Liu Pengli (), also known as the Prince of Jidong (), was a 2nd-century BC Han

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

Family

Liu Pengli was the grandson of Emperor Wen (r. 180–157 BCE) and the nephew of Emperor Jing (r. 157–141 BCE). Liu Pengli was the third son of

Liu Wu, Prince of Liang Liu Wu (刘武) ( - May 144 BC), posthumously named Prince Xiao of Liang, was a Han prince. He was a son of Emperor Wen and Empress Xiaowen, and a younger brother of Emperor Jing. He played a prominent role in the suppression of the ...

, and the nephew of the Emperor Jing. Liu Wu's other sons included (in order)

Liu Mai Liu Mai (, ''Liú Mǎi''), posthumous name, posthumously named Prince Gong of Liang (, ''Liáng Gōngwàng''), was a prince of the Han dynasty. He was the eldest son and heir of Liu Wu, prince of Liang. He did not receive all of his father's inhe ...

Liu Ming Liu Ming, may refer to: * Liu Ming (prince), a prince of the Han dynasty * , an official in the Ming dynasty * , Chinese politician, secretary-general of Fujian from 2011 to 2013 * Liu Ming (born 1956), Chinese politician, party secretary ...

, Liu Ding, and

Liu Bushi Liu Bushi (, ''Liú Bùshí''), Prince of Jiyin (, ''Jì Yīnwàng''), was a prince of the Han dynasty. He was the youngest son and heir of Liu Wu, prince of Liang. He did not receive all of his father's inheritance; instead, his uncle the emperor ...

Biography

Liu was Prince of Jidong in the sixth year of the middle era of the

Emperor Jing of Han Emperor Jing of Han (188 BC – 9 March 141 BC), born Liu Qi, was the sixth Emperor of China, emperor of the Han dynasty from 157 to 141 BC. His reign saw the limiting of the power of the feudal kings and princes which resulted in the Rebellion ...

(144 BC), the year of his father, Liu Wu's banishment from the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and death. The

Empress Dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother; ) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a monarch, especially in regards to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarchs in the Chines ...

Xiaowen grieved greatly for her younger son and, to placate her (and weaken the powerful

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of Liang), Emperor Jing divided Liang in five and granted a part to each of Liu Wu's sons.

Sima Qian Sima Qian () was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for the ''Shiji'' (sometimes translated into English as ''Records of the Grand Historian''), a general history of China cov ...

's ''

Records of the Grand Historian The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st ce ...

'' relates that, "At the age of twenty-nine, he was arrogant and cruel and would go out on marauding expeditions with tens of slaves or young men who were in hiding from the law, murdering people and seizing their belongings for sheer sport. Apparently, Liu Pengli recruited 20–30 individuals with similar predilections to accompany him in the search for victims to rob and kill. Confirmed victims exceeded 100, and these murders were known across the kingdom, so people were afraid of leaving their homes at night. Eventually, the son of one of his victims made an accusation to the Emperor, and the officials of the court requested that Liu Pengli be executed; however, the Emperor could not bear to have his own nephew killed, and Liu Pengli was made a commoner and banished to the county of Shangyong (now Zhushan in

Hubei Province Hubei is a province in Central China. It has the seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland provinces. Its provincial capital at Wuhan serves as a major politi ...

). In 116 BC, his sovereignty was abolished and his land was reclaimed

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' is a history of China finished in 111 CE, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. The work was composed by Ban Gu (32–92 CE), ...

. by Emperor Jing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Pengli 2nd-century BC Chinese people Chinese serial killers Han dynasty imperial princes

Family

Biography

See also

References