The State of Cao () was a vassal
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
in China during the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...
(1046–221 BC). The state was founded sometime in the 11th century BC by (d. 1053 BC), a son of
King Wen of Zhou
King Wen of Zhou ( zh, c=周文王, p=Zhōu Wén Wáng; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was the posthumous title given to Ji Chang ( zh, c=姬昌), the patriarch of the Zhou state during the final years of Shang dynasty in ancient China. J ...
and younger brother of
King Wu of Zhou
King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later.
Ki ...
. With its capital at
Taoqiu (陶丘), the State of Cao covered roughly the area of modern-day
Dingtao County,
Shandong Province. It was located on the flat country of the
North China Plain
The North China Plain () is a large-scale downfaulted rift basin formed in the late Paleogene and Neogene and then modified by the deposits of the Yellow River. It is the largest alluvial plain of China. The plain is bordered to the north by th ...
about 50 miles east of the point where the current course of the
Yellow River
The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...
changes from east to north-east. To the northwest was
Wey, to the northeast
Lu and to the southeast
Song
A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...
.
History
As a result of the Cao's relative weakness, later generations wrote few records on events concerning the state's history. The only major event recorded in the
Records of the Grand Historian
The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st ce ...
during the
Western Zhou
The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended in 77 ...
dynasty (1046 – 770 BC) was in 826 BC when
Count You of Cao was killed by his younger brother
Count Dai of Cao.
Sima Qian
Sima Qian () was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for the ''Shiji'' (sometimes translated into English as ''Records of the Grand Historian''), a general history of China cov ...
, ''Records of the Grand Historian
The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st ce ...
''
At the beginning of the
Eastern Zhou
The Eastern Zhou (256 BCE) is a period in Chinese history comprising the latter two-thirds of the Zhou dynasty. The period follows the Western Zhou era and is named due to the Zhou royal court relocating the capital eastward from Fenghao ...
dynasty (770 BC), the State of Cao suffered internal upheaval. In 760 BC,
Duke Mu of Cao killed his elder brother
Count Fei of Cao and appointed himself the eleventh ruler. He was the first ruler of the State of Cao to receive the title of "Duke" (公).
During the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...
the State of Cao became caught up in the struggle for
hegemony
Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states, either regional or global.
In Ancient Greece (ca. 8th BC – AD 6th c.), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of ...
between the states of
Jin and
Chu. In 637 BC
Chong'er
Duke Wen of Jin (697–628BC), personal name Ji Chong'er, was duke of the Jin state from 636 BC to 628 BC. He was exiled from Jin for approximately 20 years before finally assuming the throne and rapidly leading Jin to hegemony over the other ...
, son of
Duke Xian of Jin got into difficulties when passing through the State of Cáo and was treated rudely by
Duke Gong of Cao.
About 630 it was a vassal or ally of Chu. When Chu attacked Song, Jin made a diversionary attack on Cao. After Jin defeated Chu at the
Battle of Chengpu in 632 BC, Jin crushed the State of Cao, rescued the
State of Song
Song was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty with its capital at Shangqiu. The state was founded soon after King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. It was conquered by the state of ...
and took Duke Gong of Cao prisoner. After the defeat of the State of Chu, Cao followed the orders of its near neighbour the State of Jin.
Later on, the States of Cao and Song became hostile towards each other.
Duke Jing of Song
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...
captured
Duke Dao of Cao in 515 BC and held him prisoner until his death. Thereafter, disorder broke out in Cao and Duke Dao's successors
Duke Sheng of Cao and
Duke Yin of Cao were killed one after another.
Duke Fei of Cao became ruler and betrayed the State of Jin by invading the State of Song. As a result, Duke Jing of Song attacked Cao. No troops from the State of Jin came to the rescue such that the State of Cao was exterminated in 487 BC after the capture of Duke Fei of Cao.
Legacy
Descendants of the people of Cao adopted the name of their former state. This is one origin of the Chinese Surname
Cao
Cao or CAO may refer to:
Mythology
*Cao (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology
Companies or organizations
* Air China Cargo, ICAO airline designator CAO
* CA Oradea, Romanian football club
* CA Osasuna, Spanish football club
* Canadian ...
.
Rulers of Cao
Rulers family tree
See also
*
Zou (state)
Zou (), originally Zhu () or Zhulou (), was a minor Ancient Chinese states, state that existed during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. p. 144
History
King Wu of Zhou granted Cao Xia (曹挾) control of the small Ancient Chinese states, state of ...
, founded by a
Zhu lineage (later Zhulou and
Zou) of the
Cao clan, unrelated to the Cao lineage of Zhou Ji clan.
References
External links
Chinese Text Project"Rulers of the States"
{{coord missing, China
11th-century BC establishments in China
487 BC
5th-century BC disestablishments in China
States and territories disestablished in the 5th century BC