Tan (; 1046–684 BCE) was an
ancient state located in present-day
Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
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 that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...
, was defeated at the
Battle of Muye
The Battle of Muye, Mu, or Muh () was fought between forces of the ancient Chinese Shang dynasty led by King Zhou of Shang and the rebel state of Zhou led by King Wu. The Zhou defeated the Shang at Muye and captured the Shang capital Yin, ...
by
King Wu, founder of the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...
. 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 is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...
, the capital of the present-day
Shandong Province. The Tan rulers, who were reputed to be descendants of
Yu the Great (the legendary ancient king and founder of the
Xia dynasty
The Xia dynasty (; ) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, it was established by the legendary figure Yu the Great, after Emperor Shun, Shun, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Fiv ...
), 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. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty.
In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...
.
[''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, ruler of the neighboring
State of Qi, on defeating the
State of Lu and the
State of Song, 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, where his son, Qi Yi (), was the ruler. Qi Yi was the first to change his clan name to
Tan 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, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
.
Others argue that the ancient capital is the present-day Mingshui Sub-district of the city of
Zhangqiu in Shandong Province.
Rulers
House of Si
See also
*
Tancheng County
*
Dongyi
*
Ju (state)
*
Lai (state)
*
Dapeng (state)
*
Xu (state)
*
Gumie (state)
References
{{Zhou Dynasty topics
History of Shandong
Ancient Chinese states
States of the Spring and Autumn period
States and territories established in the 11th century BC
Zhou dynasty