Xiongnu Empire

The Xiongnu Empire was a confederation of nomadic peoples that dominated the eastern Eurasian steppe from the late third century BCE to the first century CE. Under the chanyu Modu it united the steppe tribes and became a formidable rival of the Han Dynasty, extracting tribute through the heqin system. Weakened by Han campaigns and internal division, it fragmented, though its political model influenced later steppe empires.