Duke Hui of Qi (), personal name Lü Yuan, was

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

of the Qi state from 608 BC to 599 BC.

Accession to the throne

Duke Hui's father was

Duke Huan of Qi Duke Huan of Qi (), personal name Lü Xiaobai, was a duke of the Qi state, ruling from 685 BC to 643 BC. Duke Huan and his long-time advisor Guan Zhong managed to transform Qi into China's most powerful polity. Duke Huan is commonly listed amo ...

, who was the first of the

Five Hegemons The Five Hegemons (), also referred to as the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period (), refers to several especially powerful rulers of Chinese states of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770–476 BCE), sometimes alternat ...

, the most powerful rulers of the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

. Duke Huan had at least three main wives who bore no sons, six favoured concubines, and more than ten sons. Duke Hui was then known as Prince Yuan, and his mother was the younger Wey Ji, one of two princesses of the State of Wey who were among Duke Huan's favoured concubines. Five other sons of Duke Huan also contended for the throne: Prince

Wukui Lü Wukui () was ruler of the Qi state for three months in early 642 BC. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Duke Xiao. Accession to the throne Wukui's father and predecessor was Duke Huan of Qi, who was the first of the Five Hegemons, ...

, Crown Prince Zhao (later Duke Xiao), Prince Pan (later Duke Zhao), Prince Shangren (later Duke Yì), and Prince Yong. When Duke Huan died in the tenth month of 643 BC, the six princes fought one another for the throne.

, the son of the elder Wey Ji, prevailed at first, but was killed three months later and replaced by Duke Xiao. Duke Xiao died after ten years of reign, and was succeeded by Duke Zhao whose supporters killed Duke Xiao's son. When Duke Zhao died in 613 BC, his son She ascended the throne, but was soon murdered by his uncle Duke Yì. Duke Yì reigned for four years before being killed by Bing Chu (邴歜) and Yan Zhi (閻職) in 609 BC. The ministers of Qi deposed Duke Yì's son and installed his brother Prince Yuan, who was then exiled in the State of Wey, on the throne. Prince Yuan, posthumously known as Duke Hui of Qi, was the last of the five sons of Duke Huan to ascend the Qi throne.

Reign and succession

In 607 BC, the second year of Duke Hui's reign, the Long Di tribes invaded Qi. Qi general Wangzi Chengfu (王子城父) defeated the invaders and killed their leader Rongru (榮如). Duke Hui reigned for ten years and died in 599 BC. He was succeeded by his son Wuye, Duke Qing of Qi. Duke Hui favoured the official Cui Zhu (崔杼). After Duke Hui's death the powerful Gao and Guo clans of Qi expelled Cui, who fled to the State of Wey. Cui would later return to Qi and cause great turmoil in the state.

Family

Wives: * Xiao Tong Shu Zi, of the Zi clan (), the mother of Prince Wuye Sons: * Prince Wuye (; d. 582 BC), ruled as Duke Qing of Qi from 598–582 BC

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hui of Qi, Duke Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Qi (state) from the House of Jiang 7th-century BC Chinese monarchs 6th-century BC Chinese monarchs 590s BC deaths