The Warring States Period , also as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from some time in the
5th century BC to the unification of
China by the
Qin Dynasty in
221 BC. It is nominally considered to be the second part of the
Eastern Zhou Dynasty, following the
Spring and Autumn Period, although the Zhou dynasty itself ended in
256 BC, 35 years earlier than the end of the Warring States period. As with the Spring and Autumn Period, the king of Zhou acted merely as a
figurehead. The name Warring States Period was derived from the
Record of the Warring States, a historical work compiled early in the
Han Dynasty. The date for the beginning of the Warring States Period is somewhat in dispute. While it is frequently cited as
475 BC (following the Spring and Autumn Period),
403 BC — the date of the tripartition of the
Jin — is also sometimes considered as the beginning of the period.
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