Five hegemons
As five hegemons ( Chinese 五霸 , Pinyin wǔ bà ), depending on the source, different rulers at the time of the spring and autumn annals in China are called. They have in common that they achieved hegemony over the other Chinese princes of their time.
The official title 霸 , (bà) is literally translated as ' overlord', 'the senior ' or 'tyrant', but in this context as 'hegemon'. Depending on the period of investigation and the definition of the hegemony status, far more than just five princes from that time come into consideration, so that the ancient Chinese historians who coined the term were already divided on which of the princes should be included in the "five". Only Huan from Qi and Wen from Jin are indisputable .
in the Zhou period
all years BC Chr.
prehistory
In 771 BC The "barbaric" Quanrong destroyed the capital of the Chinese Zhou kingdom, Haojing . The royal court moved to Luoyang , in the immediate vicinity of the two loyal principalities of Jin and Zheng . Due to the loss of his ancestral lands, the position of the Zhou- Wang (Zhoukönig) suffered a great loss of prestige and power, as this ruler now required the protection of the vassals. The well over one hundred principalities of China, especially the few territorial states, now enjoyed more and more freedoms and even sovereignty . In the south of the Zhou empire was the "semi-barbaric" empire of Chu , which began in 703 BC. As an independent Chinese kingdom. The external threat not only on the southern border forced the great majority of the northern Zhou vassals to stick together. Despite the now merely nominal ruling dynasty and despite internal conflicts, the fiefdom system of the Zhou continued into the 3rd century BC. Chr. Stock. However, the central authority of the Zhou-Wang continued to decline and after a few decades it was limited to the ceremonial-religious character of exercising the mandate of heaven .
Early hegemony by Zheng
Gong Zhuang von Zheng was a successful general against the Xirong ("Western barbarians") and was appointed royal advisor to Wang Ping von Zhou - he had forced this position against royal resistance and had also received a son Pings hostage. When Huan von Zhou ascended the Zhou throne as Ping's successor, he removed Zhuang from the office of advisor, whereupon the latter openly rebelled against Wang. At the Battle of Xuge in 707 BC Zhuang Gong defeated his ruler and Huan Wang was wounded with an arrow on his shoulder, which caused the Zhou house to lose its reputation even more and, after the costly defeat, also became financially dependent on the vassals. Zhuang Gong had until his death in 701 BC. BC secured its dominant position among the Chinese princes, but few historians recognize it as part of the series of the Five Hegemons. Zhuang's heirs waged a twenty year civil war, and Zheng never rose again to a dominant position among the Zhou Chinese vassals.
"Classic" hegemons
Once established, the status of the hegemon was given to the princes who supported the Wang and the existing system of rule and kept the barbarians out of the empire. This "empire" was understood to mean the North China Plain , in which most of the small Zhou states were. It is characteristic, however, that the four dominant states and decisive hegemons in the 7th century BC. BC were those who could expand in the periphery of the empire, and only from this position of strength could annex the small states in the center of the empire. In particular, these four states were in the lead: Qin , Qi , Jin and Chu , although the latter, as the southern fringes of Chinese culture, always played an outsider role. Decisive for the power of a hegemon was on the one hand its direct, personal power as ruler, as well as on the other hand the collective power of its alliance, which could be changeable with the changing alliances.
First hegemon: Huan of Qi
All historians refer to the Gong Huan of Qi as the first hegemons , which dates from 685 to 643 BC. Ruled. Thanks to his highest minister, Guan Zhong , he succeeded in reforming his country, which was already prosperous through trade. For example, he centralized the administration of the fifteen parishes in Qi to three officials: he himself and two high-ranking ministers were now military commanders and civilian superiors in five of these parishes each. Compared to the other, more loosely organized principalities, the gong had quick and immediate access to the country's resources. In the years that followed, Qi's economic and military success became apparent.
667 BC Huan Qi Gong secured the support of other principalities: The princes of Lu , Song , Chen and Zheng elected Huan as the leader of their coalition. Soon after, Hui Zhou Wang named him 霸 , bà . With this, Huan was granted royal supreme command in campaigns. Huan used the supreme command to distribute troops to the garrisons of the empire. He intervened in a power struggle in Lu and defeated 664 BC. In Yan the invading Xirong as well as 660/659 BC. In Wey and Xing the invading Beidi ("northern barbarians"). With an alliance of eight states, he captured the state of Cai on the southern border in 656 , which temporarily halted the expansion of the Chu empire. In total, Huan Gong annexed 35 other small states.
As Hegemon Huan in 643 BC Died, his sons fought for power in qi in a civil war. Gong Xiao from Qi was able to gain power in 642; four of his brothers continued to conspire against him, which led to decades of weakness in the principality, so that it no longer held hegemony.
Hegemony through song
Long-standing Gong Xiang from Song tried to achieve the title of hegemon as early as 643. His ambition was possibly based on the fact that his house boasted direct descent from the Shang dynasty . Like Huan before, he held meetings of the princes to ensure their cooperation and took military action against his rivals. However, he took over with a campaign against Chu in 638 and died the following year of a wound sustained in battle. The subsequent gongs by Song played a more modest role in the concert of the Chinese principalities. However, there was no official appointment as a hegemon, so that not all historians recognize Xiang as a hegemon.
Second Hegemon: Wen of Jin
Passed over in the line of succession, Wen von Jin lived in exile until he died in 636 BC. He overthrew his nephew with the help of the forces of the Mu of Qin , became himself a Gong and continued his father's reforms. Within a few years he conquered 17 smaller principalities, subjugated 38 others and also integrated “barbaric” tribes of the north and west into his territory, thereby further expanding his power.
635 BC He supported Wang Xiang von Zhou and helped him to regain power as the leader of a coalition of loyalists. The king returned the favor with additional fiefs in a strategically favorable position. The population of these cities received as a "gift" was not treated mildly or preferentially when they were incorporated into the Jin Empire, even if they belonged to the old nobility or even had connections to the Zhou court. Wen forged an alliance with the states of Qin and Qi, with which he then successfully proceeded against Chu. After the Battle of Chengpu , which Chu lost, Wang Xiang rewarded Gong Wen with the honorary title of bà (hegemon). Wen was the second prince of the Zhou era to be officially awarded this title. After his death in 628, his successor Xiang von Jin provoked a conflict with Qin and was defeated. Other conflicts with the remaining principalities also broke out again, so that Jin's suzerainty was undermined. From a purely official point of view, Jin's hegemony lasted for generations and was repeatedly confirmed by the Zhou-Wang. Chinese historians mostly did not consider these successors of Wen as hegemons.
Qin hegemony
Gong Mu of Qin , the v for 659th BC and had previously appeared as a supporter and father-in-law Wen von Jins, came to the fore of the Chinese power structure after his death in 628. After the battle of Yao (against Jin), he deliberately refrained from taking any further action against the internal Chinese rival. Instead, he succeeded in incorporating the lands of the Xirong "barbarians" into the Chinese sphere of influence, as well as a total of 12 other states under his rule. He was therefore recognized as the most powerful prince of his time. Until his death in 621 BC he led No further military campaigns against rival rulers and no new strategic alliances forged. Since he was not confirmed as a hegemon by the Zhou-Wang either, he is not recognized as such by all historians.
Hegemony by Chu
Wang Zhuang from Chu was not referred to as Wang (King) but as Zi (Vice Count). It was not least this disparity between his title at the Zhou royal court and the actual power of his southern empire that had already induced his ancestor Wu von Chu to proclaim his own kingship. Under Zhuang, who from 613 BC Ruled, Chu was able to expand north again, this time without being stopped by a northern coalition. Zhuang even moved as far as the Zhou residence and asked how heavy the "nine things " were, ceremonial bronze vessels that were among the insignia of the Zhou rulers: The threat was thus in the room that the Wang von Chu in the cauldron wanted to bring its own capital. The Zhou residence remained untouched in the end; but Zhuang subjugated the state of Zheng and defeated a relief army of the (officially still incumbent) hegemon state Jin so clearly that the de facto dominance of Chu over the northern principalities until his death in 591 BC. Was established. In total, under Zhuang alone, Chu annexed 26 other states, including several of the previously most important Zhou vassals.
Chu's hegemony was not officially recognized, especially not by the Zhou court. Only later historians granted Zhuang the title of hegemon, but then with almost no restrictions. This was also possible because Chu had adapted more and more to the Chinese cultural traditions and in later centuries was no longer included in the southern “barbarian” realms. According to his great influence and because of the reports that portray him as the ideal ruler according to ancient standards, Zhuang is usually ranked third of the five hegemons. According to a classic classification, which only includes the above-mentioned hegemons from 667-591 BC. B.C., Mu were ranked fourth by Qin and Xiang by Song ranked fifth.
Late hegemons
In the period that followed Zhuang's reign, the power structure in the northern principalities changed: In Jin, 588 BC. Six ministerial families in power, the Zhao, Wei, Han, Fan, Zhi and Zhongxing. The same thing happened in Lu, where the Three Huan took over power. In a peace conference in 579 BC they agreed. The four most powerful states of their time (Chu, Qin, Qi and Jin) agreed to a kind of armistice and military disarmament, but this did not last long. Jin also supported 584 BC. A rebellion in the southeast coastal region of Chus. This new state of Wu established itself in the long term and also contributed to ending Chu's dominance. Chu then allied with the even newer state of Yue on the southern flank of Wu. Powerful principalities grew out of these two southern states, whose power was comparable to that of the long-established league of the northern Zhou vassals.
Second hegemony of Jin
From 572 to 558, Gong Dao ruled from Jin , who once again officially received the title das bà , the title of hegemony, from the hand of the Zhou-Wang . Due to radical reforms and economic-military successes, he also gained respect as such among the other princes. In fact, the royal influence was already so much weakened and the state of Jin with its allies was actually not militarily strong enough to fully live up to the title of hegemon - but this should also apply to the subsequent hegemons. In retrospect, Chinese historiography is divided on the legitimation of Daos as bà .
Hegemony through Wu
Wu was a comparatively young state, but its ruler Wang Helü von Wu proved to be very successful in the fight against Chu, to whom he was able to inflict one defeat in five battles in 506; he advanced to the Chu capital, Ying . Only when Chu from 505 BC Was supported by Qin, Helü was defeated and was forced to retreat after a rebellion by his brother Fugai. 496 BC On the occasion of an succession to the throne in Yue, Helü invaded this neighbor, but was wounded and died in 495.
His son Gong Fuchai von Wu took power and continued the wars with Yue. After his surrender in 492 BC He held Wang Goujian of Yue hostage in his capital for two years. 482 BC At a meeting of princes, Fuchai was granted the official status of hegemon, but its exposed capital fell victim to the attack by Goujian von Yue during this period. Fuchai was now striving for peace and accepted unfavorable conditions. Goujian undermined Fuchai's political position in the years that followed and allied himself again with Chu. He fell in 476 BC. BC once again entered Wu and annexed the state that officially still exercised hegemony over the empire.
The power of Wu was assessed differently by ancient historians: Fuchai officially held the title and was in some cases assessed as militarily strong enough to count Fuchai as an actual hegemone. Under Helü, however, Wu had already reached its peak, which is why Helü was also counted as a hegemon.
Hegemony by Yue
Yue had eliminated the rival Wu under Goujian von Yue (496-465 BC) and with the help of Chu and thereby established himself as a nominal hegemon. Goujian developed this status into an actual supremacy over the northern princes and alternately achieved sovereignty over Qi and Jin through diplomatic and military means.
Some later historians have included Goujian as a Yue hegemon together with either Helü or Fuchai representing the dominance of Wu in the list of the Five Hegemons. Instead, the less important of the “classic” hegemons mentioned above were deleted from the list in order not to have to change the symbolic number of hegemons.
End of the hegemony efforts
The political culture of China had already fundamentally changed compared to the beginning of the spring and autumn annals: the threat posed by incursions by external barbarians had become manageable; the southern empire of Chu had further sinized; the importance of the Zhou court had continued to decline and the internal power struggle for supremacy had become increasingly brutal. The end of the state of Wu, the division of Jin into three new principalities and a dynastic change of power in Qi were used as points in time to delimit the time of the spring and autumn annals from the time of the Warring States in the middle of the 4th century .
Accordingly, the end of the bà system of hegemony is seen with the end of the Yue-Wu conflict .
Reception in historiography
The Chinese historians, similar to the “ three sovereigns and five emperors ” of early mythical history, have also tried to process later heroes in a similar scheme. This was reflected in the fact that the first-mentioned great emperors were compared with the "Three Great Kings and Five Hegemons" in the same structure. The "Three Great Kings" were therefore the founders of the first royal dynasties ( Yu , Tang and Wen ), while the "Five Hegemons" the above. classical ones are: Huan from Qi, Xiang from Sung, Wen from Jin, Mu from Qin, Zhuang from Chu. On the other hand, in the spring and autumn annals , for example , it is said that the five hegemons had obtained their rightful supremacy through the right advisers and ministers, including Huan of Qi, Wen of Jin, Zhuang of Chu, Helü of Wu and Goujian of Yue each with two advisers - on the other hand, Fuchai von Wu appears among the six bad princes who were put to shame because of bad influence and bad advisors. These concise but varying lists of "great princes" helped shape the later image of the hegemons.
literature
- Cho-Yun Hsu: The Sping and Autumn Period. , Chapter: The formation of the ba system; A multistate system. , Pp. 551-570. In: Michael Loewe, Edward L. Shaughnessy: The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC. Cambridge University Press, 1999; 1148 pages.
- Anthony François Paulus Hulsewé: China in Antiquity. , Chapter From the Chou to the United Kingdom. , P. 500 f. In: Propylaea world history. Volume 2: Advanced Cultures of Central and Eastern Asia. Frankfurt / Main: Ullstein, 1962.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hsu, p. 552
- ↑ Hsu, pp. 551-553
- ^ Hsu, p. 568
- ↑ Note: These states according to Wade-Giles inscription: Ch'in, Ch'i, Chin, Ch'u. The ruling dynasty of Chou.
- ↑ Hsu, pp. 565-567
- ↑ Hsu, pp. 553-554
- ↑ Hsu, pp. 555-556
- ^ Hsu, p. 567
- ↑ Hsu, p. 560
- ^ Hsu, p. 567
- ^ Hsu, p. 568
- ↑ Hsu, pp. 558-560
- ↑ Hsu, pp. 560-562
- ^ Hsu, p. 567
- ↑ Hsu, p. 562, p. 570
- ^ Hsu, p. 565
- ↑ Sinica: Journal for China Studies and China Research. Volume 3, 1938. p. 134
- Jump up ↑ Spring and Fall Annals, Book 1, Chapter 5 (Fame and Success)