Naiman Chala (905-20 December 940) was High Chief of Naiman under the Liang Liao dynasty. In 940, he led a large-scale rebellion against King Liang Yong; while he was killed in the first major battle of the uprising, it would continue for another year before his son Naiman Aguo was forced to surrender. Despite the rebellion's defeat, King Liang Yong was mortally wounded in battle, leading to the chaotic Mongolia-Liao War and the rise and fall of several major clans within the kingdom.
Biography[]
Naiman Chala was born in 905 to the Naiman clan of the Tengri Khitan people, and he became High Chief of Naiman in 936. He saw King Liang Yong of Liang Liao as an outsider and sought to claim the throne for himself, leading to the King sending troops to arrest him in 940. On 25 August 940, Naiman Chala evaded arrest and rose his flag in rebellion, leading to much of the northwestern Liang Liao fighting against the central government. Liang Yong employed the Dragon Army mercenaries against the rebels, and, on 20 December 940, Naiman Chala was cornered and killed by the Dragon Army officer Cha at the Battle of Egiin. His death led to his young son Naiman Aguo taking over the Naiman high chiefdom, and his son was punished with castration to put an end to his clan.