King Wu of Qin (; 329–307 BC), also known as King Daowulie of Qin (秦悼武烈王) or King Daowu of Qin (秦悼武王) or King Wulie of Qin (秦武烈王), was the ruler of the

Qin state Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted ex ...

from 310 to 307 BC during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

Chinese history 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 chapter ...

. Despite his short time as ruler, King Wu played a part in

Qin's wars of unification Qin's wars of unification were a series of military campaigns launched in the late 3rd century BC by the Qin state against the other six major Chinese states — Han, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu and Qi. Between 247 BC and 221 BC, Qin had emerged as ...

, mainly through his efforts against the state of

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

. He also invaded some of the other major powers of the Warring States, especially Wei. In his fourth year, his minister Gan Mao (甘茂), suggested an attack on the Han fortress of

Yiyang Yiyang () is a prefecture-level city on the Zi River in Hunan province, China, straddling Lake Dongting and bordering Hubei to the north. According to the 2010 Census, Yiyang has a population of 4,313,084 inhabitants residing in an area of . The ...

to open up a path to invade the eastern powers. The campaign succeeded and Qin subsequently gained control of the key roads to the Zhou capital of

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

. While visiting the Zhou capital, King Wu, a keen

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

, decided to try

powerlifting Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effor ...

a heavy bronze cauldron in the Zhou palace as a show of his own physical strength, urged on by a

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. These ...

he favoured named Meng Yue (孟說). Though he successfully lifted the cauldron, the king broke his

shin bone The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

s while trying to carry it. At night, blood came out of his eyes, and he died very soon afterwards. He had ascended the throne at the age of 18–19, and died aged 21–22, having only ruled for about three years. After King Wu's death, Gan Mao left Qin to serve Wei. Since King Wu died young without issue, it threw Qin into a

succession crisis A succession crisis is a crisis that arises when an order of succession fails, for example when a king dies without an indisputable heir. It may result in a war of succession. Examples include (see List of wars of succession): *Multiple periods dur ...

, with multiple brother-princes contending for the throne. Eventually, King Wu's younger half-brother Prince Ji, who was serving as a political hostage at the state of

Yan Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indepe ...

at the time, returned to Qin with the support of his uncle Wei Ran (魏冉) and

King Wuling of Zhao King Wuling of Zhao () (died 295 BCE, reigned 325 BCE – 299 BCE) reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States period of Chinese history. His reign was famous for one important event: the reforms consisting of "Wearing the Hu (styled) A ...

and ascended to the throne as King Zhaoxiang.

Family

Queens: *

Queen Daowu Queen Daowu, of the Wei lineage of the Ji clan of Wei (悼武后姬姓魏氏), a princess of Wei by birth (4th century BC), was the queen consort of King Wu of Qin, who reigned from 310 to 307 BC.Michael Loewe and Edward Shaughnessy, ed. (1999) ...

, of the Wei lineage of the Ji clan of Wei (), a princess of Wei by birth

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Ba Tu in ''

The Legend of Mi Yue ''The Legend of Mi Yue'' () is a 2015 Chinese television series directed by Zheng Xiaolong and based on eponymous historical novel. It stars Sun Li in the title role of Mi Yue. The series aired 2 episodes daily on Beijing TV and Dragon TV from 3 ...

'' (2015) * Portrayed by He Ziming in '' The Qin Empire II: Alliance'' (2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu of Qin, King 320s BC births 300s BC deaths 4th-century BC Chinese monarchs Rulers of Qin