Duke Jian of Qi (; died 481 BC) was from 484 to 481 BC ruler of the

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded sh ...

, a major power during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

ancient China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapt ...

. His personal name was Lü Ren (呂壬),

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, ...

Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Jian 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 ...

Reign

Duke Jian succeeded his father,

Duke Dao of Qi Duke Dao of Qi (; died 485 BC) was from 488 to 485 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Yangsheng (呂陽生), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Dao was ...

, who was killed in 485 BC after four years of reign. Duke Jian made his trusted official Kan Zhi (闞止), a native of the neighbouring

State of Lu Lu (, c. 1042–249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong province. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dy ...

, his prime minister. In 481 BC Kan Zhi plotted to attack and expel the powerful Tian clan from Qi, but the Tians learned of his plan and staged a preemptive coup d'etat. Kan Zhi was killed first, and Duke Jian escaped the capital but was captured in Shuzhou (in present-day

Teng County Teng County or Tengxian (; za, Dwngz Yen) is a county of eastern Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Wuzhou. , it had a population of 1,125,264 residing in an area of . The county is divided into a nor ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

) and killed on the 24th day of the fifth month.

Tian Heng ''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their supreme god as '' Shàngdì'' (, "Lor ...

, the leader of the Tian clan, subsequently installed Duke Jian's younger brother Ao on the throne, to be known as

Duke Ping of Qi Duke Ping of Qi (; died 456 BC) was from 480 to 456 BC the titular ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Ao (呂驁), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Ping ...

. From then on the dukes of Qi would be reduced to mere figureheads and the leaders of the Tian clan would be ''de facto'' rulers of Qi, and in 386 BC

Tian He Duke Tai of Tian Qi (; died 384 BC) was from 386 to 384 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Warring States period of ancient China. He was the first Qi ruler from the House of Tian, replacing the House of Jiang that had rule ...

would formally become Duke of Qi, ending more than six centuries of rule by the House of Jiang.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jian of Qi, Duke Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Qi (state) 5th-century BC Chinese monarchs 481 BC deaths 5th-century BC murdered monarchs Assassinated Chinese politicians