kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

State of Wei

403 BCE – 225 BCE · capital Daliang

The first great power of the Warring States, whose Marquis Wen pioneered legal and administrative reform, later ruling from Daliang and known as Liang.

Origins

The Wei lineage were ministers of the State of Jin who joined Zhao and Han in destroying the Zhi clan in 453 BCE and dividing Jin. Marquis Wen led the family, and in 403 BCE the Zhou king recognised Wei as a state, with its capital at Anyi in southern Shanxi.

Rule and society

Marquis Wen made Wei the leading state through reforms by Li Kui, whose Canon of Laws became a model for later codes, the irrigation works of Ximen Bao and the professional army of Wu Qi. In 361 BCE Wei moved its capital to Daliang (Kaifeng), so its rulers were called kings of Liang. Defeats by the State of Qi at Guiling and Maling ended its dominance.

Decline and legacy

Squeezed by the State of Qin, Wei lost its western lands, though Lord Xinling briefly rallied the states to save Handan in 257 BCE. In 225 BCE the Qin general Wang Ben flooded Daliang by diverting the Yellow River and captured King Jia.

Lineage

State of Jin 1033 BCE – 376 BCEState of Wei

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Wei. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-wei
MLA
“State of Wei.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-wei. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Wei.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-wei.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Wei’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-wei (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻