Jin Dynasty (1115–1234)
The Jin Dynasty (1115–1234), sometimes known as the Great Jin or Jurchen Jin in Western scholarship to distinguish it from the earlier dynasty with the same phonetic spelling, was founded by ethnic Jurchens. In 1115, the Jurchen leader Wanyan Min, originally named Wanyan Aguda and honored posthumously as Emperor Taizu of the Jin Dynasty, founded an empire in what is now south Acheng, Heilongjiang Province, naming his empire Jin. His successor Wuqimai (Wanyan Sheng), Emperor Taizong, later built a capital at this site and named it Huining Prefecture. In 1153, Wanyan Liang, Emperor Hailing, moved his court to Yanjing (today's Beijing), which became the regime's central capital. Facing the Mongols' repeated incursions, Wanyan Xun, Emperor Xuanzong, moved his capital to Bianjing (today's Kaifeng, Henan Province) in 1214. When the Mongol troops besieged Bianjing in 1232, Wanyan Shouxu, Emperor Aizong, fled to Caizhou (today's Runan, Henan Province). Two years later, the allied forces of the Mongol Empire and Southern Song put an end to the Jin, in which 10 emperors had ruled for a total of 120 years.