Wei (; ), commonly spelled Wey to distinguish from the contemporary larger Wei () state, was an

ancient Chinese state Ancient Chinese states () were dynastic polities of China within and without the Zhou cultural sphere prior to Qin's wars of unification. They ranged in size from large estates, to city-states to much vaster territories with multiple populatio ...

that was founded in the early

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended in 77 ...

dynasty and rose to prominence during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

. Its rulers were of the surname Ji (), the same as that of the rulers of Zhou. It was located in modern northeastern

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

Province, east of Jin (and later Wei ), and west of

Cao Cao or CAO may refer to: Mythology *Cao (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology Companies or organizations * Air China Cargo, ICAO airline designator CAO * CA Oradea, Romanian football club * CA Osasuna, Spanish football club * Canadian ...

Early history

The history of Wey dates back to the beginning of the Zhou dynasty and the

Rebellion of the Three Guards The Rebellion of the Three Guards (), or less commonly the Wu Geng Rebellion (), was a civil war, instigated by an alliance of discontent Zhou princes, Shang loyalists, vassal states and other non-Zhou peoples against the Western Zhou governme ...

. After the

Duke of Zhou Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou, commonly known as the Duke of Zhou, was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He was renowned for acting as ...

successfully defeated the rebellion,

Kang Shu Kang may refer to: Places * Kang Kalan, Punjab * Kang District, Afghanistan * Kang, Botswana, a village * Kang County, Gansu, China * Kang, Isfahan, Iran, a village * Kang, Kerman, Iran, a village * Kang, Razavi Khorasan, Iran, a village * Kh ...

, a younger brother of

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later. Ki ...

was given a fief centred on

Zhaoge Zhaoge (), in modern Qi County, Hebi, Henan province, was the capital of the State of Wey in the Zhou dynasty. According to traditional histories, it had been the last capital of the Shang dynasty, from king Geng Ding or Wu Yi through the final ...

, the capital of the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

, which had been the centre of the rebellion.

Spring and Autumn period

The State of Wey was at its peak during the early Spring and Autumn period, under

Duke Wu of Wey Duke Wu of Wey (9th century BCE-?), also known as Ji He, was a Zhou dynasty feudal lord. He was the 11th ruler of Wey and the first Duke of Wey. The late Zhou dynasty historical record ''Guoyu'' claims that Duke Wu lived at least 95 years. Howeve ...

, who reigned for 55 years. In the reign of subsequent rulers, however, the state was plagued by succession troubles, until

Duke Yi of Wey Duke Yi of Wey (, died 660 BC), given name Chi (赤), was a Zhou dynasty feudal lord and the 18th ruler of Wey. He was best known for his absurd lifestyle which led to a temporary fall of his state and to his death. Life Chi was the son of Duk ...

took the throne; his dissolute rule and obsession with cranes weakened the state, and in the eighth year of his reign the

Rong people Xirong () or Rong were various people who lived primarily in and around the western extremities of ancient China (in modern Gansu and Qinghai). They were known as early as the Shang dynasty (1765–1122 BCE), as one of the Four Barbarians that fr ...

s successfully attacked the capital at Zhaoge, killing the Duke and nearly destroying the state as well (660 BCE). It was only with the aid of

Duke Huan of Qi Duke Huan of Qi (), personal name Lü Xiaobai, was a duke of the Qi state, ruling from 685 BC to 643 BC. Duke Huan and his long-time advisor Guan Zhong managed to transform Qi into China's most powerful polity. Duke Huan is commonly listed amo ...

that the state was eventually restored, with its capital moved to Chuqiu. In 632 BCE Wey was conquered by

Duke Wen of Jin Duke Wen of Jin (697–628BC), personal name Ji Chong'er, was duke of the Jin state from 636 BC to 628 BC. He was exiled from Jin for approximately 20 years before finally assuming the throne and rapidly leading Jin to hegemony over the othe ...

, because when Duke Wen (called Chong'er then) was exiled to Wey,

Duke Wen of Wey Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

hadn't treated him well, and

Duke Cheng of Wey Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

, the son of Duke Wen of Wey, was nearly poisoned by Duke Wen of Jin, but eventually the state was restored. (Before the

Battle of Chengpu The Battle of Chengpu took place in 632 BC between the State of Jin and the State of Chu and its allies during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. It was the first major battle in the protracted conflict between the states of th ...

, when

Chu Chu or CHU may refer to: Chinese history * Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty * Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu * Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the H ...

was attacking

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

, Jin attacked Wey and

as a diversion.) In 492 BCE

Duke Chu of Wey Duke Chu of Wey (, died 469 BC) was 29th ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Wey (state), Wey. He ruled the duchy twice: the first time between 493 BC and 481 BC, the second time between 477 BC and 470 BC. His given name was Zhé (輒). Zhé ...

() succeeded the throne from his grandfather Duke Ling (), while his father Kuaikui (), who was the heir of Duke Ling, had been deposed and exiled. To get the throne, Kuaikui fought against his own son and managed to exile Duke Chu in 481 BCE, and was titled as Duke Zhuang II (), but was killed three years later. Duke Chu was restored in 475 BCE. The conflict between father and son weakened Wey, and Wey soon became attached to the House of Zhao of Jin.

Downfall and end

In 346 BCE the duke of Wey degraded himself to a marquis. In 320 BCE the marquis of Wey again degraded himself to only a ''jun'' (lord). By then Wey only possessed a single county called

Puyang Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei ...

(). In 254 BCE King Anxi of Wei () killed Lord Huai of Wey (), but two years later he declared his son-in-law, who was from the house of Wey, to be lord of Wey, so Wey became a dependency of the Wei Kingdom. In 239 BCE the

state of Qin Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...

occupied Puyang, and Wey migrated to Yewang () in order to preserve its existence. The state was so weak that it was presumably ignored by

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; February 25912 July 210 BC), born Ying Zheng () or Zhao Zheng (), was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. He is widely regarded as the first ever supreme leader of a unitary state, unitary d ...

, and was only abolished in 209 BCE when

Qin Er Shi Qin Er Shi (230/222207 BC), Chinese given name, given name Ying Huhai, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Chinese Qin dynasty, reigning from 210 to 207 BC. The son of Qin Shi Huang, he was put on the throne by Li Si and Z ...

deposed

Jiao, Lord of Wey Jiao, Lord of Wey (卫君角), also known as Wei Jiao (卫角), was a Qin dynasty feudal lord. He was the 44th and the last ruler of the state of Wey. After his death, he did not receive a posthumous name; Jiao was his given name. Life Jiao wa ...

(), two years before the collapse of the Qin dynasty.

Vassals

Vassals of Wey include Shi clan, Ning clan, Kong clan, Beigong clan, Nan clan and Sun clan. They were mostly cadet branches of Wey. Kong clan, which came from the state of Nan Yan, was an exception.

List of rulers

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wey (state) Ancient Chinese states States of the Spring and Autumn period States of the Warring States period 209 BC States and territories disestablished in the 3rd century BC 3rd-century BC disestablishments in China States and territories established in the 11th century BC