Yan (燕國) was a kingdom/principality in early Imperial China. It first appeared during the interregnum between the Qin and Han dynasties as one of the

Eighteen Kingdoms The historiographical term "Eighteen Kingdoms" ( zh, t=十八國), also translated to as "Eighteen States", refers to the eighteen ''fengjian'' states in China created by military leader Xiang Yu in 206 BCE, after the collapse of the Qin dynasty.� ...

created by

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...

, and was subsequently dissolved and recreated multiple times, mainly during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. It was eventually dissolved in the

War of the Eight Princes The War of the Eight Princes, Rebellion of the Eight Kings, or Rebellion of the Eight Princes () was a series of civil wars among kings/princes (Chinese: ''wáng'' 王) of the Chinese Jin dynasty from 291 to 306 AD. The key point of contention in ...

during the Jin dynasty.

History

The first

Prince of Yan Prince or King of Yan () was a Chinese feudal title referring to the ancient Chinese State of Yan and to its fiefs including the capital Yanjing (located within modern Beijing). Typically, the title is translated as "King of Yan" for rulers prio ...

was

Zang Tu Zang Tu (died 202 BC) was a warlord who lived during the late Qin dynasty and early Han dynasty of China. Biography Zang Tu was originally a military general serving under Han Guang, the king of the Yan state. Around 207 BC, when rebellions bro ...

, a national of the former

Yan state Yan (; Old Chinese pronunciation: ''*'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing). During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu ...

in the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

who served under Xiang Yu during the rebellion against the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

. In 202 BC, Zang swore fealty to

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emper ...

, the founder of

. Later that year, Zang rebelled against Han, and was captured and executed. Yan was subsequently granted to

Lu Wan Lu Wan (died 194 BC) was an official and vassal king of the early Han dynasty. He served under Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. Early life Lu Wan was from Feng Town (), which is in present-day Feng County, J ...

, a trusted general and early follower of the emperor. In 195 BC, Lu defected to

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

, and the land was granted to Liu Jian (劉建), the eighth son of Liu Bang. He died In 182 BC, and his only heir was killed by

Empress Dowager Lü An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

. Afterwards, the principality passed to Lü Tong, the grandson of a brother of the empress dowager. Lü Tong was killed in the campaign to eliminate the Lü Clan only one year later. In 180 BC, Liu Ze (劉澤), a former Prince of Langya, was granted the Principality of Yan. Yan's territory and autonomy were much reduced during

Emperor Jing of Han Emperor Jing of Han (Liu Qi (劉啟); 188 BC – 9 March 141 BC) was the sixth emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 157 to 141 BC. His reign saw the limiting of the power of the feudal kings/princes which resulted in the Rebellion of the Sev ...

's reign. The Yan territories in early Han dynasty consisted of six Qin-era commanderies, including Shanggu, Yuyang, Youbeiping, Liaoxi, Liaodong and Guangyang. Five of them were revoked around 155 BC, and the remaining territory was equivalent to the

Guangyang Commandery Guangyang Commandery ( zh, 廣陽郡), at times also Guangyang Principality ( zh, 廣陽國), was a territory of early imperial China located in modern Hebei and Beijing. Western Han dynasty Guangyang Commandery was first established during Qin Sh ...

of Qin dynasty. The kingdom passed to his grandson Liu Dingguo (定國), Dingguo practiced incest with his own daughters as well as concubines of his father and brother, and committed suicide after the act was exposed in 128 BC. After his death, the territory was taken over by the imperial central government and administered as a

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 ...

. In 117 BC, the principality was recreated and granted to Liu Dan, a son of Emperor Wu. He committed suicide in 80 AD after two failed attempts of rebellion. Afterwards, the territories was reorganized into

. In

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

, Guangyang Commandery again became the fief of Princes of Yan. The title was first granted to

Cao Yu Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 — December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important of the 20th century. His best-known works are ''Thunderstorm'' (1933), ''Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man'' (1940). ...

in 232 AD. After the Jin dynasty was established, the principality was granted to Sima Ji (司馬機), and

Yuyang Commandery Yuyang Commandery ( zh, 漁陽郡) was a commandery in imperial China from Qin dynasty to Tang dynasty. It was located in present-day Hebei province as well as Beijing and Tianjin municipalities. The commandery was established by the state of Yan, ...

was added to its territory. The principality was dissolved after the

.''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the 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, with chancellor Fang X ...

'', Chapter 38.

List of rulers

(臧荼), 206 BC – 202 BC; *

(盧綰), 202 BC – 195 BC; *Liu Jian (劉建), King Ling (靈) of Yan, 195 BC – 182 BC; *Lü Tong (呂通), 181 BC – 180 BC; *Liu Ze (劉澤), King Jing (敬) of Yan, 180 BC – 179 BC; *Liu Jia (劉嘉), King Jia (嘉) of Yan, 179 BC – 170 BC; *Liu Dingguo (劉定國), 170 BC – 128 BC; *Liu Dan (劉旦), King La (剌) of Yan, 117 BC – 79 BC; *

(曹宇), 232 – 265; *Sima Ji (司馬機), 266 – ? *Name unknown, ? – ?.

References

{{reflist Jin dynasty (266–420) Kingdoms of the Han dynasty

History

List of rulers

See also

References