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The Fracturing of Jin: The Six Clan Struggle (526 BCE)
By the 6th century BCE, the once-powerful state of Jin (晉), a dominant force during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BCE), had begun to weaken due to internal strife. Real power had shifted from the ruling dukes to six major aristocratic clans: Fan (范), Zhonghang (中行), Zhi (智), Han (韓), Zhao (趙), and Wei (魏). These families controlled vast lands, armies, and political influence, effectively reducing the Jin rulers to figureheads.
By 526 BCE, tensions among the clans escalated into open conflict. The struggle was not just about dominance within Jin but also about survival—only the strongest families would endure. The Zhi clan, under the leadership of Zhi Yao (智瑤), emerged as particularly aggressive, seeking to eliminate rivals. However, the Fan and Zhonghang clans resisted fiercely, leading to a protracted and brutal civil war.
The infighting did not end in 526 BCE but continued for decades. By 453 BCE, the remaining clans—Han, Zhao, and Wei—turned against the Zhi clan, annihilating them in the Battle of Jinyang. This marked the beginning of the Three Families Dividing Jin (三家分晉), a pivotal event that led to the formal partition of Jin in 403 BCE, when the Zhou court recognized Han, Zhao, and Wei as independent states.
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