King Huiwen of Qin (; 356–311 BC), also known as Lord Huiwen of Qin (), personal name Ying Si, was a king of the state of Qin during the

Eastern Zhou The Eastern Zhou (256 BCE) is a period in Chinese history comprising the latter two-thirds of the Zhou dynasty. The period follows the Western Zhou era and is named due to the Zhou royal court relocating the capital eastward from Fenghao ...

dynasty, reigning from 338 to 311 BC. He was the first ruler of Qin to style himself "King" (王) instead of "Duke" (公).

Biography

Early life

Prince Si was the son of Duke Xiao, and succeeded his father as ruler after the latter's death.

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

reference page for a 2006 class called Moral Reasoning; includes a useful map. When the

adolescent Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated w ...

Si was still

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

, he committed a

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and was severely punished for it. The great minister Shang Yang was just then implementing his Legalist reforms to the laws of Qin and he insisted that the crown prince should be punished for the crime regardless of his royal status. Duke Xiao approved of the draconian punishment and that of Si's tutors, Prince Qian (公子虔), Duke Xiao's older brother, and Gongsun Gu (公孫賈), for neglecting their duties in educating the crown prince; Prince Qian had his nose cut off, Gongsun received the punishment of qing (黥), a form of punishment which involved branding a criminal by tattooing his face, and Crown Prince Ying Si was banished from the royal palace. It was believed that Si harboured a personal grudge against Shang Yang and when he came to the throne as King Huiwen, Si had Shang Yang put to death on charges of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

. However, Huiwen retained the reformed systems in Qin left behind by his father and Shang Yang.

Reign

During Huiwen's reign, Qin became very militarily powerful and constantly invaded neighbouring states as part of its policy of

expansionism Expansionism refers to states obtaining greater territory through military Imperialism, empire-building or colonialism. In the classical age of conquest moral justification for territorial expansion at the direct expense of another established p ...

. In 316 BC it conquered the kingdoms of Shu and Ba to the south, in the Sichuan basin. Qin's goal with these conquests was to annex and colonize these weaker independent kingdoms rather than confront the more advanced states to the east, nominally under the rule of the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

, with their large armies. The strategist Gongsun Yan, a student of Guiguzi, managed to persuade five of the other six major states to form an alliance to deal with Qin. However, Gongsun Yan's fellow student, Zhang Yi, came into the service of Huiwen as his prime minister and he helped Qin break up this alliance by sowing discord among the five states.

Death

King Huiwen ruled Qin for 27 years and died in 311 BC at the age of 46. He was succeeded by his son, King Wu of Qin, born of Queen Huiwen.

Family

Queens: * Queen Huiwen, of Wei (; d. 305 BC), possibly a daughter of

King Hui of Wei King Hui of Wei (; 400–319 BC), also known as King Hui of Liang (), personal name Wei Ying, was a monarch of the Wei (state), Wei state, reigning from 369 BC to 319 BC. He initially ruled as marquess, but later elevated himself to kingship in 34 ...

; married in 334 BC; the mother of Crown Prince Dang * Queen Dowager Xuan, of the Mi clan of Chu (; d. 265 BC), a royal of Chu by birth; the mother of Princes Ji, Shi and Kui Sons: * Prince Tong (; d. 311 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 313–311 BC * Crown Prince Dang (; 329–307 BC), ruled as King Wu of Qin from 310–307 BC * Prince Zhuang (; d. 305 BC) * Prince Yong (; d. 305 BC) * Prince Ji (; 325–251 BC), ruled as King Zhaoxiang of Qin from 306–251 BC * Prince Yun (; d. 301 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 308–301 BC * Prince Shi () ** Known by his title, Lord Gaoling () * Prince Kui () ** Known by his title, Lord Jingyang () * Prince Yao () * Prince Chi () Daughters: * Queen Yi of Yan () ** Married King Yi of Yan (d. 321 BC) in 334 BC

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Fu Dalong in '' The Qin Empire II: Alliance'' (2012) * Portrayed by Alex Fong in '' The Legend of Mi Yue'' (2015) * Portrayed by Gallen Lo in '' Song of Phoenix'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huiwen of Qin, King 356 BC births 311 BC deaths 4th-century BC Chinese monarchs Monarchs of Qin