The Seven Warring States or Seven Kingdoms ( traditional Chinese : 戰國七雄 ; simplified Chinese : 战国七雄 ; pinyin : zhàn guó qī xióng ) were the seven leading hegemonic states during the Warring States period (c. 475 to 221 BC) of Ancient China :
22-536: During the Eastern Zhou dynasty , the weakened Zhou central sovereignty quickly lost control of its confederate vassal states , and the numerous autonomous states began overreaching and expanding their political ambitions via diplomacy and warfare, sparking a period of chaotic conflicts known as the Spring and Autumn period . After most of the smaller, weaker states were conquered and annexed by larger states,
44-642: A policy "Revere the king, expel the barbarians" ( 尊王攘夷 , see Sonnō jōi ). Adopting and adhering to it, Duke Huan of Qi assembled the vassals to strike down the threat of barbarians from the country. During the Warring States period, many of the leading vassals' clamoring for kingship further limited the Zhou royal family's influence. In 635 BCE, the Chaos of Prince Dai took place. King Xiang of Zhou turned to Duke Wen of Jin for help, who killed Prince Dai and
66-610: The Warring States period ( c. 481 – 221 BCE), which saw the consolidation of territory and escalation of interstate warfare and administrative sophistication. In 770 BCE, the Zhou capital was moved from Haojing (Chang'an County in Xi'an City) to Chengzhou , near present-day Luoyang .. With the death of King You of Zhou , the last king of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Crown Prince Yijiu
88-676: The Seven Warring States, the state of Qin grew to be the strongest and eventually conquered and successfully annexed the other six states; Han was the first to fall in 230 BCE, while Qi was the last to surrender in 221 BCE. Ying Zheng , the King of Qin, created the new title of Huangdi and became China's first emperor , Qin Shi Huang . The Qin state then became the Qin dynasty , and China entered its Imperial era , which lasted over
110-513: The Zhou royal authority over the various feudal states started to decline, as more and more dukes and marquesses obtained de facto regional autonomy, defied the king's court in Luoyi, and waged wars amongst themselves. The gradual partition of Jin , one of the most powerful states, marked the end of the Spring and Autumn period and the beginning of the Warring States period. The Warring States period
132-742: The dominant states of the period, in direct competition with the State of Jin . In 403 BCE, King Weilie of Zhou recognized Jin's partition, leading to the creation of three new states: Wei , Zhao and Han . Other major states included Wu and Yue , with the latter conquering the former in 473 BCE. Minor Chinese and sinicized states and polities continued to exist well into the Warring States Era, such as Shu (annexed by Qin in 316 BCE), Zhongshan (annexed by Zhao in 296 BCE), Song (annexed by Qi in 286 BCE), Lu (annexed by Chu in 256 or 249 BCE). These political changes led to changes amongst
154-417: The geopolitical landscape eventually became dominated by seven most powerful states, and wars became increasingly pitched and violent. Over the Warring States period, many of the seven states underwent bureaucratic and military reforms in order to mobilise resources on a greater scale. This led to an intensification of warfare over the period, but also led to significant economic and cultural developments. Of
176-456: The king of Zhou was not able to master the country. Constantly, he would have to turn to the powerful vassals for help. The most important vassals (known later as the twelve vassals) came together in regular conferences where they decided important matters, such as military expeditions against foreign groups or against offending nobles. During these conferences one vassal ruler was sometimes declared hegemon . Chancellor Guan Zhong of Qi initiated
198-648: The king's court in Luoyi, and waging wars amongst themselves. The second half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, from 475 to 221 BCE, was called the Warring States period , during which the King of Zhou gradually lost his power and ruled merely as a figurehead. After moving the capital east, the Zhou royal family fell into a state of decline. Also, King Ping's popularity fell as rumors went that he had killed his father. With vassals becoming increasingly powerful, strengthening their position through defeating other rival states, and increasing invasion from neighboring countries,
220-486: The latter half of the Zhou dynasty , following the Zhou royal court's relocation eastward to Chengzhou , near present-day Luoyang . The Eastern Zhou was characterised by the weakened authority of the Zhou royal house. It is subdivided into two parts: the Spring and Autumn period ( c. 771 – c. 481 BCE ), during which the ancient aristocracy still held power in a large number of separate polities, and
242-548: The next two millennia. The formation of the Seven Warring States was the culmination of trends during the preceding Spring and Autumn period , when the patchwork of states created by the Western Zhou dynasty were conquered and absorbed through warfare, coalescing into seven larger polities. Qin, Qi, Chu and Yan already existed as states during that period; Qin and Yan, owing to their remote locations, were traditionally considered second-tier powers, while Chu and Qi were among
SECTION 10
#1732765576668264-519: The reigning dynasty. At the time of King Nan of Zhou , the kings of Zhou had lost almost all political and military power, as even their remaining crown land was split into two states or factions, led by rival feudal lords: West Zhou, where the capital Wangcheng was located, and East Zhou, centered at Chengzhou and Kung. King Nan of Zhou managed to preserve his weakened dynasty through diplomacy and conspiracies for fifty-nine years until his deposition and death by Qin in 256 BCE. Seven years later, West Zhou
286-587: The ruling families as well: in 481 BCE, the Tian clan usurped the state of Qi in a coup and replaced the ruling Jiang clan. Meanwhile, the state of Jin, which had been controlled by different noble clans for decades, was partitioned between the Han, Zhao and Wei clans in 403 BCE. Eastern Zhou dynasty The Eastern Zhou ( c. 771 – 256 BCE) is a period in Chinese history comprising
308-534: The time of King Zhao of Zhou (r. 996–977 BCE), further reinforcement of the eastern part of the Zhou kingdom took place thus Chéngzhōu became the major center of operations. In King You of Zhou 's reign (r. 781–771 BCE), the Marquess of Shen with support from Quanrong nomads from the west overran Hàojīng heralding the end of the Western Zhou dynasty. All the royal buildings in the settlement were razed to
330-535: Was also known as Zōngzhōu to indicate its role as the capital of the vassal states. During the reign of King Cheng of Zhou (r. 1042–1021 BCE), the Duke of Zhou built a second settlement at Luoyi , also known as Chengzhou ( 成周 ), in order to reinforce control of the eastern part of the kingdom. From then on, although King Cheng was permanently stationed in Chengzhou, Haojing remained the main operations center. At
352-460: Was an era in ancient Chinese history following the Spring and Autumn period, concluding with the Qin wars of conquest . Those wars resulted in the annexation of all other contender states, completed with the Qin state's victory in 221 BCE. That meant that the Qin state became the first unified Chinese empire, known as the Qin dynasty . Haojing Hao or Haojing , also called Zongzhou ( 宗周 ),
374-521: Was conquered by Qin. The dominant material for making tools had become iron by the end of the Eastern Zhou; as such, it is considered to be the beginning of the Iron Age in China. There was a considerable development in agriculture with a consecutive increase in population. There were constantly fights between vassals to scramble for lands or other resources. People started using copper coins. Education
396-549: Was made universal for civilians. The boundaries between the nobility and the civilians subsided. A revolutionary transformation of the society was taking place, to which the patriarchal clan system made by the Zhou Dynasty could no longer adapt. The period's name derives from the Spring and Autumn Annals , a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 and 479 BCE, which tradition associates with Confucius . During this period,
418-531: Was one of the two settlements comprising the capital of the Western Zhou dynasty (1066–770 BCE), the other being Fēng or Fēngjīng ( 灃京 ). Together they were known as Fenghao and stood on opposite banks of the Feng River ( 沣河 ): with Feng on west bank and Hao on the east bank. Archaeological discoveries indicate that the ruins of Haojing lie next to the Feng River around the north end of Doumen Subdistrict ( 斗门街道 ) in present-day Xi'an , Shaanxi Province . It
440-556: Was proclaimed the new king by the nobles from the states of Zheng , Lü , Qin and the Marquess of Shen . He became King Ping of Zhou . In the second year of his reign, he moved the capital east to Luoyi as Quanrong people invaded Haojing, spelling the end of the Western Zhou dynasty. The first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, from approximately 771 to 476 BCE, was called the Spring and Autumn period , during which more and more dukes and marquesses obtained regional autonomy, defying
462-548: Was rewarded with rule over Henei and Yangfan. In 632 BCE, King Xiang of Zhou was forced by Duke Wen of Jin to attend the conference of vassals in Jiantu. In 606, King Zhuang of Chu inquired for the first time regarding the "weight of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons " only to be rebuffed by the Zhou minister Wangsun Man ( 王孫滿 ). Asking such a question was, at that time, a direct challenge to the power and authority of
SECTION 20
#1732765576668484-425: Was the center of government for King Wu of Zhou (r. 1046-1043 BCE). King Wen of Zhou (r. 1099-1056 BCE) moved the Zhou capital eastward from Qíyì ( 岐邑 ) to Fēngjīng; his son King Wu later relocated across the river to Haojing, next to a certain lake Hao (鎬池). Fēngjīng became the site of the Zhou ancestral shrine and gardens whilst Haojing contained the royal residence and government headquarters. The settlement
#667332