Shen (state)
| 申國/申国 | |||||
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| Capital | Nanyang | ||||
| Languages | Old Chinese | ||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||
| History | |||||
| • | Established | ? | |||
| • | Disestablished | between 688 and 680 BCE | |||
The State of Shen (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Shēn Guó) was a Chinese vassal state during the Zhou dynasty (1046 – 221 BCE) ruled by the Jiāng family (姜) as an earldom. At the beginning of the Spring and Autumn period the State of Shen was annexed by the State of Chu and became one of its counties.
Located around the states of Chén and Zhèng, the State of Shēn lay to the south of modern-day Huáiyáng and Xīnzhèng counties in Henan Province. The state’s capital stood in Wăn County (宛县) , Nányáng bordered to the north by the Míngè Pass (冥厄關/冥厄关) and to the south by the Huai River.
The history of the State of Shen began with the bestowal of the Earldom of Shēn (later a Marquessate) which descended from the matriarchal line of the Zhōu Kings. During the reign of King Xuān of Zhōu (reigned 827 – 782 BCE), the Earl of Shēn was granted the title and lands of King Xuān’s maternal uncle in the former State of Xiè (謝國/谢国). The enfeoffed territory of the State of Shen acted as a strategic southern gateway to the lands controlled by the Zhou Kings. King Xuan dispatched Earl Hŭ of Shao (召伯虎) to Shen to negotiate with the Earl of Shēn and obtain part of their land for use in the public fields system (公田). The King also sent his close aide Fù Yù (傅御) to relocate the population (the Earl of Shēn’s former subjects) in order to rapidly consolidate his control over the area.
King Yōu ascended the throne of Zhōu in 781 BCE. His queen and first wife was the daughter of the Marquess of Shēn. The king’s concubine Bāo Sì wanted to oust Crown Prince Yíjiù (宜臼) and replace him with her own son Bófú (伯服) thereby arousing the fury of the Marquess of Shēn. As a result, in 771 BCE the Marquess of Shēn allied with the State of Zēng (繒/缯) along with Quănróng nomads (犬戎) and attacked the Zhōu capital at Hàojīng (鎬京/镐京). King Yōu lit beacons to summon his nobles in defence but none came and he was subsequently killed at the foot of Líshān near modern-day Xī’ān (西安). Thereafter the Marquesses of Shēn and Lŭ (鲁) together with Marquess Wén of Xŭ (许文公) enthroned Yíjiù as King Ping of Zhou in the State of Shēn thereby ushering in the Spring and Autumn period.
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