Problems Along the Frontiers
Han China and the Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were nomadic people in present day mongolia, and they were considered barbarians. Their relations with China included; constantly raiding Han dynasty china and disrupting trade, marriage treaties, and exchanging goods. Modu Chanyu was the ruler of the nomadic empire. The Han empire was ruled by Emperor Wu, who dispatched the explorer Zhang Qian to explore western lands and hoped to form an alliance with the Yuezhi people in order to fight the Xiongnu. The partnership with the Yuezhi failed, but the chinese found a way to attack the Xiongnu using the silk road to transport soldiers and material. Han Wudi added constructions to the great wall to prevent Xiongnu attacks. The Han tried to ambush the Xiongnu at Mayi. In 129BCE, 40,000 chinese soldiers attacked the Xiongnu border. As a result of the battles, the Xiongnu were separated from the Qiang people of the south. They were also suffering a civil war, which worsened their decline.
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/glossarytz/g/xiongnuglos.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/273960/Xiongnu
http://library.thinkquest.org/28491/html/han.htm
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Xiongnu.html
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/glossarytz/g/xiongnuglos.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/273960/Xiongnu
http://library.thinkquest.org/28491/html/han.htm
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Xiongnu.html
Gupta and the White Huns
The white huns invaded the Gupta Empire of india during the reign of Skandagupta. The huns were famous for their barbarianism and cruelty. The Huns entered through the northwestern gate of India in fifth century A.D. The gupta empire crushed them in battle and set them out of the frontier. The huns suffered a great loss. The invasion may have been suppressed, but it did not wipe out the tribe. They eventually reentered India. The Huns under Toraman went through the Hindukush passes once again. In this invasion, they took control of Punjab, Rajputana and Malwa. Toraman's rule did not last long, He ruled from 510 to 511 A.D. Toraman was succeeded by his son Mihirkula.He demolished buddhist temples and was a notorious warrior. He also devastaded cities and murdered lots of people.
http://www.indianetzone.com/22/the_hun_invasion_its_effects.htm
http://www.indianetzone.com/22/the_hun_invasion_its_effects.htm
Romans and their northern and eastern neighbors
The Romans had a lot of conflict with Persia, during the Parthian and Sassanid Empires. The wars were prolonged and involved a lot of back and forth conquest. Germanic tribes were also a problem for the Romans led to their downfall. Huns also threatened Roman land , and were based in the plains of Hungary. Romans and Visigoths defeated the Hun leader, Attila, at the battle of Chalons. After that, the Huns had withdrawn from Europe, but their leaving facilitated more Germanic tribes into Europe. The Ostrogoths, the Franks, and the Anglo-Saxons.
http://history-world.org/germanic_tribes.htm
http://history-world.org/germanic_tribes.htm
Celina Grisolia