Duke Ai of Qin (, died 501 BC) was from 536 to 501 BC the nineteenth ruler of the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

state of Qin that eventually united China to become the

Qin Dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

. His

ancestral name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

was Ying ( 嬴), and Duke Ai was his

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...

. Duke Ai succeeded his father Duke Jing of Qin, who died in 537 BC, as ruler of Qin.

Marriage with Chu

In 523 BC, Duke Ai betrothed his daughter Bo Ying to Crown Prince Jian of the

State of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou ...

, Qin's ally. Prince Jian's father,

King Ping of Chu King Píng of Chu (, died 516 BC). During the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China, he was king of the State of Chu from 528 BC to 516 BC. He was a son of King Gong of Chu and his consort (a sibling of King Zi'ao). Born Xiong Qiji (), Pí ...

, sent the minister Fei Wuji to escort the princess to Chu. However, Fei Wuji saw that the princess was beautiful and persuaded King Ping to take her as his own wife. Prince Jian fled abroad and was later killed. Bo Ying later bore King Ping a son, who in 515 BC ascended the Chu throne, to be known as

King Zhao of Chu King Zhao of Chu (, died 489 BC) was from 515 to 489 BC the king of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Zhen () and King Zhao was his posthumous title. Documents unearthed in the former state ...

Fighting Wu to help Chu

In 506 BC, King Helü of the

State of Wu Wu (; Old Chinese: ''*'') was one of the states during the Western Zhou dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period. It was also known as Gouwu ( /''*''/) or Gongwu ( /''*''/) from the pronunciation of the local language. Wu was located at t ...

invaded Chu, decisively defeated the Chu army at the Battle of Boju, and captured the Chu capital

Ying Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

. King Zhao of Chu escaped to the

State of Sui Suí () was a Zhou dynasty vassal state in the Han River Basin in modern Suizhou, Hubei, China. Its ruling house had the surname Ji (姬), and held the noble rank of ''Hou'' (侯), roughly comparable to a marquess. History During the initial s ...

. Chu minister Shen Baoxu went to Qin to plead for assistance. It is said that Duke Ai originally rejected the request, but finally agreed to help after Shen Baoxu wailed for seven days outside the Qin palace without eating. Duke Ai sent generals Zipu (子蒲) and Zihu (子虎) with 500 chariots to Chu. In 505 BC the joint Qin-Chu forces defeated Wu in a series of battles, and King Helü was forced to retreat to Wu, and King Zhao returned to Chu.

Death and succession

In 501 BC Duke Ai died after 36 years of reign. His son predeceased him and was given the posthumous title Duke Yi (秦夷公). Duke Ai was succeeded by Duke Yi's son, his grandson

Duke Hui I of Qin Duke Hui I of Qin (, died 492 BC) was, from 500 to 492 BC, the 20th ruler of the Zhou Dynasty Chinese state of Qin that eventually united China to become the Qin Dynasty. His ancestral name was Ying ( 嬴), and Duke Hui was his posthumous ti ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ai of Qin, Duke Year of birth unknown Rulers of Qin 6th-century BC Chinese monarchs 501 BC deaths