The Kara-Khitan Khaganate

History of the Kara-Khitan Khaganate

I/ Administration

II/ Religious influences

A/Buddhism and “The three Ways”



B/ Nestorian Christianity



C/ Sunni Islam









The Kara-Khitan Army







I/ The Kara-Khitan Ordu





A/ The Gürkhan's Bodyguard & Khitan Nobles (Xiliao Tie'Bing)











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B/ Khitan Horsearchers













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C/ Khitan Elite Macemen



A favorite and effective weapon of the steppe, the mace is cheap to make and maintain, and can smash bone and armor alike. These Khitans, well armored and trained have dismounted to participate in a siege and are highly valuable crack troops.







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D/ Khitan Heavy Spearmen

While steppe peoples normally did not fight on foot, occasionally it was vital to defend a chokepoint, assault a besieged settlement or maintain a line. These Khitans are heavily armed and armored and possess large shields of Chinese inspiration. Highly effective against cavalry, these Khitans have only to fear strong melee troops.

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II/ Auxilliaries and vassals of the Kara-Khitan Khaganate





Most of the troops of the Kara-Khitai Khaganate was not of Khitan extraction. The main part of the available troops came from the Kara-Khitans vassals or from neighbouring countries: Among the recruited troops were Uygurs, Kangli and Naimans. The Uyghurs and the Naimans were very implicated in the administration, but also formed an important part of the officers.

It seems that during the XIIth century, a lot of naiman migrated in the Kara-khitan Khaganate for being recruited as mercenaries, soldiers or administrators. It eventually led to the "Kutchulug issue", when the Naiman prince Kutchulug found exil in the Kara-Khitan territory but then made a coup.



The problem of how to control vassals was a significant one in the medieval age. Like in the Islamic world, many vassals were given control of a land grant - an Iqta in the arabic world -, in return for their loyalty. While effective at establishing loyalty, at least initially, these grants would often enable vassals to run private fiefdoms, which in a generation or two could either declare independence or become the power behind the King's throne. Maintaining control over vassals in a khanate was even harder, and loyalty was maintained through an elaborate system of patronage, marriages, and titles. As is well known, these ties were incredibly difficult and costly to maintain, and often disappeared upon succession or the hint of dynastic decline. Princesses were incredibly valuable and were used as political currency to strengthen the ties that bind. Ultimately a vassal's loyalty was fickle, and it was this fickleness that broke the Kara-Khitai Empire.