It is generally believed that 453 BC was the real beginning of the Warring States: the three families of Han Zhao and Wei divided the Jin State, establishing a situation in which the Seven Heroes of the Warring States stood side by side, marking the formal formation of the Warring States Era. The so-called Seven Heroes of the Warring States, namely: Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and Qin. There are three established states of Chu, Yan, and Qin, a state of Qi that has changed its boss, and three newly established states of Han Zhao Wei.
Who are their ancestors? Let's talk about time.
The Zhou Dynasty - Yan Kingdom
The State of Yan was one of the earliest princely states. After King Wu of Zhou established Western Zhou, he sealed his younger brother Ji Yi in Yandi, and Ji Yi was the Duke of Zhou Zhao, but Zhao Gong had been assisting King Zhou Cheng, so the first administrator of the State of Yan was actually Ji Ke, the eldest son of Zhao Gong.
After the founding of the Yan State, there was little contact with various parts of the Central Plains, the culture was backward compared with the Central Plains, and it was almost destroyed in the foreign invasion in the early Spring and Autumn Period, and it was only with the military help of the Qi State "Zun Wang Zhiyi" that it was saved, and then developed in the future.
In 222 BC, the Yan state was destroyed by Qin.
The country of merit - the state of Qi
After the establishment of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the meritorious jiang Shang was given the title of Marquis of Qi, duying qiu, and building the state of Qi. However, the State of Qi in the Warring States Era has changed its boss, which is the famous "Tian Shi Dai Qi". For the State of Qi, the Tian family was actually a foreigner, and the Tian family was originally surnamed Chen, a descendant of the State of Chen during the Spring and Autumn Period. Because of the turmoil in the State of Chen, they took refuge in the State of Qi, and their representative figure was Chen Guan, the prince of the State of Chen.
In 392 BC, Tian He moved the puppet monarch Qi Kanggong to live by the sea, and then sent a message to Zhou Tianzi, asking him to be crowned as the monarch of the State of Qi, following the example of the division of the Jin State by the three families. In 386 BC, Tian He officially became the monarch of the State of Qi.
The State of Qi has always been a great power in the East, destroyed by the State of Qin in 221 BC, and the last state to be destroyed.
The hegemon of the south, the State of Chu
In the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the remnants of the Jing people were mainly descendants of Ji Lian's surname of Qi, who had moved west between Danshui and Huaishui. When The Bear was the leader, he judged the situation and led the Chu people to abandon the King of Shang and go west to defect to King Wen of Zhou, and was highly respected by King Wen of Zhou. When Zhou became king, He made Xiong Xuan the Prince of Chu. Jing Chu began to rank among the princes, and the Chu state was officially born. The State of Chu had always been an outlier at that time, and the Chu people were Shangwu, who had laid down a great territory, did not obey Zhou Tianzi, and became king during the reign of King Wu of Chu.
In 223 BC, the State of Chu was destroyed by the State of Qin.
Unify China - The State of Qin
The ancestors of the Qin state were not of high birth, and legend has it that King Wu of Zhou sealed them in Qin because their ancestors were not sons and good at raising horses. In 770 BC, Duke Xiang of Qin won kai to escort king Ping of Zhou to the east, and was given the title of prince, and Qin shi established the state.
Qin's original territory was in present-day Shaanxi Province, which at that time belonged to the marginal part of China. Until the early Warring States period, Qin was a relatively weak country, perhaps because of its remote location, so it was not taken seriously by other countries. However, after successive generations of efforts, in the Qin Mu Gong to dominate the West, from the qin Xiaogong began after the struggle of the sixth dynasty, in the Yingzheng era finally succeeded, in 221 BC to establish a unified dynasty.
Three branches of Jin - Han Zhao Wei
The three families of Han Zhao and Wei were all secretaries of state of Jin.
Zhao Shi (赵氏), known as the first secretary of the Jin Dynasty, was Zhao Wan, one of the five sages of the Duke wen of Jin. The founder of the Zhao state at the time of the three branches of the Jin Dynasty was The Xiangzi Zhao Wuzi.
The first suzerainty of the Wei clan was Wei Dai, who was the grandson of Wei Yi, one of the Five Wise Ministers of the Duke wen of Jin. The Wei clan was originally sealed in Bi, and when Wei Dai was renamed in Wei, it was called Wei. The suzerainty at the time was Wei Ju ,also known as Wei Huanzi.
The official first suzerainty of the Han clan was Han Huzi, although the Han clan was sealed very early, but the political status was low, the turning point was that Han Yue was adopted by Zhao Wan, and later became the ruling secretary of the Jin state, marking that the Han clan officially became the top magnate of the Jin state. At that time, the suzerainty was Han Kangzi Han Hu.
"King Wei Lie, twenty-three years ago, (Tianzi) initially appointed The Jin Dynasty Grand Master Wei Si, Zhao Yuan, and Han Qian as princes." —— "Zizhi Tongjian"
The three branches of the Jin Dynasty marked the beginning of the Warring States period. The Warring States Era is a brand new era, and Chinese history will complete a crucial rebirth in a fierce battle.