rul

ersoftheStateofWuhadt hesurnameJi (),thesameast heZhour oyalfamily

.Accor di
ng
totheRecordsoftheGr andHi st
ori
an,thiswasbecauset herulersofWuar edescendedf rom
Tai
bo,theelderuncl
eofKi ngWen.Realizingthathisyoungestbrother,
Jili
,waswi serthanhe
anddeservedtoinheri
tthet hr
one,Taibof l
edtoWuandset tl
edt herewit
hhi sotherbrother
Zhongyong.Theyestablishedthei
rfi
rstcapitalatMeil
i (
) ,
bel i
evedtobet oday'
sMei cunin
Wuxi.

TheStat
eofJinai
dedWu'sri
setopowerasauseful
all
yagainstt
heStateofChu.I
n584BC,
Wu
rebel
l
edagai
nstChuupontheadvi
ceofWuchen,
aJinmi ni
sterwhodefect
edfr
om Chu.

Afterwards,Wuwoul dbeaconst antthreattotheChuuntili

tsdemise.Wufomented
rebell
iousnessamongChu' svassalsintheYangt zeval
ley
.In506BC, Wulaunchedasurpr
ise
attackandoccupi edthecapi
talofChu.Af ter
wards,Wuwasbr ief
lythemostpowerf
ulnati
on
andt urnedtoothercampaigns,defeati
ngt heStateofQii
n484BC.

I
ronical
ly,
Wuwasl aterthr
eatenedbyanupst ar
tstat
etoitsownsout h,Yue;
Chut henaided
Yue'
sr i
seasacountert oWu.Al t
houghWuwonamaj orvictor
yagai nstYuein494BC, i
tfai
led
tocompletel
ysubj
ugat eit
,inpartbecauseofYue'
sti
melybr i
bingofani mportantWumi ni
ster
.
Whil
eWuwasengagedi nami li
tar
ycampaigninthenort
h, Yuelaunchedasur pri
seattackon
Wuin482BCandconquer edthecapital
.Overt
henextdecade, Wuwasunabl et orecoverand
Yueabsorbedthestatein473BC.

Wu,Yue,andChual
lprocl
aimedthemselv
eskingsi
nthe6thcent
uryBC,
showingt
hedr
ast
ic
weakeni
ngoftheZhoucourt'
sauthor
it
yduri
ngtheSpr
ingandAutumnperi
od.

WuandYuewer emast ersofmetall

urgy,fabri
cat
ingexcel
lentswordswithinci
sedmessages,
geometri
cpatter
ns,andi nl
aidgol
dorsi lver
.WuandYueswor dstendtousemuchmor etinthan
coppercomparedtot hoseofotherstates.Wuoftensentswor dsasgif
tstonorther
nst
ates,
suchasQi andCai.Examplesincl
udet hespearheadofKingFuchai andtheswordofPri
nce
Guang.

Ki
ngsofWuf
ami
l
ytr
ee
Cul
tur
e

Legacy

Seeal
so

Ref
erences