Han state
Han was a Warring States kingdom in central China, ruled by the Han royal house from the fifth century BCE until its conquest by Qin in 230 BCE.
Partition of Jin: The division of the state of Jin into the kingdoms of Han, Wei, and Zhao in the fifth century BCE. Han’s founding as an independent kingdom followed Jin’s fragmentation.
Shangdang Commandery: A strategically important region in the Taihang Mountains, located between the territories of Han, Zhao, and Qin. Its contested allegiance drew Han into the Qin–Zhao conflict at Changping.
Conquest of Han: Qin’s annexation of the Han kingdom in 230 BCE, the first of its final campaigns against the Warring States. Han’s defeat began the sequence of conquests that ended the independent kingdoms.
Xinzheng: A city in present-day Henan that served as the capital of the Warring States kingdom of Han. The city was Han’s political center until Qin conquered the kingdom.
Marquess Wen of Wei: A ruler of Wei who helped establish the power of the Wei, Zhao, and Han ruling houses after Jin’s decline. His political era shaped the conditions in which Han became a recognized kingdom.
Battle of Changping: A major Qin–Zhao battle fought around 260 BCE that ended in a decisive Qin victory. Han’s loss of Shangdang helped trigger the battle and exposed its weakness.
Qin unification: The process by which Qin conquered the rival Chinese states and unified much of China in 221 BCE. Han’s absorption was an early step in Qin’s creation of a unified empire.
King An of Han: The last ruler of the Warring States kingdom of Han, who surrendered to Qin in 230 BCE. His surrender marks the end of Han’s independence.
Zhou dynasty: A Chinese dynasty that ruled from the eleventh century to 256 BCE, with authority increasingly divided among regional states. Han remained nominally within the Zhou political order even as its kingship weakened.
Qin state: A western Chinese kingdom that conquered rival states and founded the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE. Qin’s expanding power ultimately overwhelmed Han and absorbed its territory.