Year 228 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ruga and Verrucosus. The denomination 228 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Chu was a hegemonic, Zhou dynasty era state. From King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE, the rulers of Chu declared themselves kings on an equal footing with the Zhou kings. Though initially inconsequential, removed to the south of the Zhou heartland and practising differing customs, Chu began a series of administrative reforms, becoming a successful expansionist state during the Spring and Autumn period. With its continued expansion Chu became a great Warring States period power, until it was overthrown by the Qin in 223 BCE.
Wu was one of the states during the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period. It was also known as Gouwu (勾吳) or Gongwu (工吳) from the pronunciation of the local language.
King Yi of Zhou was the ninth king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Estimated dates of his reign are 885–878 BC or 865–858 BC.
After Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and proclaimed himself emperor of the Han dynasty, he followed the practice of Xiang Yu and enfeoffed many generals, noblemen, and imperial relatives as kings, the same title borne by the sovereigns of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and by the rulers of the Warring States. Each king had his own semi-autonomous kingdom. This was a departure from the policy of the Qin dynasty, which divided China into commanderies governed by non-hereditary governors. Also remember that the Chinese title wang is sometimes translated as "prince" and later kings were called as prince.
The Battle of Boju was the decisive battle of the war fought in 506 BC between Wu and Chu, two major kingdoms during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. The Wu forces were led by King Helü, his brother Fugai, and Chu exile Wu Zixu. According to Sima Qian's Shiji, Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War, was a main commander of the Wu army, but he was not mentioned in the Zuo Zhuan and other earlier historical texts. The Chu forces were led by Lingyin Nang Wa and Sima Shen Yin Shu. The Wu were victorious, and captured and destroyed the Chu capital Ying.
Helü or Helu was from 514 to 496 BC king of the state of Wu toward the end of the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His given name was Guang ; he was initially known as Prince Guang.
Lord Changping was a general and lord of Qin, but later seceded from Qin and died as the last king of Chu in the last days of the Warring States period of ancient China.
Qin's wars of unification were a series of military campaigns launched in the late 3rd century BC by the Qin state against the other six major states — Han, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu and Qi. During 247–221 BC, Qin emerged as one of the dominant powers of the Seven Warring States.
The State of Cao was a vassal state in China during the Zhou Dynasty. The state was founded sometime in the 11th century BC by Cao Shu Zhenduo, a son of King Wen of Zhou and younger brother of King Wu of Zhou. 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 about 50 miles east of the point where the current course of the Yellow River changes from east to north-east. To the northwest was Wey, to the northeast Lu and to the southeast Song.
King You of Chu was from 237 to 228 BC the king of the state of Chu during the late Warring States period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Han and King You was his posthumous title.
King Ling of Chu was king of the State of Chu between 540 and 529 BC. His birth name was Xiong Wei (熊圍) and before ascending the throne he was known as Prince Wei (公子圍).
Zi'ao was a king of the state of Chu, although his reign lasted less than twenty days. His birth name was Xiong Bi and his courtesy name was Zigan.
King Gong of Chu was from 590 to 560 BC the king of Chu, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Shen, and at the age of 10 succeeded his father King Zhuang of Chu, who was the Hegemon of China. However, in 575 BC King Gong was defeated by Chu's archrival Jin in the Battle of Yanling and Chu's power declined. He ruled for 31 years and was succeeded by his eldest son, King Kang of Chu. Three of King Gong's younger sons also ascended the throne, all by treacherous means.
King Kang of Chu was from 559 to 545 BC the king of Chu, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. Born Xiong Zhao, he succeeded his father King Gong of Chu. His reign was marked by constant wars with Jin, Chu's traditional enemy, and Wu, its new enemy. He ruled for 15 years and was succeeded by his son, Jia'ao, who would four years later be murdered by King Kang's younger brother King Ling of Chu.
Duke Jing of Jin was from 451 to 434 BC the titular ruler of the State of Jin. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Jiao, and Duke Jing was his posthumous title recorded in the Bamboo Annals. The accounts by the Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian in the Records of the Grand Historian are self-contradictory, referring to Duke Jing as Duke Ai of Jin (晉哀公) in one chapter and Duke Yi of Jin (晉懿公) in another. Modern historians such as Yang Kuan, Ch'ien Mu, and Han Zhaoqi generally consider the Bamboo Annals more reliable, as it was unearthed from the tomb of King Xiang of the State of Wei, one of the three successor states of Jin.
Duke Ai of Qin was from 536 to 501 BC the nineteenth ruler of the Zhou Dynasty state of Qin that eventually united China to become the Qin Dynasty. His ancestral name was Ying (嬴), and Duke Ai was his posthumous title. Duke Ai succeeded his father Duke Jing of Qin, who died in 537 BC, as ruler of Qin.
Lord Chunshen, born Huang Xie, was a nobleman, general, and 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.
