Book contents
- The Cambridge History of War
- The Cambridge History of War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Maps
- Notes on contributors
- Introduction to volume II
- Part I Foundations, c.600–1000 ce
- 1 The early Islamic empire and the introduction of military slavery
- 2 The Western European kingdoms, 600–1000
- 3 The Scandinavian world
- 4 Byzantium to the twelfth century
- 5 The Slavs, Avars, and Hungarians
- 6 The Turks and the other peoples of the Eurasian steppes to 1175
- 7 China: the Tang, 600–900
- 8 Japan to 1200
- Part II Interactions, c.1000–1300 ce
- Part III Nations and Formations, c.1300–1500 ce
- Part IV Comparisons: Cross-Cultural Analysis
- Select bibliography
- Index
7 - China: the Tang, 600–900
from Part I - Foundations, c.600–1000 ce
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 September 2020
- The Cambridge History of War
- The Cambridge History of War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Maps
- Notes on contributors
- Introduction to volume II
- Part I Foundations, c.600–1000 ce
- 1 The early Islamic empire and the introduction of military slavery
- 2 The Western European kingdoms, 600–1000
- 3 The Scandinavian world
- 4 Byzantium to the twelfth century
- 5 The Slavs, Avars, and Hungarians
- 6 The Turks and the other peoples of the Eurasian steppes to 1175
- 7 China: the Tang, 600–900
- 8 Japan to 1200
- Part II Interactions, c.1000–1300 ce
- Part III Nations and Formations, c.1300–1500 ce
- Part IV Comparisons: Cross-Cultural Analysis
- Select bibliography
- Index
Summary
The Tang dynasty, which lasted from 618 to 907, was typical of China’s great imperial regimes in that it owed its creation to successful military action and saw its subsequent fortunes shaped to a very great extent by events on the battlefield; when its military power waned the dynasty faltered, and when that power had dissipated completely it fell. In the Tang, as under earlier and later dynasties, the ruling elites were intensely interested in matters of military policy and strategy, with military expenditures claiming the largest portion of the state’s revenues. For the Tang, as for all of the other dynasties, the image of Confucian sage kings ruling by moral suasion, without reference to force of arms, belongs to the realm of myth rather than reality.
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- The Cambridge History of War , pp. 181 - 210Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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