Warring States Period

Warring States Period

1. Time of this period

   • from 481 BC to 403 BC
     • 481 BC :this year marks the end of the Spring and Autumn Annals.
     • 476–475 BC :inaugural year of King Yuan of Zhou.
     • 453 BC : Partition of Qi saw the dissolution/destruction of that key state of the earlier period and the formation of three of the seven warring states: Han, Zhao, and Wei.
     • 441 BC :The inaugural year of Zhou Kings starting with King Ai of Zhou.
     • 403 BC :The year when the Zhou court officially recognised Han, Zhao and Wei as states. Author Sima Guang of Zizhi Tongjian (published 1084) advocates this symbol of eroded Zhou authority as the start of the Warring States era.

2. Seven Warring States(major)

   • Qi
     • east, centred on the Shandong Peninsula
   • Chu
     • south, with its core territory around the valleys of the Han River
   • Han
     • along the Yellow River, controlling the approaches to Qin.
   • Wei
     • located in the middle, roughly today's eastern Henan Province.
   • Zhao
     • the northernmost of the three, roughly today's southern Hebei Province
   • Yan
     • northeast, centred on modern-day Beijing.
   • Qin
     • located in the far west, with its core in the Wei River Valley and Guanzhong.

3. and some minor state

4. Qin state became disproportionately powerful compared with the other six states, they use horizontal and vertical alliances

   • Su Qin and the first vertical alliance (334–300 BC):Su Qin spent years visiting the courts of Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, Qi and Chu and persuaded them to form a united front against Qin. But it was not successful.
   • The first horizontal alliance (300–287 BC):In 298 BC Zhao offered Qin an alliance and Lord Mengchang was driven out of Qin. The remaining three allies, Qi, Wei and Han, attacked Qin,In 288 BC King Zhao of Qin and King Min of Qi took the title "Di", (帝 literally emperor), of the west and east respectively. They swore a covenant and started planning an attack on Zhao.