Cao Wei

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This article is about the Three Kingdoms state. For the Warring States Period state, see Wei (state). For the Northern and Southern Dynasties state, see Northern Wei.

Wèi or Cáo Wèi (Chinese: 魏; pinyin: cáo wèi; Wade-Giles: ts'ao wei) (220-265) was one of the regimes that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms. It was established by Cáo Cāo, who become the most powerful military leader in northern and central China. After 213, Cáo Cāo's feudal holdings were given the name Wèi; historians often add the prefix Cáo (from Cáo Cāo's family name) to distinguish it from the other states in Chinese history also known as Wèi, such as the earlier State of Wèi during the Warring States Period, and the later Northern Wèi state. In 220, when Cáo Cāo's son deposed the last emperor of the Han Dynasty, Wèi became the name of the new dynasty he founded.

[edit] History

During the decline of the Han Dynasty, the northern part of China was under the control of Cáo Cāo (wg: Ts'ao Ts'ao), the Imperial Secretariat to the last Han emperor (see Unification of northern China). In 213, he was titled Wei Gong (Duke of Wèi) and given ten cities as his domain. This area was named the "State of Wèi". At that time, the southern part of China was already divided into two areas controlled by two warlords (later the Kingdom of Shu and Kingdom of Wu). In 216, Cao Cao was promoted to Wèi Wang (Prince/King of Wèi).

In 220, Cao Cao died and his son Cao Pi succeeded to the title Wèi Wang and the position as Imperial Secretarist. Later that year, Cao Pi seized the imperial throne and claimed to have founded the Wèi Dynasty, but Liu Bei of Shu Han immediately contested his claim to the throne, and Sun Quan of Eastern Wu followed suit in 222.

Wèi conquered Shu Han in 263. Shortly afterwards, in 265, the Wèi dynasty was overthrown by its last Imperial Secretariat, Sima Yan, grandson of Sima Yi, who then founded the Jin Dynasty.

The capital of Wèi was Luoyang.

[edit] Important figures

**Cao Wèi or Kingdom of Wèi 220-265 AD**
Posthumous Names	family (in bold) name and first names	Year(s) of Reigns	Era Names and their range of years
Chinese Convention: family and first names, and less commonly "Wèi" + posthumous name + "di"
Emperor Wen of Wei China, ch. 文, py. wén	Cao Pi, ch. 曹丕, py. cáo pī	220-226	Huangchu (黃初 huang2 chu1) 220-226
Emperor Ming of Wei China, ch. 明 py. míng	Cao Rui, ch. 曹叡, py. cáo rùi	226-239	Taihe (太和 tài hé) 227-233 Qinglong (青龍 qīng lóng) 233-237 Jingchu (景初 jĭng chū) 237-239
Shao (少 py. shao4) or King of Qi of Wei China, ch. 齊王, py. qí wáng	Cao Fang, ch. 曹芳, py. cáo fāng	239-254	Zhengshi (正始 zhèng shĭ) 240-249 Jiaping (嘉平 jīa píng) 249-254
Gaoguixiang Gong of Wei China, ch. 高貴鄉公, py. gāo gùi xīang gōng	Cao Mao, ch. 曹髦, py. cáo máo	254-260	Zhengyuan (正元 zhèng yúan) 254-256 Ganlu (甘露 gān lù) 256-260
Emperor Yuan of Wei China, ch. 元, py. yúan	Cao Huan, ch. 曹奐, py. cáo hùan	260-265	Jingyuan (景元 jĭng yúan) 260-264 Xianxi (咸熙 xían xī) 264-265