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Ch.03.02 Tlingit Kingdom
Following their exodus from their ancestral homelands due to Mongol settlement in the late thirteenth century it took the Tlingit tribes roughly a century to become firmly settled in their new homeland to the north of the Japanese settlements. During this time the various tribes and families within the larger Tlingit culture would split off and each laid claim to a region of territory to settle.
As contact with the Japanese settlements grew, trade between the two groups began seeing an exchange of ideas and culture which favored the Japanese. Many Ronin would come to enter the service of the Tlingit, imparting their knowledge of writing, agriculture, and building. All these traits would be slowly assimilated by the Tlingit. And soon myriad small settlements began to sprout up. With the population booming as a result of the introduction of regular cultivation of crops, namely buckwheat and rye.
Squabbles over land soon began, with the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century seeing various small Tlingit petty kingdoms emerge as small clans vied with one another for additional territory and farmland. A Japanese account written in 1428 makes mention of twenty seven separate kings ruling over the region, though it is careful to state that none of these “kingdoms” ruled over a major city or held a considerable army under their command.
Initially the Japanese states which had developed to the south did not view the Tlingit as a major issue, instead seeing them as similar to the other peoples around them. Generally insignificant and often assimilated into the Japanese sphere of influence thanks to ever expanding Japanese settlement which often led to the absorption of native settlements.
This began to change during the 1440s as the state of Arai began to expand through a series of wars of conquest. Annexing and absorbing numerous nearby settlements through war and diplomacy. Though records are scarce, and myth surrounds this period it is generally assumed this expansion was led by king Ainxou I, the first great king of the Tlingit.
Ainxou I was likely born in the late fourteenth century and it is claimed, though not known for certain, that he was educated in Japan proper. When he returned to his native village of Axaa he immediately set about reforming his society into a Japanese model state. Hiring many Japanese advisors and soldiers to help him in his efforts.
Regardless by 1460 Ainxou held a large and substantial state which had begun exacting tribute from the many smaller Tlingit and other native villages which surrounded him. This had drawn the attention of the Japanese, whose northern lords had grown alarmed at the growth of his power. They formed a league in 1464 and marched towards Axaa. Planning on deposing Ainxou and splitting up his kingdom.
This was a big mistake. Ainxou quickly rallied the still independent tribes around him and mobilized his forces. Using the threat of invasion to further cement his position of power in the region and meet the Japanese forces and defeat them in a battle in the outskirts of the city of Axaa. By 1466 he had even begun raiding Japanese settlements along the border in retaliation. A peace was reached in 1467 and Ainxou was recognized as the ruler over the entire region.
This was the start of the new Tlingit kingdom. Ainxou crowned himself as the high king of the Tlingit in 1469 and made Axaa his capital, with Arai also playing a key role in the history of the kingdom as a southern trade hub with the Japanese lords.
Over the next centuries the Tlingit state would wax and wane in its territorial extent, with the high kings of Ainxou’s line wielding various lines of power over the lesser kings. Under some high kings the position would wield nearly absolute power, while under others the position would be largely ceremonial. Little higher in authority than the lesser clan chiefs and petty kings.
Ainxou I would die in 1475 and his son Ainxou II would take his place. Further solidifying the kingdoms authority in the region, putting down a number of rebellions. And later in his reign doing his best to normalize the relationship with the Japanese lords to the south, resuming trade and lessening tensions between the two groups.
As contact with the Japanese settlements grew, trade between the two groups began seeing an exchange of ideas and culture which favored the Japanese. Many Ronin would come to enter the service of the Tlingit, imparting their knowledge of writing, agriculture, and building. All these traits would be slowly assimilated by the Tlingit. And soon myriad small settlements began to sprout up. With the population booming as a result of the introduction of regular cultivation of crops, namely buckwheat and rye.
Squabbles over land soon began, with the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century seeing various small Tlingit petty kingdoms emerge as small clans vied with one another for additional territory and farmland. A Japanese account written in 1428 makes mention of twenty seven separate kings ruling over the region, though it is careful to state that none of these “kingdoms” ruled over a major city or held a considerable army under their command.
Initially the Japanese states which had developed to the south did not view the Tlingit as a major issue, instead seeing them as similar to the other peoples around them. Generally insignificant and often assimilated into the Japanese sphere of influence thanks to ever expanding Japanese settlement which often led to the absorption of native settlements.
This began to change during the 1440s as the state of Arai began to expand through a series of wars of conquest. Annexing and absorbing numerous nearby settlements through war and diplomacy. Though records are scarce, and myth surrounds this period it is generally assumed this expansion was led by king Ainxou I, the first great king of the Tlingit.
Ainxou I was likely born in the late fourteenth century and it is claimed, though not known for certain, that he was educated in Japan proper. When he returned to his native village of Axaa he immediately set about reforming his society into a Japanese model state. Hiring many Japanese advisors and soldiers to help him in his efforts.
Regardless by 1460 Ainxou held a large and substantial state which had begun exacting tribute from the many smaller Tlingit and other native villages which surrounded him. This had drawn the attention of the Japanese, whose northern lords had grown alarmed at the growth of his power. They formed a league in 1464 and marched towards Axaa. Planning on deposing Ainxou and splitting up his kingdom.
This was a big mistake. Ainxou quickly rallied the still independent tribes around him and mobilized his forces. Using the threat of invasion to further cement his position of power in the region and meet the Japanese forces and defeat them in a battle in the outskirts of the city of Axaa. By 1466 he had even begun raiding Japanese settlements along the border in retaliation. A peace was reached in 1467 and Ainxou was recognized as the ruler over the entire region.
This was the start of the new Tlingit kingdom. Ainxou crowned himself as the high king of the Tlingit in 1469 and made Axaa his capital, with Arai also playing a key role in the history of the kingdom as a southern trade hub with the Japanese lords.
Over the next centuries the Tlingit state would wax and wane in its territorial extent, with the high kings of Ainxou’s line wielding various lines of power over the lesser kings. Under some high kings the position would wield nearly absolute power, while under others the position would be largely ceremonial. Little higher in authority than the lesser clan chiefs and petty kings.
Ainxou I would die in 1475 and his son Ainxou II would take his place. Further solidifying the kingdoms authority in the region, putting down a number of rebellions. And later in his reign doing his best to normalize the relationship with the Japanese lords to the south, resuming trade and lessening tensions between the two groups.
- Count of Crisco
- Word Count: 710