The Rebellion of the Seven States ( 七国之乱 ) took place in 154 BC against Han Dynasty to protest the emperor's attempt to further centralize the government.

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang ( 刘邦 ) had made many of his relatives princes of certain sections, which was an attempt to consolidate Liu family rule over the parts of China. During the reign of Emperor Wen ( 汉文帝 ) , these princes were still setting their own laws, but they in addition were casting their own coins and collecting their own taxes. Many princes were effectively ignoring the imperial government's authority within their own principalities. When Emperor Jing ( 汉景帝 ) became emperor in 157 BC, the rich Principality of Wu was especially domineering.

Emperor Jing's key advisor Chao Cuo ( 晁错 ) suggested, using as excuses offenses that princes have committed which had generally been ignored by Emperor Wen, that he cut down the sizes of the principalities to make them less threatening. Chao explicitly contemplated the possibility that Wu and other principalities may rebel, but justified the action by asserting that if they were going to rebel, it would be better to let them rebel earlier than later, when they might be more prepared.

Under this theory, Emperor Jing, in 154 BC, ordered the subsequent punishments for the princes. The seven princes, as part of their political propaganda, claimed that Chao Cuo was aiming to wipe out the principalities, and that they would be satisified if Chao were executed.

Emperor Jing soon panicked at the prospect of losing, and at the suggestion of Chao Cuo's enemy Yuan Ang ( 袁盎 ) , he executed Chao to try to appease the seven princes. Chao's immediate family was also executed. Emperor Jing sent Yuan and Liu Pi's nephew Liu Tong ( 刘通 ) , the minister for imperial clan affairs, to try to persuade Liu Pi to end the rebellion. Liu Pi, whose claim that he was only seeking Chao's execution was mere propaganda, did not call off the rebellion but instead imprisoned Liu Tong and Yuan.

The execution of Chao cuo did not prevent the rebellion. Wu and Chu forces continued to fiercely attack Liang's capital Suiyang. Zhou Yafu ( 周亚夫 ) suggested to Emperor Jing that the proper strategy was not to engage Wu and Chu forces headon, because, in particular, Chu forces were known for their ferocity and excellent mobility. Rather, his plan was to let Liang take the brunt of the attack, bypass Liang, and cut off the Wu and Chu supply lines to starve the rebellion forces. Emperor Jing agreed, and Zhou set out from the capital Chang'an to join his main forces, already gathered at Yingyang. Wu and Chu prepared assassins on the way between Chang'an and Yingyang to assassinate Zhou, but Zhou, having been warned by the soldier Zhao She ( 赵涉 ), went a circumlocutous route and avoided the assassins.

After taking command of his forces, Zhou headed toward Changyi ( 昌邑 ) to prepare to cut off the Wu and Chu supply routes. At this time, Liang appeared to be in great danger, and Prince Liu Wu sent messenger after messenger to seek immediate assistance from Zhou, which Zhou ignored. Emperor Jing, concerned for his brother, ordered Zhou to immediately head to Liang to save it. Zhou refused, and instead sent a cavalry force to cut off the Wu and Chu supply lines. The strategy was effective. Wu and Chu, unable to capture Liang quickly due to a strong defense put on by Prince Wu's generals Han Anguo ( 韩安国 ) and Zhang Yu ( 张羽 ), headed northeast to attack Zhou. Zhou refused to engage in a direct battle with Wu and Chu forces, but rather concentrated on defending his camp. After being unable to get a decisive victory over Zhou, the Wu and Chu forces began to suffer from starvation and collapsed. Liu Pi fled to Donghai, which killed him and sought peace with Han. Liu Wu, the Prince of Chu, committed suicide.

The only other theater that Wu forces engaged in was a small one. Liu Pi's guest Zhou Qiu ( 周丘 ) was looked down on by Liu Pi, but he, with Liu Pi's approval, had some successes on a surprising plan he hatched. However, after hearing that Liu Pi had been defeated, Zhou was so taken by anxiety that he died. Meanwhile, four principalities were sieging the Qi capital Linzi ( 临淄 ). Not so fortunate were the princes of the four rebelling principalities. Han Tuidang ( 韩颓当 ), the Marquess of Gonggao, wrote a letter to Liu Ang, the Prince of Jiaoxi, threatening him with utter destruction if he did not surrender. Prince Ang did so and was allowed to commit suicide. The other three princes were captured and executed. The four principalities were seized by the central government.

The final principality to be destroyed was Zhao. While Li Ji was initially unable to prevail in sieging the Zhao capital of Handan ( 邯郸 ) , Zhao's hopes were virtually lost, when Xiongnu forces, realizing Zhao was about to be defeated, chose not to join in the battle. When Luan returned from Qi, he attacked Handan with Li, and was able to capture it by breaking a levee to flood the walls of Handan . Liu Sui, the Prince of Zhao, committed suicide. Liu Zhi, the Prince of Jibei, who initially wished to join the rebellion, did not share their fate. In all, the initially ferocious rebellion lasted only three months before being defeated.