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The Western Xia, Liao, & Jin Dynasties. The Western Xia, Liao, and Jin Dynasties were three powerful, heavily militarized states founded by non Chinese nomadic and semi nomadic peoples who conquered massive portions of northern China. The Liao were Khitans, the Western Xia were Tanguts, and the Jin were Jurchens, all operating roughly between the 10th and 13th centuries CE. These states matter significantly because they completely forced the ethnic Chinese Song Dynasty onto the defensive, deeply challenging traditional concepts of Chinese cultural supremacy. They actively created a highly unique dual administration system, using nomadic laws for their tribal warriors while heavily employing Chinese bureaucrats to tax their sedentary subjects.
These dynasties spent centuries fiercely battling both the Song Dynasty and each other for ultimate regional supremacy. The Jin Dynasty eventually grew strong enough to utterly destroy the Liao and forcefully push the Song out of northern China entirely. However, all three of these formidable states eventually faced the exact same catastrophic fate. During the early 13th century, the unstoppable armies of Genghis Khan and his successors systematically invaded and completely annihilated each dynasty, absorbing their territories into the rapidly expanding Mongol Empire.