Introduction to the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period_Introduction to the Five Great Princes of the Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period was a period of disintegration of the slave society in Chinese history. The historical period from 770 BC to 476 BC is known as the "Spring and Autumn Period". The following is the collective name of the five princes who dominated the Spring and Autumn Period. Welcome to read it.

The collective name of the five princes who dominated the Spring and Autumn Period

The Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period refers to Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Xiang of Song, Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Mu of Qin and King Zhuang of Chu. One theory is that Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, King Zhuang of Chu, King Helu of Wu, and King Goujian of Yue. From 770 BC to 476 BC, history is called the Spring and Autumn Period. From then on, the Zhou emperor lost his former authority, and the emperor instead relied on powerful princes.

In order to compete for hegemony, some powerful vassal states fought against each other and strived to become the hegemons. The five vassals that successively dominated the country were called the "Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period". Among the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Jin was divided among the three families after the Han, Zhao, and Wei families defeated the Zhi family; the State of Qi was replaced by the Tian family; the State of Wu and the State of Yue were annexed by the State of Chu; and finally the State of Han and Zhao , Wei, Tian Qi, and Chu were among the seven heroes of the Warring States Period.

Introduction to the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period

Qi State

The first one to dominate was Duke Huan of Qi. Qi was a feudal state of Taigong Lu Shang. Its successive monarchs devoted themselves to rectifying politics, giving full play to the advantages of coastal fish and salt, promoting household textile industry, developing commerce and handicrafts, and gradually developing its national strength. After Duke Huan of Qi (r. 685-643 BC) succeeded to the throne, he made Guan Zhong his prime minister, rectified the state affairs, abolished the public land system, determined taxes according to the fertility of the land, established salt and iron officials and coined money, increased fiscal revenue, and settled the government. The army combined with agriculture, integrated grassroots administrative organizations and military organizations, increased the source of troops and combat capabilities, and quickly became the most prosperous and powerful country in China. Then he used the slogan of "respect the king and repel the barbarians", held many meetings with the princes, helped or interfered with other countries, and fought against the intrusion of the barbarians. Finally, he became the overlord in the third year of King Xi of Zhou (679 BC). In the 21st year of King Hui of Zhou (656 BC), Duke Huan of Qi led the coalition of eight vassal states to force Chu to obey him with superior force, and established an alliance in Zhaoling (now Yancheng, Henan), and his hegemony reached its peak.

The State of Chu

After the death of Duke Huan of Qi, civil strife broke out in the State of Qi to compete for monarchy, and its power was weakened. The Chu State took the opportunity to develop its power, successively destroyed several small countries to its north, and pointed its finger at the Central Plains again. Duke Xianggong of the Song Dynasty (reigned 650-637 BC) used the call to resist the northern invasion of the Chu people in an attempt to serve as the overlord of the Central Plains. But no matter in terms of national strength and performance, Song Xianggong is not enough to dominate. In the fifteenth year of King Zhou Xiang (638 BC), the armies of Chu and Song met at Hongshui. The Song army was defeated. Even Song Xianggong was shot in the leg and died soon after.

The State of Jin

Just as the State of Chu was dominating the Central Plains, the State of Jin in the west developed. Duke Wen of Jin Chong'er (reigned 636-628 BC) was in exile for nineteen years due to the "Liji Rebellion" and suffered a lot of hardships. After ascending to the throne, he reformed politics, developed the economy, organized the military and military, won the trust of the people, stabilized the royal family, and was friendly to Qin. He gained high prestige among the princes. In the 20th year of King Zhou Xiang (633 BC), the Chu army surrounded Shangqiu, the capital of the Song Dynasty. At the beginning of the next year, Duke Wen of Jin led his troops to rescue the Song Dynasty, defeated the Chu army in Chengpu, and became the overlord.

Qin

After the death of Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Mu of Qin tried to develop to the east, but was blocked by Jin. In the battle of Wei, the entire Qin army was wiped out, and they turned westward, annexing some Rongdi tribes and dominating Xirong.

The State of Chu further prospered

After the Chengpu War, the State of Chu developed eastward and destroyed many small countries. Its influence reached as far as present-day Yunnan in the south and the Yellow River in the north, and its economy and culture developed. King Chuzhuang (reigned from 613 BC to 591 BC) reformed the internal affairs, quelled the riots, built water conservancy projects, and made the country stronger. He actually asked the envoy of King Zhou Ding about the size of Zhou Ding. In the tenth year of King Zhou Ding (597 BC), Chu and Jin fought in Bi (southeast of today's Wuzhi, Henan) and won a great victory. Soon, another army invaded the Song Dynasty, and the Jin people did not dare to rescue them. So all the small countries in the Central Plains returned to Chu one after another, and the Chu people dominated the Central Plains.

Introduction to the Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period began with King Ping of Zhou moving eastward.

Under the combined blows of civil strife and Rong invasion, King Zhou Ping was forced to abandon Haojing in 770 BC and relied on the power of Jin, Zheng and other princes to move the capital to Luoyi. From then on, the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty began to weaken, and the era when Emperor Zhou commanded the world was gone forever. Princes compete for hegemony, great powers merge, and the dictatorship of great officials and the struggle between Yi and Xia come to the stage. The State of Chu, whose southern capital was far away from the Central Plains, began to claim the title of king very early, and later the States of Wu and Yue also became kings.

But the name of Spring and Autumn Period is derived from "Spring and Autumn Annals" of Lu History. Confucius compiled the history from the first year of Lu Yin (722 BC) to the fourteenth year of Lu Aigong (481 BC) into a history book "Spring and Autumn". It is the earliest existing chronological history book in China. Later generations called this historical period "Spring and Autumn". For the Spring and Autumn Period. Some people also believe that it is the collective work of Lu historians. Liu Zhiji, a historian of the Tang Dynasty, first doubted Confucius's revision of "Spring and Autumn". 》all have this question. Shi Yunyu's "The First Draft of Duxuelu? On the Spring and Autumn Annals": "The Spring and Autumn Annals are the old texts of Lu Shi. The events of the Twelve Officials in the "Spring and Autumn Annals" lasted for 240 years, and those who penned them will surely update the number. Ten people. If the family is their own teacher and each person is their own learner, how can their calligraphy be the same?"

Since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty has turned from strong to weak, and the royal family has declined day by day. , the power fell, the vassal states conquered each other, and wars were frequent. Small vassal states were annexed one after another, and powerful vassal states achieved unification in local areas.

In the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a relatively peaceful period. The reason was that all countries were very tired from the war and needed to rest and recuperate. Therefore, in 546 BC, 14 countries participated in the second "War of Annihilation". The meeting reached an agreement, and the war was temporarily subsided. However, during this period, hegemony struggles broke out many times in the Yangtze River Basin between Wu, Chu, and Yue. In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, with the popularization of cattle farming and the application of iron farm tools, the economy developed rapidly, and profound social changes occurred, such as the development of private fields and the collapse of the well-field system. In some vassal states, the aristocracy became stronger and began to compete for power from the king.

In 453 BC, three major families, Han, Zhao, and Wei, appeared in the Jin State. They divided the Jin State and established their own countries. This is the famous "Three Families Divide Jin". In 379 BC, the Tian family of Qi State replaced the surname Jiang and became the Marquis of Qi, which was called "Tian Qi". As a result, the era of seven heroes standing side by side and competing for hegemony gradually came, and the Spring and Autumn Period moved towards the Warring States Period.

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