Duke Xiang of Song (宋襄公) (died 637 BC) was the leader in the state of
Song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...
in the
Spring and Autumn period. His personal name was Zifu (子茲甫) and he took his throne in 650 BC.
After the death of the
Hegemon of China,
Duke Huan of Qi, in 643 BC, Duke Xiang intervened in the
War of Qi's succession
The war of Qi's succession was a civil war in the State of Qi from 643 to 642 BCE, as the sons of Duke Huan of Qi fought against each other for the throne. Their struggle led to chaos in Qi and the intervention of several outside powers, until Duk ...
on the behalf of his ally
Prince Zhao. Forming an alliance with
Cao,
Wey, and
Zou, Duke Xiang and his troops invaded Qi and eventually defeated Prince Zhao's rival brothers, crowning him as "Duke Xiao of Qi".
With his influence on the rise, Duke Xiang saw a chance to become the next hegemon of China and made war with
Chu. In 638 BC he attacked the state of
Zheng and met the troops from Chu, who were running to save Zheng. Instead of giving the enemy a surprise attack, he waited for the enemy to go across the river in order to display his benevolence or
Ren (
仁) as a
Junzi
A junzi ( or "Son of the Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person",Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and la ...
. In the
Battle of Hongshui (泓水之戰) against the much stronger and fully prepared enemy, Duke Xiang's troops were defeated thoroughly and he himself was badly hurt. He died in the following year and was succeeded by his son Wangchen known as
Duke Cheng of Song.
Despite his failure in expansion, he is considered one of the
Five Hegemons
The Five Hegemons () refers to several especially powerful rulers of Chinese states of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770 to 476 BCE), sometimes alternatively referred to as the "Age of Hegemons". There are various lists of five ...
by some historians.
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
once said about Duke Xiang's humanity in war: "We are not Duke Xiang of Song and have no use for his idiotic virtue and morality".
Family
Wives:
* Wang Ji, of the Ji clan of
Zhou (), a daughter of
King Hui of Zhou
King Hui of Zhou (), personal name Ji Lang, was the seventeenth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the fifth of Eastern Zhou.''Records of the Grand Historian'' by Sima Qian
Family
Queens:
* Queen Chen ()
* Queen Hui of Zhou, of the Gui clan of ...
and an elder sister of
King Xiang of Zhou
King Xiang of Zhou (died 619BC), personal name Ji Zheng (), was the eighteenth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the sixth of the Eastern Zhou. He was a successor of his father King Hui of Zhou.
He married Lady of the Dí, but later dismis ...
Sons:
* Prince Wangchen (; d. 620 BC), ruled as
Duke Cheng of Song from 636–620 BC
* Prince Yu (; d. 620 BC), ruled as the Duke of Song in 620 BC
Ancestry
References
External links
Chinese Business Negotiating StyleThe art of warThe Grand Scribe's Records
Zhou dynasty nobility
Monarchs of Song (state)
637 BC deaths
Year of birth unknown
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