The state of Huo was a vassal state in China, which lasted from the
Western Zhou dynasty
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 7 ...
to the early years of the Spring and Autumn period.
After the founding of the Western Zhou and the overthrow 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 ...
, Shuchu (霍叔處), a 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 ...
, who was dispatched to found a colony at Huo. A chief purpose of this fiefdom was to control the former homeland of the Shang Dynasty, forming 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 governmen ...
along with the states of
Cai) and
Guan.
However, after the death of King Wu and the regency of 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 ...
, the Three Guards colluded with the Shang rulers and launched a revolt against the Zhou court. This revolt was defeated, and Shuchu was stripped of his titles and demoted to a commoner. Subsequently, however, the lands of Huo were given to Shuchu's son, thereby continuing the rule of their branch, which would last until 661 BC when the state was annexed by Jin.
{{coord missing, China
7th-century BC disestablishments in China
States and territories disestablished in the 7th century BC
11th-century BC establishments in China