Eastern Wu (), also known as
Sun Wu (), was one of the
Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty in the
Jiangnan (Yangtze Delta) region of
China. During its existence, its capital was largely at
Jianye (, modern
Nanjing), but at times was at Wuchang (, in modern
Ezhou,
Hubei).
History
During the decline of the Han dynasty, the
region of Wu - a region in the south of the
Yangtze River surrounding
Nanjing - was under the control of the warlord
Sun Quan. Sun Quan succeeded his brother
Sun Ce as the lord over the Wu region paying nominal allegiance to
Emperor Xian of Han (who was, at that point, under the control of
Cao Cao). Unlike his competitors, he did not really have the ambition to be Emperor of China. However, after
Cao Pi of
Cao Wei and
Liu Bei of the
Shu Han each declared themselves to be the Emperor, Sun Quan decided to follow suit in 229, claiming to have founded the
Wu Dynasty.
Sun Quan's long reign resulted in the stabilizing of the south. Wu and Shu had a military alliance, to defeat Wei in the north. Wu never managed to gain territory north of the
Yangtze river, but Wei never managed to take territory south of the river.
Eastern Wu was finally conquered by the first
Jin emperor,
Sima Yan, in 280. Wu was the longest-lived of the three kingdoms.
Legacy
Under the rule of Eastern Wu, southern China, regarded in early history as a barbaric "jungle" developed into one of the commercial, cultural, and political centers of China. Within five centuries, during
the Five Dynasties and Ten States, the development of Southern China had surpassed that of the north. The achievements of Wu marked the beginning of the cultural and political division between Northern and Southern China that would repeatedly appear in Chinese history well into modernity.
The
island of Taiwan may have been first reached by the Chinese during the Three Kingdoms period. Contacts with the native population and the dispatch of officials to an island named "Yizhou" (夷州) by the Eastern Wu navy might have been to Taiwan, but the location of Yizhou is open to dispute; some historians believe it was Taiwan, while others believe it was the
Ryūkyū Islands.
Important figures
List of sovereigns
Eastern Wu 222-280| Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) | Personal names | Year(s) of Reigns | Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their range of years |
|---|
| Convention: use personal name |
| Da Di (大帝 dà dì) | Sun Quan (孫權 sūn quán) | 222-252 |
Huangwu (黃武 huáng wǔ) 222-229
Huanglong (黃龍 huáng lóng) 229-231
Jiahe (嘉禾 jiā hé) 232-238
Chiwu (赤烏 chì wū) 238-251
Taiyuan (太元 taì yuán) 251-252
Shenfeng (神鳳 shén2 fèng) 252 |
| Kuaiji Wang (會稽王 kuaì jī wáng) | Sun Liang (孫亮 sūn liàng) | 252-258 |
Jianxing (建興 jiàn xīng) 252-253
Wufeng (五鳳 wǔ fèng) 254-256
Taiping (太平 taì píng) 256-258
|
| Jing Di (景帝 jǐng dì) | Sun Xiu (孫休 sūn xiū) | 258-264 | Yong'an (永安 yǒng ān) 258-264
|
Wucheng Hou (烏程侯 wū chéng hóu)
or Guiming Hou (歸命侯; gūi mìng hóu) | Sun Hao (孫皓 sūn haò) | 264-280 |
Yuanxing (元興 yuán xīng) 264-265
Ganlu (甘露 gān lù) 265-266
Baoding (寶鼎 baǒ dǐng) 266-269
Jianheng (建衡 jiàn héng) 269-271
Fenghuang (鳳凰 fèng huáng) 272-274
Tiance (天冊 tiān cè) 275-276
Tianxi (天璽 tiān xǐ) 276
Tianji (天紀 tiān jì) 277-280
|
See also
Category:States and territories established in 229Category:222 establishmentsCategory:280 disestablishments*ar:مملكة ووbr:Wu ar Reterca:Wu Orientalde:Wu-Dynastiees:Wu (reino)fr:Royaume de Wugan:東吳ko:오 (삼국)id:Dong Wums:Dong Wunl:Koninkrijk Wuja:呉 (三国)pl:Wu (Okres Trzech Królestw)ru:У (царство)fi:Wu-kuningaskuntasv:Östra Wuth:ง่อก๊กvi:Đông Ngôzh-classical:孫吳zh:東吳
