The state of E (IPA:/
ɤ̂/), whose
Middle and
Old Chinese
Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese language, Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones ...
name has been reconstructed as Ngak (IPA:/ŋˤak/), was an
ancient Chinese state in the area of present-day
Henan and
Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
from around the 12th century BCE until its overthrow in 863 BCE. It was a
vassal of the
Shang dynasty and its ruler was one of the
Three Ducal Ministers appointed by
King Zhou of Shang.
E was originally located in the southern part of the modern province of Henan but later moved to Hubei. Its name is now used as the
provincial abbreviation for Hubei.
History
There are a number of different theories about the origins of E, including that its original rulers were descended from the
Baiyue or the
Daxi culture. Another theory claims that during the Shang dynasty, descendants of the
Yellow Emperor surnamed ''
Jí'' () were granted land by Dixin around modern-day
Xiangning County in
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
and that it became the original nucleus of E.
In Chinese historical records, Dixin was said to have wanted to make the daughter of the Marquess of Jiu an imperial concubine but she was a dignified woman who regarded such a role as beneath her. In a fit of anger, Dixin murdered both the Marquess and his daughter and turned the marquess's body into mincemeat. The Marquess of E, protesting this injustice, renounced his vassalage but was also then murdered.
Following the BCE establishment of the
Western Zhou, the state of
Jin moved into E's territory and forced its people to flee southward into the northern part of modern-day
Nanyang, Henan. The relocation exposed them to the powerful southern state of
Chu. By the middle of the Western Zhou, E had fled once again, settling east of present-day
Ezhou in Hubei.
E led a confederation of Southern Huaiyi tribes in a rebellion during the seventh year of the reign of
King Yi of Zhou (863 BCE) and was destroyed by Zhou forces, permitting Chu to finally absorb the smaller state. Chu's ruler
Xiong Qu conferred its former lands upon his son
Xiong Zhi. The destruction of E was inscribed upon a bronze
tripod cauldron, the ''Yu Ding''.
continued to live in E's capital after the death of his father, making it the ''de facto'' capital of Chu. Subsequent rulers remained there until
Xiong E (r. 799-791 BCE) decided to reduce it to the status of an alternative capital.
After Chu became an independent state in the
Spring and Autumn period,
King Gong of Chu (, r. 590–560 BCE) made his third son Lord of E. In the sixth year of the reign of
King Huai of Chu (323 BCE), the king made his younger brother
Xiong Qu the Lord of E. Following the destruction of Chu by
Qin in 223, E became a county under the
Qin and
Han dynasties.
Xi'e was a
county in the
Nanyang Commandery during the
Qin and
Han dynasties and the
Three Kingdoms period which took its name from the State of E.
See also
*
History of China
The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the ...
*
Spring and Autumn period
*
Warring States period
*
E (surname)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:E (State)
Ancient Chinese states
Shang dynasty
Former monarchies