kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Xia (Dou Jiande)

617 CE – 621 CE · capital Lezhou

The rebel kingdom of Dou Jiande on the Hebei plain, remembered as the most humane of the Sui-era insurgent regimes, destroyed at the Battle of Hulao in 621.

Origins

Dou Jiande, a village headman from Zhangnan in Hebei, joined the peasant risings against Emperor Yang's levies for the Goguryeo wars in 611. He took over the band of Gao Shida, proclaimed himself Prince of Changle in 617 and Prince of Xia in 618, ruling much of Hebei from Lezhou.

Rule and society

Dou Jiande won a reputation for frugality, for sparing captured Sui officials and employing them in his government, and for sharing spoils with his soldiers. In 619 he defeated and executed Yuwen Huaji, the murderer of Emperor Yang, which raised his standing among loyalists of the Sui Dynasty.

Decline and legacy

In 621 he marched to relieve Wang Shichong, besieged at Luoyang by the Tang. Li Shimin blocked him at the Hulao pass and captured him; he was executed at Chang'an. His former officers under Liu Heita rose again and held out until 623.

Lineage

Sui Dynasty 581 CE – 618 CEXia (Dou Jiande)

Connections (1)

Xia (Dou Jiande) was conquered by Tang Dynasty621 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Xia (Dou Jiande). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xia-dou-jiande
MLA: “Xia (Dou Jiande).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xia-dou-jiande. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Xia (Dou Jiande).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xia-dou-jiande.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Xia (Dou Jiande)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xia-dou-jiande (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻