Foundation

Zheng was founded in 806 BC when King Xuan of Zhou, the penultimate king of the Western Zhou, made his younger brother Prince You (王子友) Duke of Zheng and granted him lands within the royal domain in the eponymous Zheng in modern-day Hua County, Shaanxi on the Wei River east of Xi'an. Prince You, known posthumously as Duke Huan of Zheng, established what would be the last bastion of Western Zhou. He went on to serve as Situ under King You of Zhou. When the Quanrong tribes sacked the Zhou capital Haojing in 771 BC, Duke Huan was killed along with his nephew King You of Zhou.

Duke Huan was succeeded by his son Duke Wu. Along with Marquis Wen of Jin, Duke Wu supported King Ping of Zhou against a rival, thereby helping to establish the Eastern Zhou. He re-established the state of Zheng in modern-day Xinzheng (meaning New Zheng), Henan, and annexed the states of Eastern Guo and Kuai. The Zheng rulers served as high ministers of the Zhou kings for several generations.

Spring and Autumn period

Early dominance

The state of Zheng was one of the strongest at the beginning of the Spring and Autumn period. Zheng was the first Zhou state to annex another state, Xi, sometime between 684 and 680 BC. Throughout the Spring and Autumn period, Zheng was one of the wealthiest states, relying on its central location for inter-state commerce and having the largest number of merchants of any state. Zheng often used its wealth to bribe itself out of difficult situations.

Duke Zhuang of Zheng (743–701 BC) was arguably a forerunner of the Five Hegemons, though Zheng derived its dominance by dramatically different means compared to those of the later hegemons by defeating an alliance of feudal states led by Zhou itself and wounding King Huan of Zhou. When Duke Zhuang died there was a civil war between his sons and Zheng ceased to be a powerful state.

Later period

By the later stages of the period, Zheng had no room to expand. Due to its central location, Zheng was hemmed in on all sides by larger states. During the later stages of the Spring and Autumn period, Zheng frequently switched its diplomatic alliances. Zheng was the center of diplomatic contention between Chu and Qi, then later Chu and Jin. Although Zheng was forced to become a minor player in the later stages of the Spring and Autumn period, it was still quite strong, defeating a combined alliance of Jin, Song, Chen and Wei in 607 BCE.

Under the statesman Zichan, Zheng was the first state to clearly establish a code of law in 543 BCE. Zheng later declined until it was annexed by the state of Han in 375 BCE.

The Zheng family of Xingyang 荥阳郑氏 claim descent from the Zhou dynasty kings through the rulers of the State of Zheng.

The Marquis of Xingyang rank was created for Zheng Xi. The Xingyang Zheng descendants included Zheng Daozhao and Zheng Xi. Zheng Wanjun was a member of the Xingyang Zheng. Other Xingyang Zheng descendants were Zheng Yuzhong (Zheng Qiao) and Zheng Jiong.

List of rulers

Other people from Zheng

• Zichan, celebrated philosopher and statesman

• Zheng Mao, exemplary woman of the Lienü zhuan

• Shen Buhai 申不害, future Prime Minister of Han and "Legalist" philosopher.

歷史

早期

前806年，周厲王少子，周宣王弟王子友于鄭（今陝西華縣的東方）建國，成為鄭國第一代君主，是為鄭桓公。

鄭國初為周王朝的畿內諸侯，周室衰微，鄭桓公積極謀尋全身之策，不與周室共存亡。他問史伯：「王室多故，余懼及焉。與其何所（處）可以逃死？」史伯說：「王室將卑，戎狄必昌，不可偪也！」他接著仔細分析了當時形勢，只有「濟、洛、河、穎之間」（濟水、洛水、黃河、穎水）比較安全，那裡沒有大國，虢（指東虢，位于今河南鄭州。位于今河南陝縣的為西虢；另外還有位于今陝西的小虢，春秋初年為秦國所滅）、鄶國兩個小國國君，「皆有驕侈怠慢之心」，稍加武力或賄賂，就可以對付。

鄭桓公聽從史伯建議，利用自己王朝大臣的身份，通過向虢、鄶之君賄賂，取得十邑之地作為新鄭國之在東方的立足點。

當周室東遷，鄭國的鄭武公和鄭莊公亦相繼為王朝大臣，他們常借天子之名行兼併之實，兼併了周邊的一些小諸侯國，包括虢、鄶兩國。鄭國由畿內諸侯成為畿外諸侯。

鼎盛

鄭國的東面是魯、宋，西北是成周、晉，東北是衛，西南就是陳、蔡、許和楚，周圍還有許多姬姓、姜姓、偃姓、嬴姓及其他姓的小國，正如《國語·鄭語》所說：「是非王之支子母弟甥舅也，則皆蠻荊戎狄之人也。」

周室東遷時，鄭、晉都盡了保衛的責任。由于晉國不久分裂為翼（晉）和曲沃兩部分，內戰頻仍，所以王室不得不依靠虢和鄭，其都曾以諸侯而兼王室的卿士。鄭武公、鄭莊公對周的態度都很驕橫無禮，平王很不滿意，想把權力分一半給虢。莊公知道後，責問平王，平王竭力否認，以致「周鄭交質」（即互相交換質子，鄭國以世子鄭昭公，周王室以太子王子狐），並進行戰爭。周天子的權威已掃地殆盡了。

鄭國充份利用王室大臣的身份，經常利用王室之名為自己謀私利。鄭國兼併了周邊的小國，侵奪許國，幹涉宋、衛、魯等國，還助齊國趕走入侵的北狄。鄭莊公之時的鄭國，儼然是春秋初年第一大國。

衰落

鄭莊公多寵子。在其死後，鄭國即陷入內亂。鄭昭公即位後不久，權臣祭仲入宋時為公子突岳父雍氏所迫，改立公子突為鄭國國君，公子突是為鄭厲公。鄭昭公逃到了衛國。不久，鄭厲公不滿祭仲專權，謀殺祭仲。事洩，祭仲殺雍糾，迎鄭昭公複位。但鄭昭公與高渠彌有私怨，在一次狩獵時，高渠彌射殺昭公。然高渠彌與祭仲不敢迎鄭厲公複位，于是立公子亹為君，是為鄭子亹。齊襄公會諸侯于首止，鄭子亹去參加會盟，高渠彌相禮。結果齊襄公殺鄭子亹，高渠彌逃回。祭仲與高渠彌迎公子嬰于陳，立為國君，是為鄭子嬰。不久，齊國攻鄭，鄭子嬰、祭仲和高渠彌等皆被殺，鄭厲公由邊邑入鄭，複位。

經過幾次君位爭奪，鄭國國勢大不如前，而周邊列強則紛紛而起。南方的楚國早已不尊周王室號令，求加爵位不成之後自立為王，並大肆兼併漢水諸姬，直接面對鄭國。而北方的晉國，曲沃一族對晉國公室的鬥爭取得了絕對優勢。齊國則實行了改革，齊桓公開始稱霸。鄭國位置處于四戰之地，無險可守，且夾于大國之間。因此列強爭霸，常把鄭國作為戰場。在對外政策中，鄭時而親楚，時而親晉，但大多數時期親楚。

鄭國自鄭襄公開始，七穆輪流執政，掌控國家大權，而鄭國國君則勢力大衰。七穆執政時期，只有子產（鄭穆公之孫，又稱國僑或公孫僑，子產是他的字）當國時採取靈活的外交策略，鄭國得以取得喘息之機，國力稍稍有所恢復。但子產之後，鄭國仍複如舊，國家已勢不可為。

前712年，鄭、秦、晉三國伐許，許國戰敗，退居原許國東偏。前697年，東偏的許國趁鄭國內亂，奪回故地。但是不久鄭國于前665年和627年，鄭國兩次伐許。之後前588年、前577年和前576年，鄭國三次伐許，許都以割地請和。前576年，許國長期為鄭國所逼，只好遠離舊許，遷至楚方城外的葉，尋求楚的保護。之後許雖然在其他各國幫助下複國，但是最終于前504年為鄭國所滅。

滅亡

進入戰國，鄭國仍然得以苟延殘喘。此時鄭國最大之敵人已經是新興的韓國。然鄭國仍內亂內鬥不止。鄭哀公為國人所殺，共公、幽公相繼而立。韓國攻鄭，殺幽公。于是國人立幽公之弟公子駘為君，是為鄭繻公。韓非則稱鄭國發生了太宰欣取鄭事件，此事詳情已難以考証。鄭繻公在位時，與韓國的戰爭互有勝負，而且形勢曾一度好轉。繻公十五年，韓伐鄭，取鄭之雍丘；繻公十六年，敗韓于負黍；繻公二十三年，圍韓陽翟。前375年，鄭國滅於韓國。

在韓即將滅鄭之際，鄭國再次內亂。鄭繻公殺其相子陽，而子陽之黨又殺繻公。鄭國這時根本不需要外國來滅也會自己滅亡。子陽之時，鄭國已經一分為三。鄭君乙二年，鄭負黍反，歸韓，十一年，取陽城，二十一年（前376年）韓滅鄭。

鄭國七穆

鄭國「七穆」，是指鄭穆公蘭的子孫，其中包括良氏、游氏、國氏、罕氏、駟氏、印氏、豐氏。由于同出自鄭穆公，因此把這七家統稱為七穆。七穆自鄭襄公開始輪流把持了鄭國軍政大權，成為鄭國實際的統治者。因此他們往往與魯國的三桓並稱。

• 良氏：公子去疾，字子良，其後為良氏。代表人物有公孫輒（子耳）、良宵（伯有）、良止

• 國氏：公子發，字子國，其後為國氏，代表人物有子產（名僑，稱國僑或公孫僑）；

• 駟氏：公子騑，字子駟，其後為駟氏，代表人物有子西（即公孫夏）

• 罕氏：公子喜，字子罕，其後為罕氏，代表人物有公孫舍之，以及舍之子罕虎、罕魋。

• 豐氏：子豐，名平，其後為豐氏，代人的有公孫段、豐卷。

• 游氏：公子偃，字子游，其後為游氏，代表人物有公孫蠆、公孫楚、游眅（子明）、游吉（子大叔）

• 印氏：子印，其後為印氏，主要代表人物有公孫黑肱（子張）、印段、印癸

鄭國君主列表及在位年份

註：鄭共公在位年數據楊寬《戰國史料編年輯証》作了修正。

外部鏈接

• 鄭史編年輯錄

• 李峰：〈西周金文中的鄭地和鄭國東遷 〉。