Wu symbol.
The Kingdom of Eastern Wu (222-280) was a state established south of the Changjiang River in China in 222 AD during the era of the Three Kingdoms. With its capital at Jianye, the Wu kingdom fought against the neighboring kingdoms of Cao Wei and Shu Han until, weakened by political strife, they were conquered by the Jin Dynasty, a successor kingdom to Wei.
History[]
The Three Kingdoms in 220 AD.
The Kingdom of Eastern Wu was founded in 222 when Chinese warlord Sun Quan declared himself Emperor of his domains. The kingdom of Cao Wei had been the first of the "Three Kingdoms" to declare their independence from the Han Empire, with Cao Pi deposing the last emperor and becoming the self-proclaimed Emperor of Wei.
Sun Quan defeated an invasion by Liu Bei in the Battle of Yiling and a Wei invasion in the Battle of Dongkou, and encouraged by these triumphs, he made himself Emperor of Wu.
In the aftermath of Dongkou, Wu built up a strong infrastructure and army, while their navy ruled over the waves of the Changjiang River. They fought wars not only against the other two kingdoms, but also against the Nanman peoples of the south.
Sun Quan crushed King Meng Huo in 225 AD, and he proceeded to launch campaigns against the Wei to the north in alliance with Shu. His campaigns were directed against the Hefei region, and in 228 he won the Battle of Shiting. However, his attempt to capture Hefei Castle in 234 failed, and his army was badly damaged.
In the aftermath of his death in 250 AD, Wu fell into political decline as regents usurped power and generals fought over the control of the young Wu emperor.
The result of the political decline was also felt in Wei, where Wu attempted to support internal rebellions against the Sima family; Wu's armies, commanded by generals such as Zhuge Dan and Ding Feng, were defeated and driven off the field. In 263, Shu fell to Wei after Sima Zhao conquered their lands, and Wu was left alone to fight Wei.
Jin became the successor to Wei in 264, and the Jin invaded Wu in 279. The Jin conquered Wu, building their own navy and recruiting marines. The last Wu forces were defeated in 280, and the Jin Dynasty took power.