Chu-Han Contention

The Chu-Han Contention, also called the Chu-Han War, was the stretch of civil warfare in China that filled the gap between the collapse of the Qin dynasty in 206 BCE and the founding of the Han dynasty in 202 BCE. When Qin fell, the warlord Xiang Yu, acting as hegemon, divided the empire among eighteen kingdoms held by rebel leaders and surrendered Qin generals. Resentment over this settlement quickly produced revolts and wars among the new kings, but the struggle that mattered most was between Xiang Yu, ruler of Western Chu, and Liu Bang, ruler of the kingdom of Han. Smaller kingdoms joined in against one side or the other and against each other, yet their fighting counted for little beside the Chu-Han rivalry. The contention ended with a complete victory for Liu Bang at the Battle of Gaixia, where Xiang Yu died by his own hand after his army had been lost. With every rival subdued, Liu Bang took the imperial title and established the Han dynasty.