Duke Xiao of Qi (; died 633 BC) was from 642 to 633 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 ...

during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Zhao (呂昭),

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 Xiao 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 ...

. He was known as Crown Prince Zhao before his accession to the throne.

Accession to the throne

Duke Xiao's father was Duke Huan of Qi, who was the first 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 ...

, the most powerful rulers of the Spring and Autumn period. Duke Huan had at least three main wives who bore no sons, six favoured concubines, and more than ten sons. Duke Xiao was then known as Crown Prince Zhao, and his mother was Zheng Ji, a princess of the State of Zheng. Five other sons of Duke Huan also contended for the throne: Prince

Wukui Wukui () or Wugui () (died 642 BC), was for three months in early 642 BC ruler of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Wúkuī (呂無虧) or Lü Wúguǐ (呂無詭), ancestral name Jian ...

, Prince Pan (later Duke Zhao), Prince Shangren (later Duke Yi), Prince Yuan (later Duke Hui), and Prince Yong. When Duke Huan died in the tenth month of 643 BC, the six princes fought each other for the throne. After two months of fighting Wukui prevailed and ascended the throne in the twelfth month. Crown Prince Zhao fled to the

State of Song Song (; Old Chinese: *') was a state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China, with its capital at Shangqiu. The state was founded soon after King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. It was conquered ...

. During the unrest Duke Huan's corpse lay unattended for 67 days, and it was so badly decomposed that worms crawled out of his room. Wukui sat on the throne for only three months before being killed. In the third month of 642 BC, Prince Zhao returned with the army of

Duke Xiang of Song Duke Xiang of Song (宋襄公) (died 637 BC) was the leader in the state of Song 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 ...

. The people of Qi killed Wukui and wanted to install Prince Zhao on the throne, but the supporters of the other four princes attacked and drove Prince Zhao back to the State of Song. Two months later, the Song army returned and defeated the forces of the four princes, and Prince Zhao finally ascended the throne, to be known as Duke Xiao of Qi.

Reign

In 637 BC Duke Xiao held a conference of state leaders in order to reconfirm the

hegemony Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over oth ...

of the state of Qi over the other states. However,

refused to acknowledge Qi's hegemony as he aspired to be the hegemon himself. Duke Xiao attacked

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 ...

to punish Duke Xiang's disobedience, even though it was Duke Xiang of Song who helped him ascend the throne six years before. Duke Xiao reigned for ten years. After he died in 633 BC, Prince Kaifang (開方) of Wey, who had been a trusted official of Duke Huan, killed Duke Xiao's son and helped Prince Pan usurp the throne. Prince Pan is posthumously known as Duke Zhao of Qi.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiao of Qi, Duke Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Qi (state) 7th-century BC Chinese monarchs 633 BC deaths