King Zhao of Wei

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
King Zhao of Wei
King of Wei
King of Wei
Reign295–277 BC
PredecessorKing Xiang
SuccessorKing Anxi
Died277 BC
IssueKing Anxi of Wei
Lord Xinling
Lady Pingyuan
Names
Ancestral name: (姬)
Lineage name: Wèi (魏)
Given name: Chì (遫)
Posthumous name
King Zhao (昭王)
FatherKing Xiang of Wei

King Zhao of Wei (Chinese: 魏昭王) (died 277 BC), personal name Wei Chi (Chinese: 魏遫) was king of Wei from 296 BC to 277 BC. He was the son of King Xiang of Wei. During his reign, his state suffered from repeated attacks by the state of Qin. In 293 BC, he made an alliance with the state of Han against Qin but was defeated by the Qin general Bai Qi with the loss of 240,000 troops and 5 cities. In 287 BC, Quyang was attacked and in 286 BC, Anyi (the former capital of Wei) and Henei was attacked as well. In an attempt to assist in the attack on Anyi, Qin's ally, the state of Song was attacked in turn by the state of Qi and defeated at Wenyi (modern Wen County, Henan). After a brief alliance (285–284 BC) between the states of Yan, Qin, Han and Zhao against Qi (which was negotiated at the Zhou Dynasty capital, Luoyang), King Zhao broke the alliance and allied with Qi against Qin.