Overview
Yelü Yilie, Emperor Renzong, ruled for thirteen years at the height of Kara Khitai power. His reign is known chiefly for its census and for his interventions among the vassals of Transoxiana.
Rise to Power
He took power from his mother, Tabuyan, in 1150.
Rule and Achievements
- Ordered a census that counted 84,500 households of adult men, probably in the lands around Balasagun alone
- Restored the Karakhanid khan Ali Chaghri to Samarkand in 1156 after a revolt
- Ordered the Karakhanids to expel the Karluk chiefs from Bukhara and Samarkand in 1158
Legacy
He died in 1163. His son Zhilugu was a child, and his sister Pusuwan took power.