Shi Jingtang, founder of the Later Jin Dynasty (d. 942)
Shi Jingtang (Chinese: 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942), also known by his temple name Gaozu (高祖), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, reigning from 936 until his death.
Shi had Shatuo origins and was an important military general for the Later Tang before rebelling in 936. He overthrew Li Cunxu of the Later Tang and enlisted the help of the Khitan-ruled Liao state. For this he was called Emperor Taizong of Liao's adopted son (even though he was 10 years older).
After Shi's rise to power, the Liao would later annex the strategically crucial Sixteen Prefectures and eventually annex the entire Later Jin. The rise of the Liao in northern China and Mongolia would shape Chinese politics for the centuries leading up to the Mongol Empire.