Qi (state) - History

History

Western Zhou (1046–771 BC): With the founding of the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC, King Wu of Zhou assigned the conquered lands as hereditary fiefs to his relatives and ministers. Territory in the area of modern day Shandong was given to Jiang Ziya, his most important general from which the state of Qi arose. Little information survives from this period. King Yi of Zhou (r. 865–858) attacked Qi and boiled Duke Ai of Qi to death. At the time of King Xuan of Zhou (r. 827–782) there was a succession struggle. During this time many of the native Dongyi peoples were absorbed into the Qi state.

Spring and Autumn Period: In 706 BC Qi was attacked by the Shan Rong. Qi rose to prominence under Duke Huan of Qi (685–643). He and his minister Guan Zhong strengthened the state by centralizing it. He annexed 35 neighboring states including Tan and brought others into submission. In 667 Duke Huan met with the rulers of Lu, Song, Chen and Zheng and was elected leader. Subsequently King Hui of Zhou made him the first Hegemon. He attacked Wei for supporting a rival of the Zhou king and intervened in the affairs of Lu. In 664 he protected Yan from the Rong. In 659 he protected Xing and in 660, Wei, from the Red Di. In 656 he blocked the northward expansion of Chu. After his death, his sons quarrelled and the hegemony passed to Jin.

In 632 Qi helped Jin defeat Chu at the Battle of Chengpu. In 589 Qi was defeated by Jin. In 579 the four great powers of Qin (west), Jin (center), Chu (south) and Qi (east) met to declare a truce and limit their military strength. In 546 a similar four-power conference recognized several smaller states as satellites of Qi, Jin and Qin.

Warring States Period: The many wars of this age are described in the appropriate article. This section covers domestic affairs. Early in the period Qi annexed a number of smaller states. Qi was one of the first states to patronize scholars. In 532 the Tian (田) clan destroyed several rival families and came to dominate the state. In 485 the Tian killed the ducal heir and fought several rival clans. In 481 the Tian chief killed a puppet duke, most of the ruler's family and a number of rival chiefs. He took control of most of the state and left the Duke with only the capital of Linzi and the area around Mount Tai. In 386 the House of Tian replaced the House of Jiang as rulers of Qi. In 221 Qi was the last of the warring states to be conquered by Qin, thereby putting an end to the wars and uniting China under the Qin Dynasty.