s Year Date Event 1063 A group of Khitan dissidents ambush Emperor Daozong of Liao but are defeated 1066 Khitans revert to calling their state the Liao dynasty 1069 Zubu tribes rebel
1070s Year Date Event 1076 Trade of gunpowder ingredients with the Liao dynasty and Western Xia is outlawed by the Song dynasty 1082 Unusually heavy snowfall kills 70 percent of livestock and horses
1080s Year Date Event 1085 The Shilu, the Veritable Records, are produced
1090s Year Date Event 1093 Mogusi of the Zubu and the Dilie tribes of western Heilongjiang raid the Liao dynasty
12th century 1100s Year Date Event 1100 Mogusi of the Zubu is captured and hacked to pieces at the capital The Tianning Temple (Beijing) is completed 1101 12 February Emperor Daozong of Liao dies and his grandson Yelü Yanxi succeeds him as Emperor Tianzuo of Liao 1102 The Zubu and Dilie tribes are pacified
1110s Year Date Event 1114 The Jurchens under Wanyan Aguda attack the Liao dynasty 1115 Wanyan Aguda declares himself emperor of the Jin dynasty Yelü Zhangnu rebels and is defeated 1116 Gao Yongchang rebels in the east and asks the Jurchens for help and ends up getting annexed by the Jin dynasty 1117 Emperor Taizu of Jin defeats the Khitan army of the Liao dynasty 1118 Zubu tribes rebel against the Liao dynasty and Liao territory suffers from famine Emperor Taizu of Jin captures the Liao dynasty's Eastern Capital
1120s