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Zhao (state)

 
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Zhao (state)
 
 
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Zhao (pinyin
Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: Zhào, traditional Chinese: ?, simplified Chinese: ?) was a Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 state
State

A state is a political Social contract with effective sovereignty over a geographic area and representing a population. These may be nation states, State or multinational states....
 during the Warring States Period
Warring States Period

The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from 476 BCE to the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE....
. Zhao was a significant state in the period, along with six others. At the beginning of the Warring States Period, the state of Zhao was one of the weakest states but gained strength during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao
King Wuling of Zhao

King Wuling of Zhao reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. His reign was famous for one important event: the reforms consisting of "Wearing Barbarian Uniform and the Use of Cavalry in Battle" ....
. By the end of the Warring States Period, Zhao was the only state strong enough to oppose the mighty Qin
Qin (state)

Q?n or Ch'in , was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Periods of China. It eventually grew to dominate the country and unite it in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty....
.

Its territory included areas in modern Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia is the Mongols autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China, located in the country's north.Inner Mongolia borders, from east to west, the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu, while to the north it borders Mongolia and Russia....
, Hebei
Hebei

For the people of Hebei, see Hebei people is a North China province of China of the People's Republic of China. Its one-Chinese character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province , a Han Dynasty province that included southern Hebei....
, Shanxi
Shanxi

is a political divisions of China in the North China of the People's Republic of China. Its one-character abbreviation is Jin , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
 and Shaanxi
Shaanxi

is a north-central political divisions of China of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province....
 provinces.






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Zhao (pinyin
Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: Zhào, traditional Chinese: ?, simplified Chinese: ?) was a Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 state
State

A state is a political Social contract with effective sovereignty over a geographic area and representing a population. These may be nation states, State or multinational states....
 during the Warring States Period
Warring States Period

The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from 476 BCE to the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE....
. Zhao was a significant state in the period, along with six others. At the beginning of the Warring States Period, the state of Zhao was one of the weakest states but gained strength during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao
King Wuling of Zhao

King Wuling of Zhao reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. His reign was famous for one important event: the reforms consisting of "Wearing Barbarian Uniform and the Use of Cavalry in Battle" ....
. By the end of the Warring States Period, Zhao was the only state strong enough to oppose the mighty Qin
Qin (state)

Q?n or Ch'in , was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Periods of China. It eventually grew to dominate the country and unite it in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty....
.

Its territory included areas in modern Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia is the Mongols autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China, located in the country's north.Inner Mongolia borders, from east to west, the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu, while to the north it borders Mongolia and Russia....
, Hebei
Hebei

For the people of Hebei, see Hebei people is a North China province of China of the People's Republic of China. Its one-Chinese character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province , a Han Dynasty province that included southern Hebei....
, Shanxi
Shanxi

is a political divisions of China in the North China of the People's Republic of China. Its one-character abbreviation is Jin , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
 and Shaanxi
Shaanxi

is a north-central political divisions of China of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province....
 provinces. The state of Zhao bordered the Xiongnu
Xiongnu

The Xiongnu were a confederation of nomadic tribes from Central Asia with a ruling class of unknown origin and other subjugated tribes. They lived on the steppes north of China, and appear in Chinese sources from the 3rd century BC as controlling an empire stretching beyond the borders of modern day Mongolia....
 (Huns
Huns

The Huns were a confederation of Central Asian Eurasian nomads or semi-nomads, who had established an empire in Eurasia. The Huns may have stimulated the Migration Period, a contributing factor in the collapse of the Roman Empire....
), the states of Qin
Qin (state)

Q?n or Ch'in , was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Periods of China. It eventually grew to dominate the country and unite it in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty....
, Wei
Wei (state)

The Wei was a state during the Warring States Period in China. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and Qi and included modern areas in Henan, Hebei and Shanxi and Shandong....
 and Yan
Yan (state)

Yan was a state during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods in China. Its capital was Ji .During the first years of the Zhou Dynasty, Yan was located near the Yellow River, but after the failed revolt led by the leaders of the Shang Dynasty, the fiefdom was relocated further north in what is now Hebei Province t...
. Its capital was Handan
Handan

Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China....
, suburb of modern-day Handan City in Hebei
Hebei

For the people of Hebei, see Hebei people is a North China province of China of the People's Republic of China. Its one-Chinese character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province , a Han Dynasty province that included southern Hebei....
.

The Rise of Zhao

At the beginning of the Warring States Period, the state of Zhao was one of the weakest states. During the reign of King Wuling, the kingdom adopted a military reform. The soldiers of Zhao were ordered to dress like their Xiongnu
Xiongnu

The Xiongnu were a confederation of nomadic tribes from Central Asia with a ruling class of unknown origin and other subjugated tribes. They lived on the steppes north of China, and appear in Chinese sources from the 3rd century BC as controlling an empire stretching beyond the borders of modern day Mongolia....
 neighbours and replace war chariots with cavalry archers. This proved to be a brilliant reform, along with advanced technology of the Chinese states and nomad tactics, the Cavalry of Zhao became a significant force to reckon with in the warring states.

Zhao demonstrated its enhanced military prowess by conquering the ethnic State of Zhongshan in 295 BC after a prolonged war, and annexing territory from its neighbors Wei, Yan and Qin. The cavalry of Zhao occasionally intruded into the state of Qi in campaigns against the state of Chu.

Several brilliant military commanders of the whole period appeared concurrently, including Lian Po
Lian Po

Lian Po was a prominent military General of Zhao during the Warring States period of China. Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Li Mu and he were commonly known as the Four Greatest Generals in Warring States....
, Zhao She
Zhao She

Zhao She was a China bureaucrat and general in the third century BC.Zhao She was one of the sons of Zhao He , King Huiwen of the State of Zhao....
 and Li Mu
Li Mu

Li Mu was a prominent military General of Zhao during the Warring States period of China. He, together with Bai Qi, Wang Jian, and Lian Po were known as the Four Greatest Generals in Warring States era....
. Lian Po was instrumental in defending against the Qin. Zhao She was most active in the east; he led the invasion of Yan state
Yan (state)

Yan was a state during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods in China. Its capital was Ji .During the first years of the Zhou Dynasty, Yan was located near the Yellow River, but after the failed revolt led by the leaders of the Shang Dynasty, the fiefdom was relocated further north in what is now Hebei Province t...
. Li Mu was responsible for defending against the Huns
Huns

The Huns were a confederation of Central Asian Eurasian nomads or semi-nomads, who had established an empire in Eurasia. The Huns may have stimulated the Migration Period, a contributing factor in the collapse of the Roman Empire....
.

The Fall of Zhao

By the end of the Warring States Period, Zhao was the only state strong enough to oppose the powerful Qin
Qin (state)

Q?n or Ch'in , was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Periods of China. It eventually grew to dominate the country and unite it in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty....
. An alliance with Wei begun in 287 BC against Qin ended in defeat at Huayang in 273 BC. The struggle then culminated in the bloodiest battle of the whole period, the Battle of Changping
Battle of Changping

The Battle of Changping in 260 BC was a decisive victory of the state of Qin of China over Zhao during the Warring States Period. Even by today's standards it is one of the Most lethal battles in world history#Major operations, although a great majority of the Zhao soldiers were executed after battle instead of being killed in battle....
 in 260 BC. The troops of Zhao were completely defeated by Qin. Although the forces of Wei saved Handan from a follow-up siege by the victorious Qin, Zhao would never recover from the huge loss of men in the battle.

In 229 BC, invasions led by the Qin general Wang Jian
Wang Jian (Qin)

Wang Jian , a military leader of Qin in the Warring States Period. He was born in Guanzhong county, city of Pinyang, Dongxiang village ....
 were opposed by Li Mu and his subordinate officer Sima Shang until 228 BC. According to some accounts, King Youmiu of Zhao, ordered the execution of Li Mu and relieved Sima Shang from his duties, due to disloyal advice from court officials and Qin infiltrators.

In 228 BC, Qin captured King Youmiu and conquered Zhao. Prince Jia, the stepbrother of King Youmiu, was proclaimed king at Dai Commandry and led the last Zhao forces against the Qin. The regime lasted until 222 BC when the Qin army captured him and defeated his forces at Dai.

List of Zhao rulers

Zhaojin
* Marquess Xian, personal name Huan, ruled 424 BC–409 BC
  • Marquess Lie, personal name Ji, son of previous, ruled 409 BC–387 BC - noted for several reforms
  • Marquess Jing, personal name Zhang, son of previous, ruled 387 BC–375 BC
  • Marquess Cheng, personal name Zhong, son of previous, ruled 375 BC–350 BC
  • Marquess Su, personal name Yu, son of previous, ruled 350 BC–326 BC
  • King Wuling
    King Wuling of Zhao

    King Wuling of Zhao reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. His reign was famous for one important event: the reforms consisting of "Wearing Barbarian Uniform and the Use of Cavalry in Battle" ....
    , personal name Yong, son of previous, ruled 326 BC–Spring 299 BC
  • King Huiwen, personal name He, son of previous, ruled Spring 299 BC–266 BC
  • King Xiaocheng, personal name Dan, son of previous, ruled 266 BC–245 BC
  • King Daoxiang, personal name Yan, son of previous, ruled 245 BC–236 BC
  • King Youmiu, personal name Qian, son of previous, ruled 236 BC–228 BC
  • King Dai, personal name Jia, half-brother of previous, ruled 228 BC–222 BC


See also

The kingdoms of Former Zhao
Han Zhao

The Han Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Chinese Jin Dynasty . It represented two state titles, the Han state proclaimed in 304 by Liu Yuan and the Former Zhao state in 319 by Liu Yao....
 and Later Zhao
Later Zhao

The Later Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity. The Later Zhao was the second in territories to the Former Qin that once unified Northern China under Fu Jian....
 of the Sixteen Kingdoms
Sixteen Kingdoms

The Sixteen Kingdoms , or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 Common Era after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties....