Duke Hui of Jin
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Duke Hui of Jin | |
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Ruler of the State of Jin | |
Reign | 650–637 BC |
Predecessor | Zhuozi |
Successor | Duke Huai of Jin |
Died | 637 BC |
Father | Duke Xian of Jin |
Mother | Xiao Rongzi ( |
Yiwu | |||||||||
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Chinese | |||||||||
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Posthumous name | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | |||||||||
Simplified Chinese | |||||||||
Literal meaning | The Benevolent Duke of Jin The Kind Duke of Jin | ||||||||
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Duke Hui of Jin (died 637 BC), born Yiwu, was the duke of Jin (r. 650–637 BC) during the Spring and Autumn period of China's Zhou dynasty.
Life
[edit]Early life
[edit]Yiwu was one of the nine sons of Duke Xian. His mother was Xiao Rongzi. He was the younger sibling of Shensheng and Chong'er (later Duke Wen) and the older sibling of Xiqi.[1]
As part of her scheme to secure the succession to her son, the concubine Li Ji removed Xiqi's older siblings from the capital on the pretext of pacifying their territories. Prince Yiwu was sent to defend Erqu in what is now Ji County, Shanxi.
After the death of Duke Xian in the ninth lunar month during 651 BC, Li Ji placed the 15-year-old Xiqi on the throne and made Xun Xi (荀
Li Ke first invited Prince Chong'er (then in the State of Qi) to return to Jin to become the next duke. After Chong'er declined, Li Ke extended the same offer to his younger brother Prince Yiwu, then in the State of Liang. Yiwu accepted and was enthroned as the next duke of Jin.
As duke
[edit]As duke, Yiwu sentenced Li Ke to commit suicide to atone for his role in the deaths of his two predecessors.
In the fourth year of his reign (647 BC), Jin experienced a famine and requested that the State of Qin sell some of its grain. Duke Mu of Qin agreed and sold the grain to Jin.
In the fifth year of his reign (646 BC), Qin experienced a famine but Yiwu refused to sell any grain to them, despite its assistance the year before and the advice of the minister Qing Zheng (
Restored to power, Yiwu immediately killed Qing Zheng and reordered the government of Jin. Because many of his ministers held his older brother in affection and were open to the idea of a change in leadership, Yiwu sent assassins to the Di tribe (翟
In the eighth year of his reign (643 BC), he sent his son Crown Prince Yu to Qin as a hostage.
In 641 BC, Duke Mu invaded Liang, the small state which had once sheltered Yiwu. The count had been attempting to massively fortify his capital but construction was not complete, his people were tired and dissatisfied from their forced work, and Qin was able to conquer them easily.
In the thirteenth year of his reign (638 BC), Yiwu grew gravely ill. Crown Prince Yu and his wife Huai Ying (
References
[edit]- ^ Sima Qian.
晋 世 家 [House of Jin]. Records of the Grand Historian (in Chinese). Retrieved 12 April 2012.