Jin (state)

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晉國 State of Jin Dukedom 11th century BC–376 BC →   →   → Capital Tang (唐) Quwo (曲沃) Jiang (絳) Political structure Dukedom History  - Established 11th century BC  - Disestablished 376 BC Currency Chinese coin; Spade coin

Jin (Traditional Chinese: 晉; Simplified Chinese: 晋; pinyin: Jìn) was one of the most powerful states in the Spring and Autumn Period, based in Shanxi, China. Jin was founded by Tang Shuyu, a descendant of the Zhou royal family. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Jin was split into three states: Han, Zhao and Wei. The split of Jin is sometimes referred to as the beginning of the subsequent Warring States Period; all three new states later became prominent states in the new period.

[edit] Early history

During the early years of the Zhou Dynasty, King Cheng of Zhou gave the land called Tang (唐), west of modern Yicheng County in Shanxi, to his younger brother, Tang Shuyu (唐叔虞). Therefore, Tang Shuyu became the first ruler of the State of Tang with a rank of a marquis. His son and next successor, Marquis Xie of Jin (晉侯燮), changed the name of Tang to Jin. During the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Marquis Wen of Jin (晉文侯), the eleventh marquis of Jin, supported King Ping of Zhou while establishing the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and moving the capital from Haojing to Luoyi. Marquis Xie of Jin also killed King Xie of Zhou (周攜王), someone who was put into throne by a Zhou official and opposed the rule of King Ping of Zhou. All these helped in the foundation of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, therefore Marquis Wen of Jin was heavily rewarded by King Ping of Zhou.

[edit] The Splitting of Jin

In the early years of the Spring and Autumn Period, civil battles were fought between the royal Jin family and nobles seeking the throne. When Marquis Zhao of Jin (晉昭侯) ascended the throne in 745 BC, he gave the land of Quwo (曲沃), modern Quwo county in Shanxi, to his uncle named Ji Chengshi (姬成師). This is considered as when Jin split into two, the two being Jin and Quwo. Ji Chengshi was then called Uncle Huan of Quwu (曲沃桓叔) since he was the uncle of Marquis Zhao of Jin.

Seven years after Marquis Zhao of Jin ascended the throne, a Jin official named Panfu (潘父) murdered him, and welcomed Uncle Huan of Quwu to ascended the throne of Jin. He accepted Panfu's welcome and entered Jin. When he entered, the Jin people brought troops to stop him from entering. He lost and receded back to Quwu. Then, the Jin people asked the son of Marquis Zhao to ascend the throne and he became the next marquis: Marquis Xiao of Jin (晉孝侯).

Probably the most famous of all the Jin kings was Duke Wen of Jin, the second of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period. Originally named Chong'er (重耳), he was second in line, and no-one expected him to become Duke. Fearing assassination, he fled the country during his father Duke Xian of Jin's reign to the Qin, only returning when Duke Huai, who was a nephew of Duke Wen, was killed.

As Duke he led Jin to glory - he fought many wars with his greatest rival, the southern state of Chu (the most famous battle was the Battle of Chengpu in 632 BC), and advocated the strategy coined by the first Great Leader of the Warring States, Duke Huan of Qi - "Uphold the King, repel the barbarians", with the king being the Zhou court in Luoyang. The Duke was also famous for his chivalry - after a massive war with his erstwhile ally and friend, the King of Qin, he ordered relations between the two kingdoms to return to normal, and constructed monuments honouring both the sacrifice of the Jin and Qin troops. The Chinese proverb "The Friendship of Qin and Jin", meaning an unbreakable bond, originates from this period.

[edit] Later Years

Jin, however suffered from multiple succession struggles. Jin founded a new city north of the capital at Quwo (曲沃) in 746 BC. In 679 BC, the Quwo lineage usurped the rulership of Jin. Duke Xian of Jin's rule was notorious for the bloody purging of family members.

Jin had multiple capitals. The initial capital of Jin was Tang (唐); the remains of Tang are at modern Qucun (曲村). The capital was later moved to E (鄂), then Jiang (絳), then Xintian (新田). The remains of Xintian are at modern Houma.

In 403 BC, the Wei, Zhao and Han lords all went to King Weilie of Zhou in Luoyang and were made marquesses in their own right, separated from Jin. However most historians, when referring to those 3 states as a whole, call them the "3 of Jin". The state of Jin still continued to survive, albeit with minimal hold of power.

Jin was officially abolished when the last duke of Jin, Duke Jing, left his position and had his territories annexed by Han, Wei, and Zhao in 376 BC.

[edit] List of Jin rulers

[edit] External links

• Jin, No States Are Stronger Than Her