Chǔ (楚) was a kingdom in southern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907-960). It existed from 907 to 951.
Founding
Ma Yin was named regional governor by the Tang court in 896 after fighting against a rebel named Yang Xingmi. He declared himself as the Prince of Chu with the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907. Ma’s position as Prince of Chu was confirmed by the Later Tang Dynasty in the north in 927 and was given the posthumous title of Chu Wumuwang.
Territorial Extant
The capital of the Chu Kingdom was Changsha (Tan Prefecture (潭州)). Present-day Hunan and northeastern Guangxi were under the control of the kingdom.
Economy
Chu was peaceful and prosperous under his rule, exporting horses, silk and tea. Silk was often used as a currency, particularly with external communities which would not accept the coinage of the land. Taxation was low for peasantry and salesmen.
Fall of the Chu
After Ma Yin died the leadership was subject to struggle and conflict which resulted in the fall of the kingdom. The Southern Tang, fresh from its conquest of the Min Kingdom, took advantage and conquered the kingdom in 951. The ruling family was removed to the Southern Tang capital of Nanjing and the kingdom was absorbed into the Southern Tang.
Rulers
| Temple Names (Miao Hao 廟號 miao4 hao4) | Posthumous Names (Shi Hao 諡號 ) | Personal Names | Period of Reigns | Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not exist | 武穆王 wu3 mo4 wang2 | Ma Yin>馬殷 ma3 yin1 | 907-930 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | 衡陽王 heng2 yang2 wang2 | 馬希聲 ma3 xi1 sheng1 | 930-932 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | 文昭王 wen2 zhao1 wang2 | 馬希範 ma3 xi1 fan4 | 932-947 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | 廢王 fei4 wang2 | 馬希廣 ma3 xi1 guang3 | 947-950 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | 恭孝王 gong1 xiao4 wang2 | 馬希萼 ma3 xi1 e4 | 950 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 馬希崇 ma3 xi1 chong2 | 950-951 | Did not exist |
References
- Mote, F.W. (1999). Imperial China (900-1800). Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01212-7.
- Chu 楚. The Ten Kingdoms. .
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Last updated on Friday April 04, 2008 at 11:35:59 PDT (GMT -0700)
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