Fanzhen
Fanzhen (藩鎮), also sometimes translated as "military governorships" or "circuits," refers to the semi-autonomous regional military commands that emerged in China during the late Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and the subsequent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-979 CE).
These fanzhen were established initially as a response to the An Lushan Rebellion (755-763 CE) and were intended to provide stronger local defenses against internal unrest and external threats, particularly from nomadic groups. The Tang court granted significant military, fiscal, and administrative powers to the jiedushi (節度使), or military governors, appointed to command these fanzhen.
Over time, the power of these jiedushi grew, often becoming hereditary and largely independent of the central government. They controlled their own armies, collected taxes within their territories, and sometimes even appointed their own officials. This gradual weakening of central control ultimately contributed to the decline and eventual collapse of the Tang Dynasty.
The characteristics of a fanzhen often included:
- Military Autonomy: The jiedushi maintained a personal army loyal to them, often recruited locally.
- Fiscal Control: The jiedushi retained a significant portion of the taxes collected within their territory, rather than remitting them to the central government.
- Hereditary Succession: In many cases, the position of jiedushi became hereditary, passed down within families regardless of central government approval.
- Administrative Independence: The jiedushi often appointed their own officials and implemented their own policies within their territory.
The fragmentation of the Tang Empire into numerous independent fanzhen led to the instability and warfare of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), which succeeded the Five Dynasties, made concerted efforts to curtail the power of regional military commanders and re-establish a strong centralized government, learning from the experiences of the late Tang.