TheKingdom of Wu (222-280) was one of the Three
Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty
(206BC-AD220).
During the decline of the Han
Dynasty, the State of Wu, a region in the South of the Yangtze River surrounding
Suzhou, was under the control of the warlord Sun Quan. Sun succeeded his brother
as King of Wu and considered the area to under his rule and subject to the Han
Emperor. Unlike his competitors, Wu did not really have the ambition to become
the Emperor of China. However, after Cao Pi of the Kingdom of Wei and Liu Bei of
the Kingdom of Shu, each having declared himself emperor, Sun decided to follow
suit in 222, claiming to have founded theWu
Dynasty.
The Kingdom was conquered by the first Jin
Emperor Sima Yan in 280. With a lifespan of 58 years, it was the longest-lived
of the three kingdoms.