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The Northern Sung Dynasty was established in 960 AD when General Chao K'uang-yin
of the Tang Dynasty reunited China and became emperor. He took the name of Sung
Tai Tsu when he took control. To lessen the chances of military commanders
gaining too much power, the military was placed directly under the emperor's
command. This solution did not last for long and the military subsequently
became weaker during successive emperors.
In the 1000s, large tributes were paid to the nomads and barbarians on the
borders, specifically the Kitans in the northeast and the Western Hsia
in the northwest, and chunks of Sung territory began to be lost as well.
An alliance was made between the Sung and the Juchens of Manchuria with the
purpose of beating back the Kitans. After doing so, however, the Juchens
turned against the Sung and established the Chin (gold) Dynasty. The
emperor Chin Tsung and his son were taken captive in 1127 and the capital was
moved to Han-kau (Hangzhou) in the south where another of his sons ruled
with the name Kao Tsung. Although an artificial dividing line, the time
from Kao Tsung's rule forward is known as the Southern Sung as the northern
territories were lost.
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