Wen Jiang (; died 673 BC) was a princess of the

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a ancient Chinese state, regional state of the Zhou dynasty in History of China#Ancient China, ancient China, whose rulers held Zhou dynasty nobility, titles of ''Hou'' (), then ''Gong (title), Go ...

and duchess of the

State of Lu Lu (; 249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji () that ruled the Zhou dynasty. The f ...

during 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 ...

of ancient China. She was a daughter of Duke Xi of Qi and sister of Duke Xiang and Duke Huan of Qi. She was the main wife of

Duke Huan of Lu Duke Huan of Lu (, died 14 April 694 BC), personal name Ji Yun or Ji Gui, was a ruler of the Lu state, reigning from 711 to 694 BC. Early life Duke Huan was the son of Duke Hui of Lu and his main wife Zhong Zi (仲子), daughter of Duke Wu of ...

and mother of Duke Zhuang of Lu. She is best known for having an incestuous relationship with her brother Duke Xiang, who had her husband murdered. Her clan name was Jiang (姜) ,personal name unknown, and Wen was her posthumous title.

Marriage and childbirth

In 709 BC, during the reign of her father Duke Xi of Qi, Wen Jiang married

, who had ascended the throne of the neighbouring

in 712 BC. Three years later, Wen Jiang gave birth to a boy. The boy had the same birthday as his father, therefore he was given the name Tong, meaning "the same", and was made the Crown Prince of Lu.

Murder of Duke Huan of Lu

In 698 BC Wen Jiang's father Duke Xi of Qi died and was succeeded by his son Duke Xiang of Qi. Before her marriage to Duke Huan of Lu, Wen Jiang and her older half-brother Duke Xiang had had an

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

uous

affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

. Chapter XII. In 694 BC, Wen Jiang and her husband Duke Huan visited her home state of Qi, and Wen Jiang and Duke Xiang renewed their sexual liaison. When Duke Huan found out about their relationship, Duke Xiang ordered his half brother Prince Pengsheng to murder Duke Huan when he was drunk. The people of Lu were incensed at Duke Xiang's crime, but could not do anything because Qi was a stronger state. To appease Lu, Duke Xiang had Pengsheng ( :zh:公子彭生) executed as a scapegoat. Crown Prince Tong, the son of Wen Jiang and Duke Huan, subsequently succeeded his father as ruler of Lu, to be known as Duke Zhuang of Lu.

Later life

After the death of her husband, Wen Jiang stayed in Qi and continued the incestuous relationship with her brother Duke Xiang. In 693 BC Duke Xiang married a daughter of the king of Zhou, the nominal ruler of all China, but the Zhou princess died only a year later. Chapter II. In 686 BC Duke Xiang was murdered by his cousin Wuzhi, who usurped the Qi throne but was killed the following year. Prince Xiaobai, another brother of Wen Jiang, ascended the Qi throne, known as Duke Huan of Qi. Wen Jiang died in the seventh month of 673 BC, during the 21st year of her son Duke Zhuang's reign.

Other children

Besides Duke Zhuang, Wen Jiang and Duke Huan had two other sons named Shu Ya and Ji You. Duke Huan also had an older son named Qingfu with a concubine. Qingfu, Shu Ya, and Ji You were founders of three powerful clans that later controlled the power of Lu. Together they are called the

Three Huan The Three Huan ({{zh, c=三桓, p=Sān Huán) refers to three Chinese aristocratic clans, all descendants of Duke Huan of Lu, in the State of Lu, which dominated the government affairs, displacing the power of the dukes, for nearly three centur ...

for all being descendants of Duke Huan. Ji You's lineage, called Jisun or Ji, eventually formed the splinter state of Fei.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wen Jiang Zhou dynasty nobility Lu state people People of Qi (state) Incest 8th-century BC Chinese women 8th-century BC Chinese people 7th-century BC Chinese women 7th-century BC Chinese people Ancient Chinese princesses 670s BC deaths Year of birth unknown