Everything about Tribute totally explained
A
tribute (from
Latin tribulum, contribution) is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. It also incorporated certain aspects of regulated trade in goods and services between the parties under a contractual relationship formed upon
duress, and based upon the potential for threats if
specific performance didn't occur. A
tributary or
tributary state is a state, colony, region, or people who pay tribute to a more powerful,
suzerain state.
Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they'd conquered or threatened to conquer. In case of
alliances, lesser parties gave tribute to the dominant parties as a sign of allegiance and for the purposes of financing the agreed projects - usually raising an
army. The term may also be used on religious
tax used for maintenance of
temples and other sacred places.
Athens received tribute from the other cities of the
Delian League. Empires of
Babylon,
Carthage and
Rome exacted tribute from their
provinces and subject kingdoms. Ancient
China received tribute from various states such as
Japan,
Korea, and
Vietnam.
Roman republic also exacted tribute in the form of equivalent to proportional
property taxes for the purpose of waging
war.
Chinese practice of tributes as trade regulation and authority
In
China, the
tribute system began from the earliest days to provide both an administrative means to control vassals, as well as a means for which to provide exclusive trading rights to those who paid tribute from foreign regions. The process of tribute from a foreign nation to China allowed reciprocal trade under both imperial protection and imperial regulation, and barred entry into this trade by those who didn't participate. It was an integral part of the
Confucian philosophy and was seen as equivalent to the familial relation of younger sons looking after older parents by devoting part of their wealth, assets, or goods to that purpose. Political marriages also existed between the Chinese empire and tribute states, such as
Songtsen Gampo and Wencheng (Gyasa).
China often got tribute from the states under the influence of
Confucian civilization and gave them Chinese products and recognition of their authority and sovereignty in return. Sometimes Chinese support were significant in local politics. There were numerous tribute states to the Chinese established empires through out the ancient history, including neighboring countries such as Korea, Japan, Vietnam. This tributary system and relationship are well known as
Jimi (羁縻) or
Cefeng (册封), or
Chaogong (朝貢). Korea (朝鮮) entered the tributary system under the
Han Dynasty in the 1st century. According to the Korean historical document
Samguk Sagi (삼국사기, 三国史记), Korea sent a diplomatic representative to the Han Dynasty in 32 AD, and the
Emperor Guangwu of Han granted the official rank of Korea. Japan was also tributary of China, and China granted King of Japan.
There is a clear differentiation between the term tribute and gift. The former, known as
gong, has important connotations. The
Chinese emperors made sure that the gifts they paid to other states were known as mere gifts, not tributes. Even at times when a
Chinese dynasty had to bribe nomads from raiding their border such as in the
Han Dynasty and the
Song Dynasty, the emperors gave gifts to the
Xiongnu and the
Khitan. The only time when a dynasty paid formal tribute to another was during the southern
Song dynasty, where tribute was given to the
Jin Dynasty for peace.
In addition, the
Zheng He expeditions also carried goods to build tribute relationships between the
Ming Dynasty and newly discovered kingdoms. Tribute activities occupy several chapters in the
Twenty-Four Histories.
Western European notions of tribute in medieval times
Raiders, like
Vikings and
Celtic tribes, could also exact tribute instead of raiding the place if the potential targets agreed to pay an agreed amount of valuables.
Tribute wasn't always money but also valuables and that were effectively
hostages kept in exchange for good behavior.
Various medieval lords required tribute from their
vassals or
peasants, nominally in exchange for protection to incur the costs of raising armies, or paying for free-lance mercenaries against a hostile neighbouring state. That system evolved into medieval
taxation and co-existed as a secular approximation of the churchly
tithe upon income.
During the Spanish
Reconquista, there were period when the Christian kings were more militarily powerful than the Moors, but lacked the population to settle and defend the conquered territories.
They were contented with receiving tribute, the
parias.
Combined with commerce across the Mediterranean, it was a means for African wares like gold to enter Europe.
Tribute in the modern era
Modern elements of tribute are restricted to highly formal and ceremonial rituals: such as formal gifts being given to prove either fealty or loyalty upon the inauguration of a US or other president, a wedding of a president's children while in office; the accession of a member of a royal family, or their marriages; and even in the largely staged show business marriages, where studios, banks, and other stars prove their loyalty through expensive gifts in hope of future benefits, and if are not given will result in loss of business. Thus the element of duress and coercion seen in earlier times is part of this process, particularly in Hollywood.
In general use, the phrase "
to pay tribute" often means "to praise or laud", whether or not an accompanying gift (the historical understanding of "tribute") is provided.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tribute'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://tribute.totallyexplained.com">Tribute Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
