Partition Of Jin
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The Partition of Jin (), the watershed between the Spring and Autumn and
Warring States The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
periods, refers to the division of the State of Jin between rival families into the three states of
Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
, Zhao and Wei. As a result, the three states were often referred to as the "Three Jins" (). Because the process took several decades, there is some debate between scholars as to the year which best marks the true partition of Jin. state the most common dates picked by historians are 481, 475, 468, and 403 BCE. The last date, according to
Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the monumental history book ''Zizhi Tongjian''. Sima was ...
marks the conferring of
Marquessate A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
s by
King Weilie of Zhou King Weilie of Zhou (), personal name Jī Wǔ, was the thirty-second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the twentieth of the Eastern Zhou. His reign started in 425 BC, after his father King Kao of Zhou had died and lasted until his death in 402 ...
on Wei Si, ruler of the
State of Wei Wei (; ; Old Chinese: *') was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Zhao. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and Qi ...
; Zhao Ji, ruler of the
State of Zhao Zhao () was one of the seven major State (Ancient China), states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han (state), Han and Wei (state), Wei, in the 5th century BC. ...
, and Han Qian, ruler of the
State of Han Han (, Old Chinese: ''*'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Warring States period of ancient China. It is conventionally romanized by scholars as Hann to distinguish it from the later Han dynasty (). It was located in central China ...
. In 386 BCE, the states of Han, Wei and Zhao deposed Duke Jing of Jin and divided the last remaining Jin territory between themselves, which marked the end of the Jin state.


Background

Succession issues were constant in Jin as far back as seventh century BCE. Even when, for example,
King Xi of Zhou King Xi of Zhou (died 677 BC) (), personal name Jī Húqí, was the sixteenth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the fourth of the Eastern Zhou. He was a successor of his father King Zhuang of Zhou, and was succeeded by his son, King Hui of Zhou ...
used his royal clout to give legitimacy to Wu of Quwo as the rightful duke of Jin in 678 BCE, succession issues continued to arise. At the same time that the Jin duke was conquering new lands, a process of "subinfeudation" or "rear vassalage" occurred in the early and middle parts of the Spring and Autumn period, wherein aristocratic title and territory were awarded to vassals loyal to Jin, rather than to the Zhou royalty. However, Jin was unique among the major states in a major respect; whereas other states often
enfeoffed In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...
the cadet branches of the ruling house, Jin had a policy of exiling or disempowering its own cadet houses. Instead, powerful ministerial families arose which were given fiefs like cadet houses in other states. For example, the house of Zhao descended from
Zhao Cui Zhao Cui (died 622 BCE), posthumously known as Zhao Chengzi (; Chengzi of Zhao), courtesy name Ziyu (子餘), was a Chinese monarch. He was a dafu of Duke Wen of the Jin state during the Spring and Autumn period. He was the clan leader of Zha ...
, while the house of Wei descended from Wei Chou, both of whom were retainers of
Duke Wen of Jin Duke Wen of Jin (697–628BC), born Chong'er (literally "Double Ears"), was a scion of the royal house of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. He famously endured a long period of exile from his realm before finally bei ...
; the house of Han in turn descended from Han Wan, who was an uncle of Duke Wu of Jin. Over time, while other powerful states (like Chu) were centralizing power through a rising bureaucracy, Jin continued to have a feudal power structure with aristocratic families ruling even individual counties. Over the course of a few generations, the major aristocratic families gained enough power to undermine the ruling duke's authority. During most of the seventh and sixth centuries BCE, Jin was composed of an assortment of semi-independent city-states fighting each other and the Jin Duke as much as they fought other states. In one extreme case,
Viscount Xian of Xi A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
, a retainer of Duke Jing of Jin, attempted to invade the
state of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded shortly ...
with only the troops under his command.


Growing aristocracy

The House of Zhao (趙/赵) gained in prominence after Duke Wen placed them in charge of newly conquered lands. such that, in 607 BCE, they deposed a duke that attempted to curb their political power. The Xian clan (先) was eliminated in 596 BCE.
Duke Li of Jin Duke Li of Jin (, reigned 580–573 BC) was a ruler of the State of Jin, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Zhoupu (州蒲), though ''Shiji'' records his given name as Shoum ...
encouraged the Luan clan (栾) to lead a military coalition that squashed the rising power of the Xi clan (郤). Subsequently, in 573, Luan supporters had Duke Li murdered and placed a puppet on the throne and the clan was then itself eliminated by 550, making the Zhi, Zhao, and Han (韩) clans the most powerful at about this time. Soon after, the Wei clan (魏) also grew in power. In the leadup to the civil war, the dominant clans were the Zhao, Wei, Han, Fan (范), Zhi (智) and Zhonghang (中行) who were collectively called the "Six Titled Retainers" (). These six aristocratic families dominated Jin in the late Spring and Autumn period, basically using the ruling duke as a figurehead until Jin was split into three separate states.


Civil war

After the 546 BCE truce agreement between Jin and Chu (itself prompted in part by Jin's internal difficulties), conflicts between aristocrats and with the Duke escalated and a civil war (497-453 BCE) commenced. In 514 BCE, Yangshe clan and Qi clan's force was destroyed by the conspiracy of Zhao, Han, Wei, Zhi, Zhonghang and Fan clan. During the time of
Duke Ding of Jin Duke Ding of Jin (, died 475 BC) was from 511 to 475 BC the ruler of the state of Jin, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Wu, and Duke Ding was his posthumous title. He suc ...
(511-475), the Fan and Zhonghang clans were in turn eliminated, leaving only the Zhi, Zhao, Han, and Wei clans remaining. By about 450s BCE, the Zhi clan was the most dominant and began demanding territory from the other clans.


Zhao's internal conflicts

In 497 BCE,
Handan Wu Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shan ...
of
Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...
's Zhao and
Jianzi Jianzi (), tī jianzi (踢毽子), tī jian (踢毽) or jianqiú (毽球), is a traditional Chinese national sport in which players aim to keep a heavily weighted shuttlecock in the air by using their bodies, apart from the hands, unlike in si ...
of Jinyang's Zhao became enemies with each other over 500 hundred soldiers' ownership. Jianzi of Zhao insisted that Handan should transfer the 500 soldiers to Jinyang. After consulting with his clansmen, Handan Wu (or Zhao Wu of Handan) refused his cousin Jianzi. Jianzi summoned Wu and imprisoned him for his trespass against the main branch of Zhao clan. Later, Wu was executed by Jianzi. The clan conflicts within the Zhao clan escalated to a higher level after the execution of Handan Wu. Wenzi of Zhonghang, whose nephew was executed, was enraged. Zhaozi of Fan, who intermarried with Zhonghang clan, was also concerned with Zhao's imprudence on the matter of Handan's execution. When Handan Ji and Shebing started their rebellion against Jinyang's Zhao, Zhonghang and Fan clan intervened and supported the demands of Handan clan. In August, 497 BCE, Zhonghang, Fan and Handan attacked Zhao's force and defeated him. Zhonghang and Fan's triumphs caused other vassal clans of the Duke of Jin to worry.
Jianzi of Han Jianzi (), tī jianzi (踢毽子), tī jian (踢毽) or jianqiú (毽球), is a traditional Chinese national sport in which players aim to keep a heavily weighted shuttlecock in the air by using their bodies, apart from the hands, unlike in sim ...
, Xiangzi of Wei and Wenzi of Zhi invaded Zhonghang and Fan's fief under the name of
Duke Ding of Jin Duke Ding of Jin (, died 475 BC) was from 511 to 475 BC the ruler of the state of Jin, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Wu, and Duke Ding was his posthumous title. He suc ...
. Wenzi of Zhonghang and Zhaozi of Fan eventually lost their struggle against Han, Zhao, Wei and Zhi. Their attempt of attacking the united force with the Jin duke inside was disastrous. After the battle, Zhonghang and Fan fled to Chao Ge while Jianzi of Zhao returned to the state of Jin. The Handan conflict led to the decline of Zhonghang and Fan clan which prepared the way for the formation of Han, Zhao and Wei's hegemony in Jin's court. Fan clan's resistance in Chao Ge was supported by
Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...
, Qi, Lu, Wey and
Zheng Zheng may refer to: *Zheng (surname), Chinese surname (鄭, 郑, ''Zhèng'') *Zheng County, former name of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, China *Guzheng (), a Chinese zither with bridges *Qin Shi Huang (259 BC – 210 BC), emperor of the Qin Dynasty, ...
. Jianzi of Zhao waged numerous battles with the aim of eliminating Fan clan. In 471 BCE, Handan clan was eliminated by Jianzi. In 470 BCE, Zhaozi of Fan lost all his lands and fled to the state of Qi.


The Battle of Jinyang

Acting on his own accord, the Jin Minister
Zhi Xiangzi Zhi Yao (), Xun Yao (), or Zhi Boyao (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Zhi Xiangzi (), was the ruler of Zhi, a vassal state of Jin (Chinese state), Jin during the late Spring and Autumn period. He was the son of Zhi Shen. He was the last ...
() used the Zhi clan's place in the Jin court to intimidate and demand territory from ministers Han Kangzi () of the Han clan and Wei Huanzi of the Wei clan. After
Zhao Xiangzi Zhao Wuxu ( zh, 趙毋卹, reigned 458 BCE – 425 BCE), also known by the posthumous name Xiangzi (襄子), was the head of the state of Zhao, house of Zhao in the Jin (Chinese state), Jin state in late Spring and Autumn period. Early life Wuxu w ...
() of the Zhao clan rejected Zhi Xiangzi's demands in 455 BCE, Zhi Xiangzi attacked the Zhao clan while compelling the Han and Wei clans to send troops. Zhao Xiangzi retreated to the Jin city of Jinyang in 455 BCE, and the united forces laid siege for two years while also diverting water supplies away from the city. Faced with a critical situation, Zhao Xiangzi sent an envoy who persuaded the Han and Wei clans to change sides. They arrived and diverted a huge stream of water that split Zhi Xiangzi's camp in two, then captured and killed Zhi Xiangzi. In 453 BCE, the Zhao, Han, and Wei clans annihilated the Zhi clan. As their respective powers were so balanced, none of the three remaining aristocratic families felt they could feasibly gain an upper hand over the others. So, in 403 BCE, they divided the state's lands among themselves into the "three Jins" of Wei,
Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
, and Zhao. All three states quickly formed strong bureaucracies, thereby weakening the potential for any aristocratic families from encroaching on their power. This same year,
King Weilie of Zhou King Weilie of Zhou (), personal name Jī Wǔ, was the thirty-second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the twentieth of the Eastern Zhou. His reign started in 425 BC, after his father King Kao of Zhou had died and lasted until his death in 402 ...
proclaimed Jin, Wei, Han, and Zhao as equals.


Remaining Jin lands

Duke Ai of Jin died in 434 BCE and was succeeded by Duke You of Jin. The Han, Zhao and Wei clans divided up surplus Jin territory amongst themselves, leaving only
Jiang County Jiang County or Jiangxian () is a county in the south of Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the pr ...
and
Quwo County Quwo County () is a county under the administration of Linfen city, in southern Shanxi Province Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The ca ...
(both in modern-day
Shanxi Province Shanxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is ...
) for Duke You of Jin. Because Zhao Xiangzi was the younger son who forced his way to the inheritance, he decided to name his elder brother
Zhao Bolu Zhao may refer to: * Zhao (surname) (赵), a Chinese surname ** commonly spelled Chao in Taiwan or up until the early 20th century in other regions ** Chiu, from the Cantonese pronunciation ** Cho (Korean surname), represent the Hanja 趙 (Chinese ...
() and his descendants as heir, with Bolu's grandson
Zhao Xianzi Marquess Xian of Zhao (died 409 BC) () or Zhao Xianzi was a leader of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period (475-220 BC) of ancient China. Born Zhào Huàn (), he was the son of Zhao Zhou (), grandson of Zhao Bolu () and the eldest b ...
() eventually becoming heir apparent. However, after Zhao Xiangzi died, his son
Zhao Huanzi Zhao may refer to: * Zhao (surname) (赵), a Chinese surname ** commonly spelled Chao in Taiwan or up until the early 20th century in other regions ** Chiu, from the Cantonese pronunciation ** Cho (Korean surname), represent the Hanja 趙 (Chines ...
() banished Zhao Xianzi and appointed himself ruler of the Zhao estates and paramount minister of Jin. Zhao Huanzi himself died a year later, whereupon the Zhao clan and vassals killed all of his sons and invited Zhao Xianzi back. Later on, Zhao Xianzi's son Marquess Lie of Zhao succeeded as ruler. In 349 BCE, the Han and Zhao states divided the remaining Jin territory between themselves, thus marked the end of the state of State of Jin.


References


Bibliography

* * * * *{{citation , last=Zhao , first=Dingxin , year=2004 , title=Comment: Spurious Causation in a Historical Process: War and Bureaucratization in Early China , journal=American Sociological Review , volume=69 , issue=4 , pages=603–607 , doi=10.1177/000312240406900407 , s2cid=143734027 Jin (Chinese state) Han (state) Partition (politics)