King Shoumeng (, d. 561 BC) was the 19th ruler and first king of the state of
Wu in the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...
of Chinese history.
Background
It was under Shoumeng's reign that Wu first began to interact with the other Spring and Autumn states.
Information about the history of Wu prior to Shoumeng is scarce: the
Records of the Grand Historian
''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...
lists the names of 18 rulers before him, but provides no exact regnal dates or biographical information. As such the only known fact about Shoumeng's father and predecessor is that his name was Quqi.
Biography
Shoumeng ascended the throne in 586 BC and was the first Wu ruler to use the title "king", implying equality in rank to the king of
Zhou. In the second year of Shoumeng's reign he forged an alliance with
Jin, which provided him with modern weapons and training in exchange for his help against Jin's rival
Chu
Chu or CHU may refer to:
Chinese history
* Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty
* Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu
* Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the Ha ...
. Wu would repeatedly attack Chu in the coming years, and was itself invaded by Chu in Shoumeng's 16th year.
Shoumeng ruled for 25 years. On his deathbed, he had wanted his fourth and youngest son Jizha to succeed him, but Jizha refused. Thus, Shoumeng devised a succession model where his sons would become kings one after the other, hoping that by the time the turn came to Jizha, he would have changed his mind. However, after Shoumeng's death, Jizha stuck to his refusal for the remainder of his life, with the next king instead being the third brother's son.
[Records of the Grand Historian, chapter 31]
References
{{Monarchs of Wu (state)
Monarchs of Wu (state)
560s BC deaths
6th-century BC Chinese monarchs