Duke Zhao of Qi (), personal name Lü Pan, was from 632 BC to 613 BC the ruler of the
Qi state.
Accession to the throne
Duke Zhao's father was
Duke Huan of Qi, who was the first of the
Five Hegemons
The Five Hegemons (), also referred to as the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period (), refers to several especially powerful rulers of Chinese states of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770–476 BCE), sometimes alternat ...
, the most powerful rulers of the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...
. Duke Huan had at least three main wives who bore no sons, six favoured concubines, and more than ten sons. Duke Zhao was then known as Prince Pan, and his mother was Ge Ying, a princess of the minor state of Ge (葛). Five other sons of Duke Huan also contended for the throne: Prince
Wukui, Crown Prince Zhao (later
Duke Xiao), 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 one another for the throne.
Wukui prevailed at first, but he sat on the throne for only three months before being killed by supporters of Crown Prince Zhao. Prince Zhao ascended the throne with the help of
Duke Xiang of Song and was known as
Duke Xiao of Qi.
Duke Xiao reigned for ten years. After he died in 633 BC, Prince Kaifang 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.
Reign and succession
In 632 BC,
Duke Wen of Jin defeated the
State of Chu
Chu (, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was an Ancient Chinese states, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted ...
at the
Battle of Chengpu, and was declared the
Hegemon
Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states, either regional or global.
In Ancient Greece (ca. 8th BC – AD 6th c.), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' ...
of China, a title that was previously held by Duke Zhao's father Duke Huan.
In 627 BC, the sixth year of Duke Zhao's reign, the
Di tribes invaded Qi.
In the fifth month of 613 BC, Duke Zhao died and was succeeded by his son
She. However, just two months later She was murdered by Duke Zhao's younger brother Shangren, who usurped the throne and was posthumously known as
Duke Yì of Qi.
Family
Wives:
* Zi Shu Ji, of the Ji clan (), the mother of Prince She
Sons:
* Prince
She (; d. 613 BC), ruled as the Duke of Qi in 613 BC
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao of Qi, Duke
Year of birth unknown
Monarchs of Qi (state) from the House of Jiang
7th-century BC Chinese monarchs
610s BC deaths