Han (Warring States)

{{Infobox country |native_name = {{lang|zh|韓}} |conventional_long_name = Han |common_name = Han |national_motto = |era = Warring States period |status = March → Kingdom |government_type = Monarchy |year_start = 403 BC |year_end = 230 BC |p1 = Jin (Chinese state) |s1 = Qin dynasty |event_start = Partition of Jin |event_end = Conquered by Qin |image_map = EN-HAN260BCE.jpg |capital = Yangzhai (''before'' 375 BC) Xinzheng (''after'' 375 BC) |common_languages = |religion = Chinese folk religion ancestor worship |currency = spade money other ancient Chinese coinage |title_leader = Marquess → King |title_deputy = Chancellor }}

{{Infobox Chinese |pic=Image:HanZhuan2.jpg |picsize=150px |piccap="State of Han" in small seal script (220 BC) |t={{linktext|韓國}} |s={{linktext|韩国}} |p=Hánguó |w=Han-kuo |mi={{IPAc-cmn|h|an|2|g|uo|2}} |gr=Harn-gwo |j=Hon⁴ Gwok³ |y=Hòhn Gwok |tl=Hân-kok |oc-bs=&ast;{{IPA|[g]ˤar [C.q]ʷˤək}} }}

'''Han''' was an ancient Chinese state during the Warring States period. Scholars frequently render the name as '''Hann''' to clearly distinguish it from China's later Han dynasty.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 B.C.|last=Loewe |first=Michael |date=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press|editor2= Edward L. Shaughnessy | editor1= Michael Loewe | author-link= Michael Loewe |isbn=0521470307 |page=xxv |oclc=37361770}}</ref> It was located in central China (modern-day Shanxi and Henan) in a region south and east of Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Zhou. It was ruled by aristocrats of the Ji (姬) family ancestral temple who rose to power as a ministerial family in the state of Jin, and whose power eventually eclipsed that of the Jin ruling house. The partition of Jin which resulted in the states of Han, Wei, and Zhao, marked the beginning of the Warring States period.

The state of Han was small and located in a mountainous and unprofitable region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Han Feizi: Basic Writings |last=Watson |first=Burton |date=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231521321 |location=New York |page=2 |oclc=796815905}}</ref> Its territory directly blocked the passage of the state of Qin into the North China Plain.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}}. Although Han had attempted to reform its governance (notably under Chancellor Shen Buhai who improved state administration and strengthened its military ability)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ancient and early medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference guide |editor1-last= Knechtges |editor1-first=David R. |publisher=Brill |editor2-first= Taiping |editor2-last=Chang |year=2014 |isbn=9789004191273| location=Leiden |pages=874–875|oclc=649419201 | author= David R. Knechtges | chapter = Shenzi 申子 | volume = 2 | doi = 10.1163/9789004201644_002 | editor1-link= David Knechtges }}</ref> these reforms were not enough to defend itself and it was the first of the seven warring states to be conquered by Qin in 230 BC.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cambridge History of China|editor1-last=Fairbank |editor1-first=John K|date=1986|publisher=Cambridge University Press| editor2-first= Denis | editor2-last=Twitchett |isbn=9780521243278 |location=Cambridge |oclc=2424772 | volume= 1: Chʻin and Han | author= Derk Bodde | chapter = The State and Empire of Chʻin | pages=21–98 | editor1-link = John King Fairbank | editor2-link = Denis Twitchett | author-link= Derk Bodde }}</ref>{{rp|45}}

A Qin invasion of Han's Shangdang Commandery in 260 BC and the region's subsequent surrender to Zhao resulted in the Battle of Changping, claimed to be the bloodiest battle of the Warring States period where up to 400,000 soldiers died.<ref name="Lewis 2007">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofimperia00broo/|title=The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han |last= Lewis|first=Mark Edward |date=2007 |publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press |isbn=9780674024779 |location=Cambridge, MA |pages=11–16, 38| oclc=71189868}}</ref>{{rp|[https://archive.org/details/historyofimperia00broo/page/38 38]}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture| first=Qizhi| last =Zhang| publisher=Springer |year=2015 |isbn=9783662464823 |pages=231–232 |oclc=907676443 | doi= 10.1007/978-3-662-46482-3_8 }}</ref>

==History== {{More citations needed section|date=August 2023}}

===Founding=== According to chapter 45 of the ''Records of the Grand Historian'', the royal family of Han was a cadet branch of the royal family of the state of Jin. The founder of the Han clan Wuzi of Han was the uncle of Duke Wu of Jin.{{sfnp|Shiji|loc=vol. 45}}

Members of the family became ministers in the powerful state of Jin and were granted Hanyuan (modern Hancheng in Shaanxi).

===Spring and Autumn period=== During the Spring and Autumn period, members of the Han family slowly gained more and more influence and power within Jin.<ref name=":0" /> In 453 BC, Jing of Han, along with Wen of Wei and Lie of Zhao partitioned Jin among themselves. In Chinese history, this Partition of Jin is the event which marks the end of the Spring and Autumn period and the beginning of the Warring States. Subsequently, Han was an independent polity. King Weilie eventually recognized the new states in 403 BC<ref name=":0" /> and elevated the rulers to {{lang|zh|{{linktext|侯}}}} (''hou'', "marquess").

===Warring States Period=== In 375 Han defeated the neighboring state of Zheng (founded in 806 by the Zhou dynasty). Han conquered and annexed Zheng, thus expanding its territory. Han also moved its capital there, and assimilated Zheng's heritage. This included that of the young politician Shen Buhai (400-337).<ref>Herrlee G. Creel, ''Shen Pu-hai'' (University of Chicago 1974), 7-10, 15, 24-25.</ref><ref>Li Feng, ''Early China'' (Cambridge University 2013), pp. 162-163, 171, 175, 191.</ref>

Han's highest point occurred under the rule of Marquess Xi. Xi appointed Shen Buhai as his chancellor and implemented his Legalist policies. These reforms improved state administration and strengthened its military capability. Under King Xuanhui ({{reigned}} 332–312 BC), Han declared itself an independent kingdom.

However, Han was disadvantaged in the competition of the Warring States period because Jin's partition had left it surrounded on all sides by strong states: Chu to the south, Qi to the east,{{dubious|date=March 2024}} Qin to the west, and Wei to the north. Han was then the smallest of the seven states and was without any easy way to further expand its own territory and resources, It was bullied militarily by its more powerful neighbors.

===Defeat=== During its steady decline, Han eventually lost the power to defend its territory and had to request military assistance from other states. The contest between Wei and Qi over control of Han resulted in the Battle of Maling, which established Qi as the pre-eminent state in the east. In 260 BC, Qin's invasion of Han led to Zhao intervention and the Battle of Changping.

During the late years of the era, in an attempt to drain Qin's resources in an expensive public works project, the state of Han sent the civil engineer Zheng Guo to Qin to persuade them to build a canal. The scheme, while expensive, backfired spectacularly when it was eventually completed: the irrigation abilities of the new Zhengguo Canal far outweighed its cost and gave Qin the agricultural and economic means to dominate the other six states. Han was the first to fall, in 230 BC.

In 226 BC, former nobility of the Han launched a failed rebellion in former capital Xinzheng, and King An, the last king of Han, was put to death the same year.

Han Xin was made a "Prince" or "King of Han" ({{lang|zh|韓王}}) by Liu Bang after the establishment of the Han dynasty ({{lang|zh|漢朝}}). He was removed to Taiyuan Commandery and the territory of the kingdom of Dai, where he defected to the Xiongnu and led raids against the Han Dynasty until his death.

==Culture and society== Before the state of Qin unified China in 221 BC, each region had their own unique customs and culture, although they were all dominated by an upper class that shared a largely common culture. In the ''Yu Gong'' (Tribute of Yu), a section of the ''Book of Documents'' which was most likely composed in the 4th century BC, the author describes a China that is divided into nine regions, each with its own distinctive peoples and products. The core theme of this section is that these nine regions are unified into one state by the travels of the eponymous sage-emperor, Yu the Great, and by sending each region's unique goods to the capital as tribute. Other texts also discussed these regional variations in culture and physical environments.<ref name="Lewis 2007" />{{rp|[https://archive.org/details/historyofimperia00broo/page/11 11–16]}}

One of these texts was ''Wuzi'' (''The Book of Master Wu'') which was a Warring States military treatise written in response to a query by Marquis Wu of Wei on how to cope with the other states. Wu Qi, the author of the work, declared that the government and nature of the people were linked to the physical environment and territory they live in.<ref name="Lewis 2007" />{{rp|[https://archive.org/details/historyofimperia00broo/page/12 12]}} Of Han, he said:

{{quotation|The two states of Han and Zhao train their troops rigorously but have difficulty in applying their skills to the battlefield.|Wuzi, ''Master Wu''}}

{{quotation|Han and Zhao are states of the Central Plain. Theirs are a gentle people, weary from war and experienced in arms, but have little regard for their generals. The soldiers' salaries are meager and their officers have no strong commitment to their countries. Although their troops are experienced, they cannot be expected to fight to the death. To defeat them, we must concentrate large numbers of troops in our attacks to present them with certain peril. When they counterattack, we must be prepared to defend our positions vigorously and make them pay dearly. When they retreat, we must pursue and give them no rest. This will grind them down.|Wuzi, ''Master Wu''}}

==In the Han Feizi== Chapter 19 of the Han Feizi recalls Qin's conquest of Ye from the Zhao, dated to 236bc. The chapter says: "To-day, Han, being a small state, is relying upon big powers. Her sovereign, paying little attention to the law, takes every word from Qin. The above-mentioned small states, having relied upon Wey, Ch`i, Ching, and Wu for support, went to ruin one after another. Thus reliance on others is not sufficient to extend the native soil." Seemingly written from the context of the late Han state, the chapter might have preceded its fall in 230bc, or either Zhao and Wei if the latter had only yet ceded territory.<ref>Bertil Lundahl 1992. p190. Han Feizi, the Man and the Work</ref>

==Rulers== {{anchor|list|marquises|list of marquises|kings|list of kings}} {| class="wikitable" ! width=180 | Title ! width=180 | Name ! width=180 | Reign ! width=180 | Alternative Title(s) |- align="center" ! colspan="4" |Pre-State sovereigns |- align="center" | Wuzi 韓武子 | Hán Wàn 韓萬 | | |- align="center" |- align="center" | Qiubo 韓賕伯 | ''unknown'' | | |- align="center" |- align="center" | Dingbo 韓定伯 | Hán Jiǎn 韓簡 | | |- align="center" |- align="center" | Ziyu 韓子輿 | Hán Yú 韓輿 | | |- align="center" |- align="center" | Xianzi 韓獻子 | Hán Jué 韓厥 | | |- align="center" | Xuanzi 韓宣子 | Hán Qǐ 韓起 | | |- align="center" | Zhenzi 韓貞子 | Hán Xū 韓須 | | |- align="center" | Jianzi 韓簡子 | Hán Bùxìn 韓不信 | | |- align="center" | Zhuangzi 韓莊子 | Hán Gēng 韓庚 | | |- align="center" | Kangzi 韓康子 | Hán Hǔ 韓虎 | | |- align="center" | Wuzi 韓武子 | Hán Qǐzhāng 韓啓章 | 424 BC – 409 BC | |- align="center" ! colspan="4" |State sovereigns |- align="center" | Marquess Jing 韓景侯 | Hán Qián 韓虔 | 408 BC – 400 BC | |- align="center" | Marquess Lie 韓烈侯 | Hán Qǔ 韓取 | 399 BC – 387 BC | Marquess Wu ({{lang|zh-hant|韓武侯}}) |- align="center" | Marquess Wen 韓文侯 | ''unknown'' | 386 BC – 377 BC | |- align="center" | Marquess Ai 韓哀侯 | ''unknown'' | 376 BC – 374 BC | |- align="center" | Marquess Gong 韓共侯 | Hán Ruòshān 韓若山 | 374 BC – 363 BC | Marquess Zhuang ({{lang|zh-hant|韓莊侯}}) Marquess Yi ({{lang|zh-hant|韓懿侯}}) |- align="center" | Marquess Xi 韓厘侯 | Hán Wǔ 韓武 | 362 BC – 333 BC | Marquess Zhao ({{lang|zh-hant|韓昭侯}}) |- align="center" | King Xuanhui 韓宣惠王 | ''unknown'' | 332 BC – 312 BC | King Xuan ({{lang|zh-hant|韓宣王}}) Marquess Wei ({{lang|zh-hant|韓威侯}}), before 323 BC |- align="center" | King Xiang 韓襄王 | Hán Cāng 韓倉 | 311 BC – 296 BC | King Xiang'ai ({{lang|zh-hant|韓襄哀王}}) King Daoxiang ({{lang|zh-hant|韓悼襄王}}) |- align="center" | King Xi 韓釐王 | Hán Jiù 韓咎 | 295 BC – 273 BC | |- align="center" | King Huanhui 韓桓惠王 | ''unknown'' | 272 BC – 239 BC | |- align="center" | King An 韓王安 | Hán Ān 韓安 | 238 BC – 230 BC | |}

==Rulers family tree==

==Famous people== * Han Fei, a Legalist philosopher * Zhang Liang, a major figure in the early Han dynasty * Zheng Guo, the hydraulic engineer who designed the Zhengguo Canal for Qin

==Han in astronomy== {{main|Chinese constellations}} Han is represented by the star 35 Capricorni<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/capricornus.htm | work = Ian Ridpath's Startales | title= Capricornus the Sea Goat | author= Ian Ridpath | access-date= 5 August 2023 }}</ref> in the "Twelve States" asterism, part of the "Girl" lunar mansion in the "Black Turtle" symbol. Han is also represented by the star Zeta Ophiuchi in the "Right Wall" asterism, part of the "Heavenly Market" enclosure.<ref>{{cite web | work= Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy | url= http://aeea.nmns.edu.tw/2006/0606/ap060624.html | script-work= zh:天文教育資訊網 | date= 24 Jun 2006 | language= zh | editor= Chen Huihua (陳輝樺) | script-title= zh:中國古代的星象系統 (55)：天市右垣、車肆 | access-date= 27 December 2010 | archive-date= 4 April 2019 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190404010915/http://aeea.nmns.edu.tw/2006/0606/ap060624.html | url-status= dead }}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|2}} * {{ cite book | author1= Sima Qian | author1-link= Sima Qian | author2= Sima Tan| author2-link= Sima Tan | script-title=zh:史記 | title= Records of the Grand Historian | orig-year= 90s BCE | year = 1959 | publisher= Zhonghua Shuju | chapter=45: 韓世家 | ref={{sfnref|Shiji}} }} * {{ cite book | editor = Sima Guang | editor-link= Sima Guang| title= Zizhi Tongjian | title-link= Zizhi Tongjian| orig-date= 1084 | date= 1934 | publisher= Zhonghua Shuju| place= Hong Kong | ref={{sfnref|Zizhi Tongjian|1084}} |chapter= vol. 1–6 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han}} Category:Han (Warring States) Category:403 BC Category:States and territories established in the 5th century BC Category:States of the Warring States period Category:Jin (Chinese state) Category:Zheng (state) Category:History of Henan Category:230 BC Category:States and territories disestablished in the 3rd century BC Category:3rd-century BC disestablishments in China Category:5th-century BC establishments in China Category:Former monarchies of East Asia