Northern Qi Dynasty 北きた齊ひとし (550-577)

The Northern Qi dynasty Beiqi 北きた齊ひとし (550-577) ruled over one of the successor states of the Northern Wei empire 北きた魏たかし (386-534). It belongs to the so-called Northern Dynasties 北朝ほくちょう (386~581) and was founded by Gao Yang 高だか洋よう, son of the powerful general Gao Huan 高だか歡, who dominated the court of the Eastern Wei dynasty 東あずま魏たかし (534-550). The Northern Qi empire covered the lower region of the Yellow River, modern Shanxi, the Shandong Peninsula, and the northern parts of modern Jiangsu and Anhui. The continuing military campaigns of Gao Yang expanded the territory of the Northern Qi empire towards the north and the south. The capital was Ye 鄴 (near modern Anyang 安陽あんよう, Hebei). Compared with the Northern Zhou empire 北きた周あまね (557-581) in the west and the Chen empire 陳ちん (557-589) in the south, Gao Yang ruled over a relatively wealthy country, disposing of an impressive cultivated area, salt and iron industry and a ceramical industry.
During the political disturbances of the 530es, general Gao Huan (posthumous title Emperor Shenwu 北きた齊ひとし神武じんむ帝みかど) controlled the political center of the Northern Wei dynasty. He installed Yuan Xiu 元もと修おさむ, and later Yuan Shanjian 元善もとよし見みる as the puppet emperors of the Eastern Wei empire. After his death in 547 his son Gao Yang (posthumous title Emperor Wenxuan 北きた齊ひとし文宣ふみのぶ帝みかど, r. 550-559) took over the regency for the puppet emperors and proclaimed himself emperor of Qi in 550. His dynasty is by historians called the "Northern Qi", in order to avoid confusion with the Soutern Qi 南みなみ齊ひとし (479-502) that had been founded by the house of Xiao 蕭しょう.
Gao Yang continued the conquest politics of his father and was able to defeat northern nomad tribes of the Kumoxi 庫くら莫奚, Khitan 契ちぎり丹に, and Rouran 柔やわ然しか, and also conquered parts of the Huai River 淮水 region.
Gao Yang perpetuated the equal-field system (juntianfa 均ひとし田た法ほう) invented by the Northern Wei administrators. All land within 30 li (ca. 15 kms) around the capital was state-owned common field (gongtian 公田くでん) and was distributed among the state officials and officers of the palace guard (yulin huben 羽林はばやし虎とら賁, both from the various Taɣbač tribes) that had been resettled from around the old capital Luoyang 洛陽らくよう (modern Luoyang, Henan). All land closer to the capital than 100 li was allotted to Chinese officials and officers. While these fields were distributed according to the official ranks, the fields in the rest of the country were distributed equally among the population. Yet there were some differences in the concretisation of field allotment, at least nominally, because the term beitian 倍ばい田た "double field" was not any more used, as it had been under the Northern Wei. Slaves (nubi 奴婢ぬひ) were also included in the calculation of the amount of field given to one household. The taxes, delivered in cloth and grain, were assessed according to "one bed" (i.e. one couple). Unmarried women only had to deliver half of the amount of cloth, so that a lot of persons declared themselves as not yet married.
After the death of Gao Yang, his son Gao Yin 高だか殷いん (known as the Deposed Emperor 北きた齊ひとし廢帝はいてい, r. 559-560) and Yang's brothers Gao Yan 高だか演えんじ (Emperor Xiaozhao 北きた齊ひとし孝昭たかあき帝みかど, r. 560) and Gao Zhan 高だか湛たたえ (Emperor Wucheng 北きた齊ひとし武たけ成しげる帝みかど, r. 561-564), as well as the latter's son Gao Wei 高だか緯ぬき (known as the Last Ruler 北きた齊ひとし後のち主おも, r. 564-576) neglected the business of active politics. Historiographers describe them as decadent and corrupt, as subject to pleasures that required a higher and higher tax income to be posed on the shoulders of the peasant population. High posts in the central government were only given to favourites, and local offices were only even sold to those offering sufficient money. The neighbouring state of the Northern Zhou grew stronger and was able to conquer the territory of the Northern Qi between 574 and 577. The Last Ruler abdicated after the capital had been conquered, and installed his son Gao Heng 高だか恆つね as the new ruler (known as the Infant Ruler 北きた齊ひとし幼主ようしゅ, r. 576-577). Gao Wei himself tried to escape to the court of the Chen dynasty in the south, but he was taken prisoner before he could flee.
The official dynastic history of the Northern Qi is the Beiqishu 北きた齊ひとし書しょ compiled by Li Baiyao 李り百藥ひゃくやく. Its history is also included in the official dynastic history Beishi 北きた史し written by Li Yanshou 李り延壽えんじゅ.