Hejian Kingdom, also translated as Hejian Principality ( zh, 河閒國), was a
kingdom in early Imperial China, located in present-day southern
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...
province.
History
In early
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
, Hejian was part of the
Zhao Kingdom. The kingdom was created in 178 BC when it was granted to Liu Piqiang (劉辟彊), son of
Liu You, King You of Zhao (趙幽王) and brother of
Liu Sui, King of Zhao. After Piqiang's death, the territory passed to his son Liu Fu (劉福). Fu died without an heir and the kingdom was dissolved.
In 155 BC,
Emperor Jing granted the title King of Hejian to Liu De (劉德), his third son. De's descendants held the title to the end of Western Han dynasty.
['']Book of Han
The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. ...
'', Chapter 14. The kingdom was briefly restored under
Emperor Guangwu's reign.
In 90 AD,
Emperor Zhang reestablished Hejian on the territories of
Lecheng,
Bohai Bohai may refer to:
* Bohai Sea, or Bo Hai, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea
* Balhae, known as Bohai in Chinese, a former mixed Mohe-Goguryeo empire which existed from 698 to 926 in Manchuria
Locations or areas in China
* Bohai Bay, one of t ...
and
Zhuo commanderies
In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and Gr ...
. Liu Kai (劉開), the sixth son of the emperor, became the King of Hejian. Kai's lineage held Hejian until the foundation of
dynasty.
Emperor Huan
Emperor Huan of Han (; 132 – 25 January 168) was the 27th emperor of the Han dynasty after he was enthroned by the Empress Dowager and her brother Liang Ji on 1 August 146. He was a great-grandson of Emperor Zhang. He was the 11th Emperor o ...
and his successors all came from this branch of the imperial family.
Hejian became a commandery under Wei. In early
Western Jin dynasty
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
, Hejian became the fief of
Sima Yong, brother of
Sima Yi
Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
He formally began his political career in 208 un ...
.
In 140 AD, the kingdom administered 11 counties, namely Lecheng (樂成), Gonggao (弓高), Yi (易), Wuyuan (武垣), Zhongshui (中水), Mao (鄚), Gaoyang (高陽), Wen'an (文安), Shuzhou (束州), Chengping (成平) and Dongpingshu (東平舒). The total population was 634,421, or 93,754 households.
['']Book of Later Han
The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Late ...
'', Chapter 111.
Kings under the Han dynasty
*Liu Piqiang (劉辟疆), King Wen of Hejian (河閒文王), 178–165 BC;
*Liu Fu (劉福), King Ai of Hejian (河閒哀王), 165–164 BC;
*Liu De (劉德), King Xian of Hejian (河閒獻王), 155–129 BC;
*Liu Buzhou (劉不周), King Gong of Hejian (河閒共王), 129–125 BC;
*Liu Ji (劉基), King Gang of Hejian (河閒剛王), 125–113 BC;
*Liu Huan (劉緩), King Qing of Hejian (河閒頃王), 113–97 BC;
*Liu Qing (劉慶), King Xiao of Hejian (河閒孝王), 97–54 BC;
*Liu Yuan (劉元), 54–37 BC;
*Liu Liang (劉良), King Hui of Hejian (河閒惠王), 32–5 BC;
*Liu Shang (劉尚), 5 BC – 9 AD;
*Liu Shao (劉劭), 32–37;
*Liu Kai (劉開), King Xiao of Hejian (河閒孝王), 90–132;
*Liu Zheng (劉政), King Hui of Hejian (河閒惠王), 132–142;
*Liu Jian (劉建), King Zhen of Hejian (河閒貞王), 142–152;
*Liu Li (劉利), King An of Hejian (河閒安王), 152–180;
*Liu Gai (劉陔), 180–221.
References
{{Han dynasty provinces
Kingdoms of the Han dynasty