Zhuge Xuan () (died February 197) was a Chinese politician who lived during the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

of China. He is best known for briefly serving as the Administrator of Yuzhang Commandery (around present-day

Nanchang Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi, China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. Because of its strate ...

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

) in the mid-190s. He was also a cousin-uncle ( first/second cousin once removed) of

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

, a prominent statesman of the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period.

Life

Zhuge Xuan was from Yangdu County (), Langya Commandery (), which is located in present-day Yinan County or Yishui County,

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. His ancestor, Zhuge Feng (), was a

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring in ...

official who served as Colonel-Director of Retainers () under Emperor Yuan (48–33 BCE). One of his cousins, Zhuge Gui (), served as an assistant official in Taishan Commandery (泰山郡; around present-day Tai'an,

) during the late

under Emperor Ling (168–189 CE). As Zhuge Gui and his wife died early, Zhuge Xuan raised their two younger sons,

and Zhuge Jun (). Sometime in the mid-190s, the warlord

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (155 – 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189. He decla ...

appointed Zhuge Xuan as the Administrator () of Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡; around present-day

). Zhuge Xuan brought Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun with him to Yuzhang Commandery and wanted to appoint them as his subordinates. Around 195, However, he soon left Yuzhang Commandery when the Han central government officially designated Zhu Hao as the new Administrator. Zhuge Xuan then brought Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun to

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in early Chinese texts such as the ''Yu Gong, Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'', and ''Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of E ...

(covering present-day

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

and

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

) to live with his friend

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () ( 151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the governor of Jing Province (coveri ...

, who was also Jing Province's governor. After Zhuge Xuan's death, Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun moved to Longzhong (), an area about 20 ''li'' west of

Xiangyang Xiangyang is the second-largest prefecture-level city by population in northwestern Hubei province, China. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River (Hanshui), Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city n ...

, the capital of Jing Province. The ''Xiandi Chunqiu'' () by Yuan Wei () recorded a completely different account about Zhuge Xuan. It mentioned that

– instead of

– appointed Zhuge Xuan as the Administrator of Yuzhang Commandery to replace the previous Administrator, Zhou Shu (), who died in office. However, the Han central government, upon receiving news of Zhou Shu's death, appointed Zhu Hao as the new Administrator. As Zhuge Xuan was reluctant to transfer power to Zhu Hao, the latter allied with Liu Yao, the Inspector of

Yang Province Yangzhou, Yangchow or Yang Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China mentioned in historical texts such as the ''Yu Gong, Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'' and ''Rites of Zhou''. Name There are four different theories regarding the origi ...

, to attack him. Zhuge Xuan retreated to Xicheng County (西城縣; south of present-day Chongren County,

) after he lost Yuzhang Commandery's capital,

. In February 197, the people in Xicheng County rebelled against Zhuge Xuan, killed him and sent his head to Liu Yao.(獻帝春秋曰：初，豫章太守周術病卒，劉表上諸葛玄為豫章太守，治南昌。漢朝聞周術死，遣朱皓代玄。皓從揚州刺史劉繇求兵擊玄，玄退屯西城，皓入南昌。建安二年正月，西城民反，殺玄，送首詣繇。此書所云，與本傳不同。) ''Xiandi Chunqiu'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 35. The ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'' by

Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', a monumental work of history. B ...

endorsed the ''Xiandi Chunqiu'' account up to the point where Zhu Hao allied with Liu Yao to force Zhuge Xuan out of Yuzhang Commandery.(劉繇使豫章太守朱皓攻袁術所用太守諸葛玄，玄退保西城。及繇泝江西上，駐於彭澤，使融助皓攻玄。) ''Zizhi Tongjian'' vol. 61. It does not confirm that Zhuge Xuan died in Xicheng County in February 197.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms ''Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' () by Pei Songzhi (372–451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After the fall of the Eastern Jin ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhuge, Xuan Year of birth unknown 197 deaths Executed Han dynasty people Government officials during the end of the Han dynasty People executed by the Han dynasty Political office-holders in Jiangxi

Life

See also

Notes

References