Tsins
The Tsjinh (Shinasthana: 晉, tsjinh) was a polity located in modern-day Themiclesia that first arose during the Hexarchy and in 265 established its primacy over competing states. In canonical historiography, it is remembered as "first dynasty" of a unified Themiclesia, though later scholarship has considerably nuanced this assessment. The precise origins of the Tsjinh state are difficult to establish with certainty, though it is thought to have colonized Themiclesia in the 4th c. BCE and led some form of a clan-like organization until finally settling near where Kien-k'ang is today, then establishing a true state. During the Hexarchy, it engaged in military expansion and absorbed surrounding polities. The Treaty of Five Kings was agreed in 265 and established the Tsjinh king as the first of the five states, though Tsjinh as a state never grew to encompass the others. The eponymous dynasty was overthrown in 420 by Sungh.
History
Rise
The rise of the Tsjinh policy is shrouded in mystery. While there is a lengthy family tree that is attested on bronzes, the first historically significant ruler p′rjek-ga (辟胡) seems to have led the polity around the middle of the 3rd c. BCE. His ancestry can be established to about ten generations before himself with some certainty, but nothing other than their names are known; however, because these ancestors gave rise to what appears to be collateral branches of the clan, each of whom minted their bronzes that recover a shared ancestry, the family tree is seen as reliable in se, though of limited historical value. The Tsjinh are not the first in Themiclesia to keep official annals, and their early activity is primary recorded by other polities, whose annals have survived; these polities interact with Tsjinh through diplomacy, warfare, and marriage. In the region where the Tsjinh have settled down, various artifacts corroborate with annals to give a rudimentary outline of Tsjinh before the start of the Common Era.
P′rjek-ga ruled Tsjinh for about 30 years until his death c. 230 BCE, where the rulers of other states sent envoys to his funeral. His tumulus was found in 1977, 4 km south of Tubh County; excavation revealed a wealth of artifacts but few textual materials. After his reign, the Tsjinh polity regularly entered into alliances with other polities of Meng origin and attacked "barbarians". It is not known who the "barbarians" actually were, though some scholars believe they referred to Themiclesia's aboriginal population. This view is corroborated in the 50s, when evidence for non-Menghean settlements first appeared. Like many other Meng polities, the Tsjinh practiced human sacrifice, in both cultic and funerary contexts. The need to obtain victims may have driven a common desire for military action against the aboriginal cultures. The earliest Tsjinh documents hint that "persons" were amongst the spoils split between Tsjinh and its allies; these references may have been more overt as originally written but later were redacted for moralistic reasons.
It is likely that one of his brothers took over, as succession in Meng polities in Themiclesia at this time was overwhelmingly fratrilineal. After his brother's death, another one or two siblings took over, and the crown was passed to P′rjek-ga's eldest son. Then the ruling house of Tsjinh fell into civil war in 197 BCE, whether P′rjek-ga’s second eldest son should take the throne, or the eldest son of his next brother. The throne was taken by the second or third brother's eldest son. He soon died under suspicious circumstances, and the throne was seized by the third or fourth brother. Soon, the second or third brother's eldest son forced the ruler into exile and took the throne for himself. Due to the perceived illegitimacy, the royal house revolted against the usurper, provoking the Confusion of Six Princes, which took place around 160 BCE. A junior line (of unclear relationship) took the throne in 154 BCE and introduced a clearer succession system, the remnants of which can still be seen in Themiclesia today.