Wei (), known in historiography as Zhai Wei (), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Dingling people that existed from 388 to 392, during the

Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by ...

period of

Chinese history The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...

. Its founder

Zhai Liao Zhai Liao (; died 391) was a leader of the western Dingling horde and the founder of the Dingling-led Zhai Wei dynasty of China. During his reign, he used the monarchical title of Heavenly King. Early career Zhai Liao, a royal family member of ...

had previously been vacillating between being a vassal of the Later Yan,

Western Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Western Yan (; 384–394) was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xianbei ethnicity. The dynasty existed during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms, but it is not counted among the 16. It was founded by Murong Hong i ...

, and Eastern Jin dynasties, and in 388, after his last overture to reconcile with Later Yan's emperor Murong Chui was rejected, he founded his own dynasty, over the territory of modern central and eastern

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

. In 392, Zhai Wei, then under Zhai Liao's son

Zhai Zhao Zhai Zhao (; died 393) was the second and last monarch of the Dingling-led Chinese Zhai Wei dynasty. During his reign, he used the monarchical title of Heavenly King. Zhai Zhao's father Zhai Liao had, after rebelling against Eastern Jin dynast ...

, was destroyed by Later Yan forces. Because of its relatively small size and short lifespan, Zhai Wei is not included by historians among the Sixteen Kingdoms. The rulers of Zhai Wei used the title "Heavenly King" (''

Tian Wang Heavenly King or Tian Wang () is a Chinese title for various religious deities and divine leaders throughout history, as well as an alternate form of the term ''Son of Heaven'', referring to the emperor. The Chinese term for Heavenly King consist ...

'').

Rulers of Wei

Family tree

References

* * {{16 Kingdoms 388 establishments 392 disestablishments 4th-century establishments in China 4th-century disestablishments in China Former countries in Chinese history Dynasties in Chinese history

Rulers of Wei

Family tree

See also

References