King of Liang

The King of Liang or Prince of Liang is the English translation of several different titles, applied to different regions and during different eras, in ancient China.

King of Liang (Henan and Shanxi, Zhou and Han Dynasties)

Liang is the eastern part of the old Wei kingdom and roughly means modern-day Henan province plus a small portion of Shanxi province. King of Liang or Prince of Liang (zh-cp|c=梁王|p=Liáng Wáng) was for a long time synonymous with the King of Wei or Prince of Wei during the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty. Indeed, the name came about when Prince Ying, also known as King Huei of Wei (魏罃, 魏惠王) was forced to relocate his capital to Liang (or Daliang, meaning Liang major, modern day Kaifeng city in Henan) after suffering several defeats.

Later, King (or Prince) of Liang was a noble title during the Han Dynasty. It was created by the Han king Liu Bang, later Emperor Gao of Han, in 202 BC for the able general Peng Yue. Peng was arrested in 197 BC on false charges of treason and executed. The title of Prince of Liang was later conferred upon several people, the earliest being Liu Hui, a son of Liu Bang. As Liang is a rich and important patch of territory, the Princes were invariably men of power and status, and many met with untimely deaths because they either covet the imperial throne or were suspected of such ambitions. One such is Prince Liu Wu (劉武), the younger brother to Liu Qi, Emperor Jing of Han. The territory was eventually subdivided and the title mostly became extinct.

King of Liang (pre-Liang Dynasty)

Emperor Wu of Liang, before becoming the first emperor of the Liang Dynasty, first took the title of Duke of Liang, which he later raised to King of Liang or Prince of Liang (zh-cp|c=梁王|p=Liáng Wáng).

Prince of Liang (Yunnan and Guizhou, post-Yuan Dynasty)

During the Yuan Dynasty, the title of Prince of Liang was granted to one of the sons of Kublai Khan as a hereditary title passed down from father to son. The Prince of Liang was also the Viceroy of Yunnan. By far the most famous holder of this title would be Basalawarmi, who in the 14th century, following the fall of the Yuan Dynasty throughout most of China, continued to fight against Ming Dynasty forces in Yunnan and Guizhou.