Tan (; 1046–684 BCE) was an ancient state located in present-day

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

Province, China. It is the first state reported to be "extinguished" during the Spring and Autumn period.

Foundation

In 1046 BCE, Zhou, the last king of the

Shang Dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty a ...

, was defeated at the

Battle of Muye The Battle of Muye () or Battle of the Mu was a battle fought in ancient China between the rebel Zhou state and the reigning Shang dynasty. The Zhou army, led by Wu of Zhou, defeated the defending army of King Di Xin of Shang at Muye and capt ...

by King Wu, founder of the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

. Following this victory, he founded a number of small subordinate vassal states It is estimated that there were some 170 vassal states established during the reign of the Zhou dynasty. to be ruled by his brothers and generals. One of these was the State of Tan, which was located just east of present-day

Jinan Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...

, the capital of the present-day

Shandong Province Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...

. The Tan rulers, who were reputed to be descendants of

Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures promine ...

(the legendary ancient king and founder of the

Xia Dynasty The Xia dynasty () is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, the Xia dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great, after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors, gave the throne to him. In tradit ...

), were given the then-new heredity title of ''zijue'' (''tzu-chueh'' - 子爵) or

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

.''Tan Genealogy: Heritage and Lineage'' by Henry Tom, privately published, Frederick (MD) 2009.

Demise

In February 684 BCE, when rulers of neighboring states went to congratulate

Duke Huan of Qi Duke Huan of Qi (; died 643 BC), personal name Xiǎobái (小白), was the ruler of the State of Qi from 685 to 643 BC. Living during the chaotic Spring and Autumn period, as the Zhou dynasty's former vassal states fought each other for supremac ...

, ruler of the neighboring

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded sh ...

, on defeating the

State of Lu Lu (, c. 1042–249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong province. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dy ...

and the

State of Song Song (; Old Chinese: *') was a state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China, with its capital at Shangqiu. The state was founded soon after King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. It was conquered ...

, Xian Li, the ruler of Tan declined to go. Later in October of that year, the ruler of Qi used this discourtesy as an excuse to attack Xian Li and his three brothers. After ten days, his siege was successful, and Xian Li fled with 200 members of the royal court to the

State of Ju Ju () was a Dongyi state in modern Shandong province during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE) of ancient China. The rulers of Ju had the surname of Ji 己. According to the ''Shuowen Jiezi'', "Ju" means taro or a wooden tool. It was weakened ...

, where his son, Qi Yi (), was the ruler. Qi Yi was the first to change his clan name to

Tan Tan or TAN may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...

in memory of their defeated state.''In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames'' by Sheau-yueh J Chao, published by Clearfield Co, Baltimore 2000. Today, Tancheng claims to be the ancient capital of this State of Tan. However, it has also been argued that it is actually the capital of a State of Tan established during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. Others argue that the ancient capital is the present-day Mingshui Sub-district of the city of

Zhangqiu Zhangqiu () is one of 10 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, East China. The district has an area of 1721.29 square kilometers, 20 towns, 908 villages and the permanent resident populati ...

in Shandong Province.

References

{{Zhou Dynasty topics History of Shandong Ancient Chinese states States and territories established in the 11th century BC Zhou dynasty