Four Lords of the Warring States | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 戰國四公子 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 战国四公子 | ||||||
Literal meaning | "The Four Young Lords [1] of the Warring States" | ||||||
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The Four Lords of the Warring States were four powerful aristocrats of the late Warring States period of Chinese history who exerted a strong influence on the politics of their respective states in the third century BCE. [2]
During this time,the Zhou king was a mere figurehead,and seven states led by aristocratic families competed for real power. Although they were not themselves monarchs,four aristocrats stood out because of their tremendous military power and wealth:Lord Mengchang (d. 279 BCE) of Qi,Lord Pingyuan (d. 251 BCE) of Zhao,Lord Xinling (d. 243 BCE) of Wei and Lord Chunshen (d. 238 BCE) of Chu. [3]
All four were renowned for their activity in the politics of their era as well as being the persona of their state respectively at the time;they also wielded influence via the cultivation and housing of many talented house-guests,who often included learned men and tacticians. As such,they came to be the most prominent patrons of the shi (士) or scholar-knights,stimulating the intellectual life of the time. Their prestige became the inspiration for LüBuwei when he created his academic analogue in Qin.
These four lords are paralleled in some books of the Records of the Grand Historian ,the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of China.
In the Biographies of Lord Pingyuan and Yu Qing, [4]
At this time,[in addition to Lord Pingyuan in Zhao,] in Qi lived Mengchang,in Wei Xinling,and in Chu Chunshen. They competed to invite shi (talents).
In the Biography of Lord Chunshen, [5]
Lord Chunshen now stood as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Chu. At this time,in Qi lived Lord Mengchang,in Zhao Lord Pingyuan,and in Wei Lord Xinling. They competed to humble themselves before shi (talents) [to hire them],invited brilliant guests,and tried to defeat each other. They sustained their states and held the real power.
Lord Mengchang was an aristocrat of the State of Qi. He was born Tian Wen, son of Tian Ying and the grandson of King Wei of Qi. He succeeded his father's fief in Xue.
Born Zhao Sheng, he was a son of King Wuling of Zhao, brother of King Huiwen and uncle to King Xiaocheng. During his life, he was thrice appointed the Prime Minister of the State of Zhao.
Zhao Sheng's fief was the City of Dongwu. Lord Pingyuan was his title, and some of his famous retainers included the philosophers Xun Kuang and Gongsun Long, the Yin and Yang master Zou Yan, and the diplomat Mao Sui.
Born as Wei Wuji, he was the son of King Zhao of the State of Wei and younger half-brother to King Anxi of Wei. In 277 BCE, King Anxi assigned Wei Wuji the fief of Xinling.
At the height of his career, he was the supreme commander of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Wei. After stepping down, Lord Xinling became dispirited and died in 243 BCE.
Born Huang Xie, he was originally a government official working for King Qingxiang of Chu, and later followed Crown Prince Wan when he spent ten years as a hostage in the Kingdom of Qin.
After the death of King Qingxiang, Prince Wan and Huang Xie returned to the Kingdom of Chu. Prince Wan was enthroned as King Kaolie of Chu, while Huang Xie was appointed Prime Minister and received the title of Lord Chunshen. For the next 25 years, Lord Chunshen remained Prime Minister of Chu, until his assassination by Li Yuan in 238 BCE.
The Warring States period was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, bureaucratic and military reform, and political consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the wars of conquest that saw the state of Qin annex all the other contender states by 221 BC and found the Qin dynasty, the first imperial dynasty in Chinese history.
Wei was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Zhao. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and Qi and included parts of modern-day Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong. After its capital was moved from Anyi to Daliang during the reign of King Hui, Wei was also called Liang.
The Seven Warring States or Seven Kingdoms were the seven leading hegemonic states during the Warring States period of Ancient China:
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King Zhaoxiang of Qin, or King Zhao of Qin (秦昭王), born Ying Ji (Chinese: 嬴稷, was the king of Qin from 306 BC to 251 BC. He was the son of King Huiwen and younger brother of King Wu.
The Jixia Academy or Academy of the Gate of Chi was a scholarly academy during the Warring States period. It was located in Linzi, the capital of Qi. The academy took its name from its position outside the city's western gate, named for the harvest god Ji or Hou ji
Wei, commonly spelled Wey to distinguish from the contemporary larger Wei (魏) state, was an ancient Chinese state that was founded in the early Western Zhou dynasty and rose to prominence during the Spring and Autumn period. Its rulers were of the surname Ji (姬), the same as that of the rulers of Zhou. It was located in modern northeastern Henan Province, east of Jin, and west of Cao.
Lord Mengchang, born Tian Wen, was an aristocrat and statesman of the Qi Kingdom of ancient China, one of the famed Four Lords of the Warring States period. He was a son of Tian Ying and grandson of King Wei of Qi. He succeeded to his father's fief in Xue. Lord Mengchang is well known for the size of his entourage. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, he had up to three thousand people in his retinue. Lord Mengchang would eventually become the Chancellor of Qi and of Wei.
Meng Yi was a Chinese military general and politician. As an official of the Qin dynasty, he served in the court of Qin Shi Huang. He was a younger brother of the general Meng Tian. After Qin Shi Huang's death, Meng Yi and his brother were executed by Qin Er Shi on the urging of Zhao Gao.
King Wei of Qi, whose personal name was Tian Yinqi (田因齊), was the king of the northern Chinese state of Qi during the Warring States period, when Qi was one of the most powerful states in China. He reigned from 356 to 320 BC. or according to another source from 378 to 343 BC. He was the first ruler of Qi to style himself "king".
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Lord Xinling, born Wei Wuji (魏無忌), was a prominent aristocrat, statesman and general of the Warring States period and one of the Four Lords of the Warring States. The son of King Zhao of Wei, and the half-brother of King Anxi of Wei, he served the State of Wei as Senior General.
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Lord Chunshen, born Huang Xie ,was a Chinese military general and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Chu during the late Warring States period of ancient China. He was one of the Four Lords of the Warring States.
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King Anxi of Wei, personal name Wei Yu was King of Wei from 276 BC to 243 BC. He was the son of King Zhao of Wei. He was the older brother of Lord Xinling. In 275 BC, after a Han general fled to the Wei capital Daliang, King Anxi began a war against Qin in an alliance with Qi. Qin forces under chancellor Wei Ran and general Bai Qi captured 4 cities, besieged Daliang and killed 40,000 people. In 273 BC, with the assistance of Lord Mengchang of Qi, he began another war in an alliance with Zhao. The war ended with the deaths of 130,000 people. In 257 BC, he assisted Zhao when its capital Handan was besieged by Qin forces, at the request of Lord Pingyuan of Zhao, who was married to Xinling's older sister.
The Legend of Mi Yue (Chinese: 羋月傳; pinyin: Mǐ Yuè Zhuàn; Wade–Giles: Mi3 Yüeh4 Chuan4) is a 2015 Chinese television series directed by Zheng Xiaolong and based on Jiang Shengnan's eponymous historical novel. It stars Sun Li in the title role of Mi Yue. The series aired 2 episodes daily on Beijing TV and Dragon TV from 30 November 2015 to 9 January 2016.
The Battle of Handan began in 259 BC and concluded in 257 BC, during which the garrison of Handan, the capital city of Zhao, joined by the allied force of Wei and Chu, defeated the invading army of Qin. It was one of the most remarkable failures of the Qin army after the Reform of Shang Yang.
The Qin Empire III is a 2017 Chinese television series based on Sun Haohui's novel of the same Chinese title, which romanticizes the events in China during the Warring States period primarily from the perspective of the Qin state under King Zhaoxiang. It was first aired on CCTV-1 in mainland China in 2017. It was preceded by The Qin Empire (2009) and The Qin Empire II: Alliance (2012) and followed by The Qin Empire IV (2019), which were also based on Sun Haohui's novels.