Chengyang Kingdom

Chengyang Kingdom (Chinese: 城陽國) was a kingdom of China's Han and Jin dynasties, located in present-day southeastern Shandong.

Chengyang was originally a commandery in the Qi Kingdom of early Han dynasty. The territory was granted to Princess Yuan of Lu as her fief in 193 BC,[1] but was returned to Qi in 179 BC. In 178 BC, Liu Zhang, a son of King Daohui of Qi, became the first King of Chengyang.[2] The capital was Ju. Throughout the Western Han dynasty, a total of 53 marquessates was created on the territories of Chengyang and added to the neighboring commanderies.[3] In late Western Han, the kingdom covered only 4 counties: Ju, Yangdu (陽都), Dong'an (東安) and Lü (虑). The population in 2 AD was 205,784 individuals, or 56,642 households.[4] Zhang's descendants held the kingdom until Wang Mang's usurpation. After the restoration of Eastern Han, the kingdom was granted to Liu Zhi (劉祉), a relative of the Emperor Guangwu. Zhi died in 35 AD, and Chengyang was converted to a commandery. In 37, the commandery was merged into Langya.[5]

In 198, Chengyang Commandery was recreated during Cao Cao's rule in 198 AD. After the foundation of Jin dynasty, Chengyang was again converted to a kingdom/principality and was successively granted to Sima Zhao (司馬兆), a brother of Emperor Wu of Jin,[6] and later Sima Jing (司馬景) and Sima Xian (司馬憲), two sons of Emperor Wu.[7]