The Sogdians in the Middle Ages and their Impact on the Relation between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet

Title

The Sogdians in the Middle Ages and their Impact on the Relation between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet

Author

Kuan-chun LIN

Page

1-41

DOI

10.6163/TJEAS.201912_16(2).0001

Abstract

　　The Sogdians circa 7-8th century was active in the arable and grazing regions of the eastern part of Asia and took control of the east-west trade. They, meanwhile, intervened in the nomadic regimes of the eastern part of Asia in order to obtain advantages in business. Sogdia’s long term contact with the east and the west helped them gain broad knowledge and possess sensitivity to politics in each area. It resulted in Sogdia’s attempt to spread its influence so as to earn profits via the east-west trade.
　　The Sogdians successively served as political consultants to the nomadic regimes in northern Asia such as Gök Türk and Uighur. They have also dispatched political envoys or high-ranking military officers to cope with neighboring countries. When Gök Türk became weak, the Sogdians took the chance to migrate to the Tang Dynasty’s domain. The mass migration eventually triggered the Rebellion of An Shi which brought about the decline of the Tang Dynasty and the rise of Uighur. The Sogdians in the meantime promoted silk-horse trade between Tang and Uighur and earned profits from it. The trade simultaneously changed the connotation of relationship between Tang and Uighur. This is an example that demonstrates how Sogdia’s activities influenced on the relationship among the nomadic regimes in the Middle Ages.
　　Tibet during the An Shi Rebellion occupied Tang’s He-xi and Long-yo areas and controlled the Silk Road’s eastern section. Such invasion changed the situation between Tang and Tibet and led Tibet to become the dominator in the nomadic regions of the eastern part of Asia. This article mainly investigates if the Sogdians did play a decisive role in the interaction between Tang and Tibet as it did in fostering Tang-Gök Türk and Tang-Uighur relations. Did the Sogdians enter Tibet’s imperial court and participate in political and cultural activities of Tibet as it did in Gök Türk and Uighur? Since the Sogdians has left footprints all over Eurasia’s inland, is it fair to say that they did not appear in Tibet, a great power in inland Eurasia as the Tang Dynasty, Tazi, Gök Türk, and Uighur etc.?

Keyword

The Middle Ages, Sogdian, Sino-Tibetan Relations during the Tang Dynasty, Ngan lam stag sgra klu khong, Gök Türk-Uighur and Sogdia

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