The Song Dynasty began in 960 and ended in 1279. The founders of the Song Dynasty reunified a China that had been in political turmoil since the fall of the Tang Dynasty. This period came to an end in 1279 as a result of the invasion of the Mongol Empire on China. This began the Yuan Dynasty, which was ruled by the Mongols, and lasted until 1368.
Northern and Southern Song History
The Song Dynasty was divided into two main periods: Northern Song (960-1127) and Southern Song (1127-1279). The Northern Song era began when Emperor Taizu reunified China in 960. Taizu established a strong centralized government, promoted civil service examinations, and sponsored economic and technological developments. It took Taizu and his government less than 20 years to reunify China by conquering the small independent kingdoms that made up the country. This was an amazing feat considering the size of China.
The Northern Song capital was located in what is today's Kaifeng. At this time, the Khitan Empire (also knows as the Liao Dynasty) ruled a large area north of Song territory. The Northern Song government and the Khiten Empire had poor relations, and although the Song government tried to conquer the Khiten Empire several times, it was never successful in its efforts.
The Khiten Empire was eventually destroyed by the Jurchen people, who founded the Jin Dynasty in 1115. The Jurchens continued their quest for power and fought against Song China. The Jurchens were successful in their efforts, and captured the Northern capital of Kaifeng in 1127. As a result, the remaining Song powers were forced to retreat south to their new capital at modern-day Hangzhou.
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