Extended data:
The enfeoffment system is the enfeoffment system for princes by ancient kings or emperors in China. The Shang dynasty began to enfeoffment princes, with titles of Hou and Bo. After the Western Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty, because its capital was far away from the northwest, it was not conducive to controlling the vast territory and ruling the descendants of the Shang Dynasty. They distributed royal children and heroes on a large scale by fiefs and residents. Governors enjoy hereditary sovereignty in their fiefs, and they also have the responsibility to obey the emperor's orders, pay tribute regularly, provide military salute and forced labor, and safeguard the security of the Zhou Dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the county system adapted to centralization gradually replaced the enfeoffment system. Qin Shihuang unified the whole country, popularized the county system, abolished the enfeoffment system and established the first autocratic centralized dynasty. Since then, there have been examples of enfeoffment, but the nature is not exactly the same.
Function of enfeoffment system
Through the enfeoffment system, the Zhou Emperor's local rule was strengthened. The Zhou Dynasty developed remote areas, expanded its ruling areas, and gradually built a transportation network all over the country, which formed the political pattern of the royal family looking at the moon in the Zhou Dynasty and broke the state of many countries in Xia and Shang Dynasties. Zhou became a powerful country, which lasted for hundreds of years.
Through the enfeoffment system, the sphere of influence of Zhou people continued to expand; Zhou established his dominant position in the world and his ruling effect was strengthened. The enfeoffment system made the aristocratic groups in the Western Zhou Dynasty form a hierarchical sequence of "Zhou Wang-vassal-Qing Dafu-Shi".
Through the feudal system, Zhou's cultural form covered the whole middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, strengthened ties with neighboring ethnic minorities, and promoted economic and cultural development in remote areas. Zhou Wenhua has amazing stability and continuity.
The enfeoffment system accelerated the development of the national economy.
The enfeoffment system intensified the disloyalty of the vassal States to the Zhou royal family in the late Western Zhou Dynasty and formed a powerful local armed regime.
References:
Baidu encyclopedia-enfeoffment system