The Chinese Feng Ba 馮跋 was commander of the imperial guards (jinwei 禁衛) of the Later Yan Empire (Houyan 後燕) in which position he killed the ruler Murong Xi 慕容熙. Feng Ba obtained a crucial military and political position under the new ruler Gao Yun 高雲, an adoptive son of Murong Xi. When Gao Yun was murdered by a minister, Feng Ba took over the rulership and proclaimed himself King of (Northern) Yan (Beiyan 北燕). His successor Feng Hong 馮宏 suffered from permanant military attacks of the Northern Wei (Beiwei 北魏) and finally had to escape to the Korean kingdom Koguryŏ (Chinese: Gaogouli 高句麗) in 436. By historians, the rulership of Feng Ba is seen as a short period of economical and social relaxation in a time of permanent warfare. To ensure the functioning of administration, Feng Ba established a school for official education whose pupils partially were sent to the south for studies. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a political partition between Chinese and Non-Chinese inhabitants of the Northern Yan empire. The Yan empire is named after the old feudal state of Yan 燕 during the Zhou Dynasty 周. See also titles of rulers. Note: The rulers of the sideline dynasties are usually not called with their posthumous dynastic titles but with their personal names as they are not accepted as righteous rulers by official historiographies. Rulers of Northern Yan (Beiyan) 北燕 (409-436) Capital: Longcheng 龍城 (modern Chaoyang 朝陽/Liaoning) dynastic title {temple name} -----reign periods personal name -----Zhengshi 正始 407-409 Gao Yun 高雲 Beiyan Wenchengdi 北燕文成帝 {Taizu 太祖} 409-430 -----Taiping 太平 409-430 Feng Ba 馮跋 Beiyan Zhaochengdi 北燕昭成帝 430-436 -----Taixing太興 431-436 Conquered by Northern Wei Feng Hong 馮宏

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