Eighteen Kingdoms


The historiographical term "Eighteen Kingdoms" refers to the eighteen fengjian states created by military leader Xiang Yu in China in 206 BCE, after the collapse of the Qin dynasty. The details of the feudal division are as follows:
NameName RulerAreas covered
Western Chu西楚Xiang YuJiangsu, northern Anhui, northern Zhejiang, eastern and southern Henan
Hàn漢/汉Liu BangSichuan, Chongqing, southern Shaanxi
Yong雍Zhang Han central Shaanxi, and esten Gansu
Sai塞Sima Xin northeastern Shaanxi
Di翟Dong Yi northern Shaanxi
Hengshan衡山Wu Rui eastern Hubei, Jiangxi
Hán韓Han Cheng southwestern Henan
Dai代Zhao Xie northern Shanxi, northwestern Hebei
Henan河南Shen Yang northwestern Henan
Changshan常山Zhang Er central Hebei
Yin殷Sima Ang northern Henan, southern Hebei
Western Wei西魏Wei Bao southern Shanxi
Jiujiang九江Ying Bu central and southern Anhui
Linjiang臨江Gong Ao western Hubei, northern Hunan
Yan燕Zang Tu northern Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin
Liaodong遼東Han Guang southern Liaoning
Qi齊 or 齐Tian Du western and central Shandong
Jiaodong膠東Tian Fu eastern Shandong
Jibei濟北Tian An northern Shandong

The Eighteen Kingdoms were short-lived: almost immediately rebellion broke out in Qi, after which Tian Rong conquered Jiaodong and Jibei, reuniting the old Qi state. Meanwhile, Xiang Yu had Emperor Yi of Chu and King Han Cheng of Hán killed. Thereafter, Liu Bang of Hàn conquered the lands of the Three Qins, thereby starting the Chu–Han Contention. Following many battles and changing alliances, Hàn defeated Chu and subdued all other kingdoms, where Liu Bang appointed vassal kings while making himself the first Emperor of the Hàn Dynasty in 202 BCE.