State of Lu

Lu, officially the State of Lu, was a vassal state during the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China, situated in what is now modern Shandong. Established in the 11th century BC, his rulers descended from a cadet branch of the House of Ji, the ruling family of the Zhou.

Lu was the home state of Confucius as well as Mozi, whose Conf-Moh opposition are practical learning (顯學) at first and more popular than later Tao-Legal . And as such, he has an outsized cultural influence among the states of the Eastern Zhou and in history. The Annals of Spring and Autumn, for instance, was written with the Lu rulers' years as their basis. Another great work of Chinese history, the Zuo Zhuan or Commentary of Zuo, was also written in Lu by Zuo Qiuming.

The State of Lu was also the state that preserved the most complete Zhou rites during the Spring and Autumn Period.

History

Lu was one of several states founded in eastern China at the very beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, in order to extend Zhou rule far from the capital at Zongzhou and power base in the Guanzhong region. Lu was established in the former lands of the city-state of Shang Yan, who got annihilated by the Zhou due to Yan's role in the Rebellion of the Three Guards (c. 1115 BC-1112 BC). The first duke, Bo Qin (Duke Tai of Lu), assumed office in the first year of King Cheng of Zhou (1115 BC), during the Eastern Campaign of the Duke of Zhou.

Throughout Western Zhou times, Lu played an important role in stabilising Zhou control in modern-day Shandong.

During the early Spring and Autumn period, Lu was one of the strongest states and a rival of Qi to his north. Under Duke Yin and Duke Huan of Lu, Lu defeated both Qi and Song on several occasions. At the same time, he undertook expeditions against other minor states.

This changed by the middle of the period, as Lu's main rival, Qi, grew increasingly dominant. Although a Qi invasion was defeated in the Battle of Changshao in 684 BC, Lu would never regain the upper hand against his neighbour. Meanwhile, the power of the dukes of Lu was eventually undermined by the powerful feudal clans of Jisun (季孫), Mengsun (孟孫), and Shusun (叔孫) (called the Three Huan because they were descendants of Duke Huan of Lu). The domination of the Three Huan was such that Duke Zhao of Lu, in attempting to regain power, was exiled by them and never returned. It would not be until Duke Mu of Lu's reign, in the early Warring States period, that power eventually returned to the dukes again.

In 249 BC, King Kaolie of the state of Chu invaded and annexed Lu. Duke Qing, the last ruler of Lu, became a commoner.

List of Lu Rulers

List of Lu rulers based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. Section is WIP.

Dukes of the state of Lu

Title	Chinese Title	Given Name	No.	Years (BC)	Years of Reign
Duke Tai	魯太公	Bo Qin (伯禽)	1	1115 BC-1070 BC	45
Duke Kao	魯考公	Ji Qiu (姬酋)	2	1070 BC-1068 BC	2

Relationships

Friends

• Zhou Dynasty - Father, I will always stay loyal to you.
• Confucius - A great philosopher that was born in my clay.
• Mozi - Also born in my clay. Ignoring you're born to oppose your spiritual enemy-teacher above.

Enemies

• Three Huan - Dukes will forever reign superior than clans!

How to draw

魯 (Lu) in seal script, on a red banner (Zhou's official colour)

State of Lu has a drawing rating of hard.

1. Draw a ball
2. Fill it with dark red
3. Write the Chinese 魯 (seal script) in the middle of the ball, in red
4. Add eyes (maybe Chinese eyes) and you're done.

Color Name		HEX
	Dark Red	#A10C00
	Light Red	#D1372E

Gallery

Informational

• 
  魯 (Lu) in seal script