Kings of The Han Dynasty - Kings

Kings

The kings from other dynasties (異姓王, yìxìng wáng) were mostly remnants of the rebellion against the Qin Dynasty. Following the Daze Village Uprising, many noblemen rose in rebellion. Heirs, pretenders, and warlords called themselves "kings" and claimed sovereignty as continuations of the six states previously suppressed by Qin. Among these, Chu was the most powerful. However, its rightful ruler Huai II was assassinated on the orders of the warlord Xiang Yu and the 18 Kingdoms Xiang had formed rose in rebellion against him. Liu Bang, king of Han, ultimately defeated Chu and established the new Han dynasty. The kings who had sided with him were then permitted to maintain their titles and lands. A few other kingdoms were also formed by Liu Bang for generals and favorites.

Although nominally under the rule of the Han, these kings were de facto independent and held considerable power within their territories, which could span several prefectures. As these kingdoms proved unruly, Liu Bang gradually subdued them through conspiracies, wars, and political maneuvering. Many were thus deposed and their kingdoms annexed by Han. As he was dying, the emperor ordered his ministers to swear an oath that only members of the royal house of Liu would be created as wangs thenceforth. This injunction was usually observed, but the Empress Dowager Lü established several. They were mostly abolished after her death. The last king was Wu Chan, King Jing of Changsha, who died without an heir in 157 BC. After that, there were no kings outside the royal clan until Cao Cao established Wei, the first of the Three Kingdoms.