Taishan Commandery ( zh, 泰山郡) was a historical
commandery
In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...
of China in present-day
Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
province, existing from
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
to
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...
.
Taishan Commandery was created in 122 BC, when the king of
Jibei offered the land surrounding
Mount Tai
Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being t ...
to the Han emperor. This region, together with a few counties from
Jinan Commandery, formed the basis of Taishan Commandery. In 88 BC, Jibei was abolished, and its territories were merged into Taishan. In late Western Han dynasty, the commandery administered 24 counties: Fenggao (奉高), Bo (博), Cha (茬), Lu (盧),
Feicheng (肥成), Yiqiu (蛇丘), Gang (剛), Chai (柴), Gai (蓋), Liangfu (梁父), Dongpingyang (東平陽), Nanwuyang (南武陽),
Laiwu
Laiwu () was a prefecture-level city in central Shandong Province (China), Province, China. Bordered the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east and Tai'an to the southwest, it was the smallest prefecture-level city in the p ...
(萊蕪), Juping (鉅平), Ying (嬴), Mu (牟),
Mengyin (蒙陰), Hua (華), Ningyang (寧陽), Chengqiu (乘丘), Fuyang (富陽), Taoshan (桃山), Taoxiang (桃鄉), Shi (式). The population in 2 AD was 726,604, in 172,086 households.
Several of the counties were abolished in early Eastern Han. In 90 AD, Jibei Kingdom was reestablished, and 3 counties (Lu, Yiqiu, Gang) was transferred to the new kingdom. In 140, Taishan covered 12 counties, including Fenggao, Bo, Liangfu, Juping, Cha, Laiwu, Gai, Nanwuyang, Nancheng (南城, formerly part of
Donghai Commandery),
Fei (費, formerly part of Donghai) and Mu. The population was 437,317.
After
Jin reunification, Taishan administered 11 counties in 280, namely Fenggao, Bo, Ying, Nancheng, Liangfu, Shanchi (山茌, formerly Cha),
Xintai (新泰, formerly Pingyang), Nanwuyang, Laiwu, Mu and Juping, with a total population of 9,300 households.
['']Book of Jin
The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...
'', Chapter 14. After the
Disaster of Yongjia, the commandery was successively ruled by
Later Zhao
Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350 AD, known in historiography as the Later Zhao (; 319–351) or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the ...
,
Former Yan
Yan, known in historiography as the Former Yan (; 337–370), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Murong clan of the Xianbei during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. From Liaoning, the Former Yan later conquered and ruled over Hebei, Shaanxi, ...
,
Former Qin
Qin, known as the Former Qin and Fu Qin (苻秦) in historiography, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China ruled by the Fu (Pu) clan of the Di (Five Barbarians), Di peoples during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Founded in the wake of ...
and
Southern Yan, until it was conquered by
Liu Yu of the
Liu Song dynasty
Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern dynasties (南朝宋) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties peri ...
.
Northern Wei
Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...
conquered the region during
Emperor Ming of Song's reign. In
Northern Wei
Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...
, 6 counties, Juping, Fenggao, Boping, Ying, Mu and Liangfu, were in the commandery, with a total population of 91,673 in 26,800 households.
['']Book of Wei
The ''Book of Wei'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Wei Shu'', is a classic Chinese historical text compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and is an important text describing the history of the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei from 386 to 5 ...
'', Chapter 106. The commandery was abolished in
Northern Qi
Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties during the ...
.
References
{{Han dynasty provinces
Commanderies of the Han dynasty
Commanderies of the Jin dynasty (266–420)
Commanderies of the Southern dynasties
Commanderies of the Northern dynasties