Jin 晉 was one of the large feudal states of theZhou period 周 (11th cent.-221 BCE). It was located in modern Shanxi. During the Spring and Autumn period 春秋 (770-5th cent.) Duke Wen 晉文公 (r. 636-628) acheived supremacy over the other feudal states and was elected hegemonial lord(ba 霸). Three sidebranches of the house of Jin, Han 韓, Wei魏,and Zhao 趙, became more powerful and finally divided the territory of Jin among themselves. The official enfeoffment of the lords of these three countries as as marquesses (hou 侯) by the king of Zhou in 403 is seen as the beginning of the Warring States period 戰國 (5th cent.-221 BCE), or alternatively their defeat of the lords of Fan 范,Zhonghang 中行 and Zhi 知 in 454 BCE.
The ruling dynasty of Jin was founded by Kang Shu Yu 唐叔虞, a son of King Wu 周武王, founder of the noble Zhou dynasty, and brother of King Cheng 周成王 (r. 1116-1079 BCE). The fief of Tang 唐 was originally ruled by descendants of the mythological emperor Yao 堯, yet these rebelled under King Cheng and were executed. The young king thereupon bestowed the territory upon his younger brother Yu 虞 to whom he had promised a fief when playing with him. Yu's son Xie Fu 燮父 moved the seat of this fief southwards to the banks of the River Jin 晉. Xie Fu was therefore the first to be called "Marquis of Jin" 晉侯. The exact reign dates of the marquesses of Jin are known from the rule of Marquis Jing 晉靖侯 (r. 859-841) on.
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