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{{Short description|Wealth given by one party to another to show respect, allegiance, or submission}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Tribune]] or [[Tax]]}}
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=April 2023}}
[[File:A procession of high-ranking Assyrian officials followed by tribute bearers from Urartu. From Khorsabad, Iraq. Iraq Museum.jpg|thumb|A procession of high-ranking Assyrian officials followed by tribute bearers from Urartu. From Khorsabad, Iraq, c. 710 BCE. Iraq Museum]]
[[File:Apadana Persepolis Iran.JPG|thumb|Objects in the "Apadana" reliefs at [[Persepolis]]: armlets, bowls, and ''[[amphorae]]'' with griffin handles are given as tribute.]]

A '''tribute''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|r|ɪ|b|juː|t}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tribute|title=tribute noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes - Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com|website=www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com|access-date=6 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205072512/https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tribute|archive-date=5 February 2018}}</ref> from [[Latin]] ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often [[Gifts in kind|in kind]], that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state conquered. In the case of [[Military alliance|alliance]]s, lesser parties may pay tribute to more powerful parties as a sign of allegiance. Tributes are different from taxes, as they are not collected in the same regularly routine manner that taxes are.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Further, with tributes, a recognition of political submission by the payer to the payee is uniquely required.<ref name="Michael Smith" />

== Overview ==
[[History of China|Ancient China]] [[Chinese tributary system|received tribute from various states]] such as [[Japan]], [[Korea]], [[Vietnam]], Cambodia, Borneo, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Central Asia.<ref name="Lockard 2007">{{cite book |last=Lockard |first=Craig A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJPlCpzOY_QC&q=tribute&pg=PA315 |title=Societies, Networks, and Transitions: A Global History: To 1500 |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-618-38612-3 |page=315}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Science |first=London School of Economics and Political |title=Department of Economic History |url=http://www.lse.ac.uk/economicHistory/Research/GEHN/GEHNPDF/GEHNWP21-GA.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110173229/http://www.lse.ac.uk/economicHistory/Research/GEHN/GEHNPDF/GEHNWP21-GA.pdf |archive-date=10 January 2017 |access-date=6 May 2018 |website=lse.ac.uk}}</ref>

The [[Aztec Empire]] is another example, as it received tribute from the various city-states and provinces that it conquered.<ref name="Berdan" />

== Aztec Empire ==

=== Tributes as a form of government ===
The [[Aztecs]] used tributes as a means for maintaining control over conquered areas. This meant that rather than replacing existing political figures with Aztec rulers or colonizing newly conquered areas, the Aztecs would simply collect tributes.<ref name="Motyl">{{cite book |last1=Motyl |first1=Alexander |title=Imperial Ends: the Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires |date=2001 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |isbn=0231121105 |pages=13, 19-21, 32-36}}</ref> Ideally, there was no interference in the local affairs of conquered peoples unless these tributes were not paid.<ref name="Berdan">{{cite book |last1=Berdan |first1=Frances |last2=Hodge |first2=Mary |last3=Blanton |first3=Richard |title=Aztec Imperial Strategies |date=1996 |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=9780884022114}}</ref>

There were two types of provinces that paid tribute to the Aztec Empire. First, there were strategic provinces.<ref name="Michael Smith">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Michael Ernest |title=The Aztecs |date=2012 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |location=Chichester, West Sussex |isbn=978-1405194976 |edition=3rd}}</ref> These provinces were considered [[client state]]s, as they consensually paid tributes in exchange for good relations with the Aztecs.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Second, there were tributary provinces or [[tributary state]]s.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> These provinces were mandated to pay a regular tribute, whether they wanted to or not.<ref name="Michael Smith" />

=== The hierarchy of tribute collection ===
Many different levels of Aztec officials were involved in managing the empire's tribute system.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brumfiel |first1=Elizabeth |title=In Early State Economies |date=1991 |publisher=Transaction Press |location=New Brunswick |pages=177–198 |chapter=Tribute and Commerce in Imperial Cities: The Case of Xaltocan, Mexico}}</ref> The lowest ranking officials were known as ''calpixque''.<ref name="Calnek">{{cite book |last1=Calnek |first1=Edward |title=The Inca and Aztec States: 1400-1800 |date=1982 |publisher=Academic Press |location=New York |pages=56–59 |chapter=Patterns of Empire Formation in the Valley of Mexico}}</ref><ref name="Evans">{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Susan |title=Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and Culture History |date=2004 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=New York |pages=443-446, 449-451}}</ref> Their job was to collect, transport, and receive tributes from each province.<ref name="Calnek" /><ref name="Evans" /> Sometimes one calpixque was assigned to an entire province.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Other times, multiple calpixques were assigned to each province.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> This was done to ensure that there was one calpixque present at each of the provinces' various towns.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> One rank higher than the calpixque were the ''huecalpixque''.<ref name="Calnek" /> They served as managers of the calpixque.<ref name="Calnek" /> Above the huecalpixque were the ''petlacalcatl''.<ref name="Calnek" /> Based in [[Tenochtitlan]], they oversaw the entire tribute system.<ref name="Calnek" /> There was also a military trained official known as the ''cuahtlatoani''.<ref name="Calnek" /> They were only involved when newly conquered provinces resisted paying tribute.<ref name="Calnek" />

=== Types of tributes ===
[[Natural resource]]s were in high demand throughout the Aztec Empire because they were crucial for construction, weaponry and religious ceremonies. Certain regions of Mexico with higher quantities of natural resources were able to pay a larger tribute. The basin of Mexico, for instance, had a large resource pool of obsidian and salt ware. This increased usefulness of such regions and played a role in their social status and mobility throughout the empire.<ref name="Peregrine" /> 

As expansion continued with tribute, the demand for warriors to serve the Empire in their efforts to take control of nearby city/state regions increased drastically. "Land belonged to the city-state ruler, and in return for access to land commoners were obliged to provide their lord with tribute in goods and rotational labor service. They could also be called on for military service and construction projects." It was very common to be called for military service, as it was vital to the expansion of the Aztec Empire.<ref name="Peregrine">{{cite book |last1=Peregrine |first1=Peter N. |title=Encyclopedia of Prehistory : Volume 5: Middle America |date=2002 |publisher=Springer US |location=Boston, MA |isbn=978-1-4684-7132-8}}</ref>

Tributes to the Aztec Empire were also made through gold, silver, [[jade]] and other metals that were important to Aztec culture and seen as valuable.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Guinan |first1=Paul |title=About Aztec Empire |url=https://www.bigredhair.com/books/aztec-empire/about/ |publisher=Big Red Hair |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

== China ==
{{Main|Tributary system of China}}

{{See also|List of tributary states of China}}
China often received tribute from the states under the influence of Confucian [[civilization]] and gave them Chinese products and recognition of their authority and sovereignty in return. There were several tribute states to the Chinese-established empires throughout ancient history, including neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo, Indonesia and Central Asia.<ref name="Lockard 2007" /> This tributary system and relationship are well known as [[Jimi system|Jimi]] ({{interlanguage link|羁縻|zh}}) or [[Cefeng]] ({{interlanguage link|冊封|zh}}), or [[Chaogong]] ({{interlanguage link|朝貢|zh}}). In Japanese, the tributary system and relationship is referred to as [[Shinkou]] ({{interlanguage link|進貢|ja}}), [[Sakuhou]] ({{interlanguage link|冊封|ja}}) and [[Choukou]] ({{interlanguage link|朝貢|ja}}).

According to the Chinese ''[[Book of Han]]'', the various tribes of [[Japan]] (constituting the nation of [[Wa (name of Japan)|Wa]]) had already entered into tributary relationships with China by the first century.<ref>''[[Book of the Later Han]]'', "會稽海外有東鯷人 分爲二十餘國"</ref> However, Japan ceased to present tribute to China and left the tributary system during the [[Heian period]] without damaging economic ties. Although Japan eventually returned to the tributary system during the [[Muromachi period]] in the reign of [[Ashikaga Yoshimitsu]], it did not recommence presenting tribute, and it did not last after Yoshimitsu's death (Note that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was a [[Shogun]], hence technically, he was not the head of the state. Hence, this made him subordinate to both the [[emperor of Japan]] and the Chinese emperor at the same time. The Japanese emperor continued to refuse to join the tributary system).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97LTcTx8N98C&q=Japan%20Wei%20tribute&pg=PA40|title=The foundations of Japan's modernization: a comparison with China's path towards modernization|author=Yoda, Yoshiie|author2=Radtke, Kurt Werner|work=The Chinese Tribute System and Japan|publisher=Brill Publishers|year=1996|isbn=90-04-09999-9|pages=40–41|quote=King Na was awarded the seal of the Monarch of the Kingdom of Wa during the Chinese Han Dynasty, and [[Queen Himiko]], who had sent a tribute mission to the [[Cao Wei|Wei Dynasty]] (third century), was followed by the five kings of Wa who also offered to the Wei. This evidence points to the fact that at this period Japan was inside the Chinese tribute system. Japanese missions to the Sui (581-604) and Tang Dynasties were recognized by the Chinese as bearers of imperial tribute; however in the middle of ninth century - the early Heian period - Japan rescinded the sending missions to the Tang Empire.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinajapan.org/articles/15/mizuno15.108-144.pdf|title=China in Tokugawa Foreign Relations: The Tokugawa Bakufu's Perception of and Attitudes toward Ming-Qing China|author=Mizuno Norihito|year=2003|publisher=Ohio State University|pages=109|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908071246/http://chinajapan.org/articles/15/mizuno15.108-144.pdf|archive-date=2008-09-08|url-status=live|quote=It was not that Japan, as China’s neighbor, had had nothing to do with or been indifferent to hierarchical international relations when seeking relationships with China or the constituents of the Chinese world order. It had sporadically paid tribute to Chinese dynasties in ancient and medieval times but had usually not been a regular vassal state of China. It had obviously been one of the countries most reluctant to participate in the [[Sinocentrism|Sinocentric]] world order. Japan did not identify itself as a [[vassal state]] of China during most of its history, no matter how China saw it.}}</ref>

According to the Korean historical document ''[[Samguk Sagi]]'' ({{Korean|hangul=삼국사기|hanja=三國史記|rr=|mr=}}), [[Goguryeo]] sent a diplomatic representative to the Han dynasty in 32 AD, and [[Emperor Guangwu of Han]] officially acknowledged Goguryeo with a title.<ref>≪삼국사기≫에 의하면 32년(고구려 대무신왕 15)에 후한으로 사신을 보내어 조공을 바치니 후한의 광무제(光武帝)가 왕호를 회복시켜주었다는 기록이 있다 («Tang» 32 years, according to (Goguryeo Daemusin 15) sent ambassadors to the generous tribute to the Emperor Guangwu of Han Emperor in abundance (光武帝) gave evidence that can restore wanghoreul -- Google translation?)</ref> The tributary relationship between China and Korea was established during the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]],<ref name="Pratt, Rutt & Hoare 1999">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vj8ShHzUxrYC&q=tribute+korea+china&pg=PA482|title=Korea: a historical and cultural dictionary|first1= Keith L. |last1=Pratt|first2= Richard|last2= Rutt|first3= James|last3= Hoare |publisher=Routledge|year= 1999 |isbn= 0-7007-0463-9|page=482}}</ref><ref>Kwak, Tae-Hwan ''et al.'' (2003). {{Google books|yIVXMjmKqHkC|''The Korean peace process and the four powers,'' p. 99.|page=99}}; excerpt, "Korea's tributary relations with China began as early as the fifth century, were regularized during the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), and became fully institutionalized during the Yi dynasty (1392-1910)."</ref> but in practice it was only a diplomatic formality to strengthen legitimacy and gain access to cultural goods from China.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Seth |first1=Michael J. |title=A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present |date=2010 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=9780742567177 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJtMGXyGlUEC&pg=PA43 |language=en |quote=During the fourth through sixth centuries the Korean states regularly sent tribute missions to states in China. While this in theory implied a submission to Chinese rulers, in practice it was little more than a diplomatic formality. In exchange, Korean rulers received symbols that strengthened their own legitimacy and a variety of cultural commodities: ritual goods, books, Buddhist scriptures, and rare luxury products.}}</ref> This continued under different dynasties and varying degrees until China's defeat in the [[First Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese War]] of 1894–1895.<ref name="Pratt, Rutt & Hoare 1999"/><ref>Kwak, {{Google books|yIVXMjmKqHkC|p. 100.|page=100}}; excerpt, "The tributary relations between China and Korea came to an end when China was defeated in the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895. In fact, the present North Korea is more or less serving as a tribute of China in the modern times;"</ref><ref>Lane, Roger. (2008). {{Google books|IvqVxwpDK2UC|''Encyclopedia Small Silver Coins,'' p. 331.|page=331}}</ref> 

The relationship between China and Vietnam was a "hierarchic tributary system".<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title=War, Rebellion, and Intervention under Hierarchy: Vietnam–China Relations, 1365 to 1841|journal=Journal of Conflict Resolution|volume=63|pages=896–922|doi=10.1177/0022002718772345|year=2019|last1=Kang|first1=David C.|last2=Nguyen|first2=Dat X.|last3=Fu|first3=Ronan Tse-min|last4=Shaw|first4=Meredith|issue=4|s2cid=158733115}}</ref> China ended its suzerainty over Vietnam with the [[Treaty of Tientsin (1885)]] following the [[Sino-French War]]. [[Thailand]] was always subordinate to China as a vassal or a tributary state since the [[Sui dynasty]] until the [[Taiping Rebellion]] of the late [[Qing dynasty]] in the mid-19th century.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gambe|first1=Annabelle R.|title=Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurship and Capitalist Development in Southeast Asia|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=9783825843861|page=99|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUfNRG8IR44C&q=Siam+subordinate+vassal+tributary|access-date=19 July 2016|language=en|year=2000}}</ref>

Some [[List of tributaries of China|tributaries of imperial China]] encompasses suzerain kingdoms from China in East Asia has been prepared.<ref>Gundry, R. S. "China and her Tributaries," {{Google books|xDUFAAAAQAAJ| ''National Review'' (United Kingdom), No. 17, July 1884, pp. 605-619.|page=605}}</ref> Before the 20th century, the geopolitics of East and Southeast Asia were influenced by the Chinese tributary system. This assured them their sovereignty and the system assured China the incoming of certain valuable assets. "The theoretical justification" for this exchange was the [[Mandate of Heaven]], that stated the fact that the emperor of China was empowered by the heavens to rule, and with this rule the whole mankind would end up being beneficiary of good deeds. Most of the Asian countries joined this system voluntary.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

==Islamic Caliphate==
{{Main|Jizya}}

The Islamic [[Caliphate]] introduced a new form of tribute, known as the '[[jizya]]', that differed significantly from earlier Roman forms of tribute. According to Patricia Seed:

{{quote|What distinguished jizya historically from the Roman form of tribute is that it was exclusively a tax on persons, and on adult men. Roman "tribute" was sometimes a form of borrowing as well as a tax. It could be levied on land, landowners, and slaveholders, as well as on people. Even when assessed on individuals, the amount was often determined by the value of the group's assets and did not depend—as did Islamic jizya—upon actual head counts of men of fighting age. Christian Iberian rulers would later adopt similar taxes during their reconquest of the peninsula.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ceremonies of Possession in Europe's Conquest of the New World, 1492-1640|first=Patricia|last=Seed|year=1995|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=0-521-49757-4|page=80}}</ref>}}

Christians of the [[Iberian Peninsula]] translated the term 'jizya' as ''tributo''. This form of tribute was later also applied by the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish empire]] to their territories in the [[New World]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ceremonies of Possession in Europe's Conquest of the New World, 1492-1640|first=Patricia|last=Seed|year=1995|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-49757-4|pages=80–1}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Tributary system of China]]
** [[List of tributary states of China]]
** [[List of recipients of tribute from China]]
* [[Puppet state]]
* [[Satellite state]]
* [[Suzerainty]]
* [[Vassal state]]
* [[Tributary state]]
* [[Taxation]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* Kwak, Tae-Hwan and Seung-Ho Joo. (2003). [https://books.google.com/books?id=yIVXMjmKqHkC&q=The+Korean+Peace+process+and+the+Four+powers ''The Korean Peace process and the Four powers.''] Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate. {{ISBN|9780754636533}}; [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/156055048 OCLC 156055048]
* [[Keith Pratt|Pratt, Keith L.]], [[Richard Rutt]] and [[James Hoare]]. (1999). [https://books.google.com/books?id=e7pyBEWioLsC&q=Korea+:+a+historical+and+cultural+dictionary ''Korea: a Historical and Cultural Dictionary.''] Richmond: Curzon Press. {{ISBN|9780700704637}}; {{ISBN|978-0-7007-0464-4}}; [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/245844259 OCLC 245844259]
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary-inline|tribute}}

[[Category:International relations]]
[[Category:Client state]]
[[Category:Racketeering]]
[[Category:Feudalism]]
[[Category:History of diplomacy]]