Han (韓,
Hán) (
403 BC-
230 BC) was a
kingdom during the
Warring States Period in
China. Not to be confused with
South Korea which shares the same character.
Its territory directly blocked the passage of the state of
Qin into the
North China Plain, thus becoming a frequent target of Qin's military operations. Although Han had attempted several self strengthening reforms, notably under the famous
Legalist Shen Buhai, it would never overcome the Qin. In fact it was the first of the
other six Chinese kingdoms to be conquered by Qin.
The Qin invasion of Han's
Shangdang Commandery (上党郡) ushered in the bloodiest battle of the whole period, the
Battle of Changping in
260 BC.
Rise
According to
Shiji, the Han family was descended from the
Zhou nobles. The Zhou kings granted
Hanyuan (韓原) to the Han family which the family used to gain influence and importance. In
403 BC,
Marquis Jing of Han (韓景侯), along with
Marquis Wen of Wei and
Marquis Lie of Zhao partitioned the powerful state
Jin into Han,
Wei, and
Zhao marking the beginning of the
Warring States Period and Han as an independent polity.
King Lie of Zhou was forced to recognize the new states and elevated the ruler's titles to Marquis.
Height
The height of the Han state was during the rule of
Marquis Xi. Xi appointed
Shen Buhai (申不害)
Chancellor and implemented Shen's
Legalist philosophy. Shen's policies strengthened Han and the kingdom became a
xiaokang society.
Fall
Because of the nature of the split of Jin, the Han state was landlocked on all sides by other powerful states like
Chu,
Qi,
Qin, and
Wei. Han was the smallest of the seven states, and was bullied militarily by more powerful neighbors. During its steady decline, the Han state lost the power to defend its territory and was requesting military assistance from other states when faced with invasions. Eventually, Han became the first of the six states to be conquered by the expanding Qin in
230 BC.
Famous People
The most famous person of Han is the Legalist philosopher
Han Fei. Another famous Han personality was
Zhang Liang, who helped bring about the founding of the
Han dynasty.
List of Han rulers
See also
