Duke Dao of Qi (; died 485 BC) was from 488 to 485 BC ruler of the

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded shortly ...

, a major power during 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 ancient China. His personal name was Lü Yangsheng (呂陽生),

ancestral name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Dao was his

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

. Before ascending the throne he was known as Prince Yangsheng.

Accession to the throne

Prince Yangsheng was a middle son of

Duke Jing of Qi Duke Jing of Qi (; died 490 BC) was ruler of the State of Qi from 547 to 490 BC. Qi was a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Chujiu (呂杵臼), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Jing ...

. In the summer of 490 BC, the 58th year of Duke Jing's reign, the crown prince of Qi died. Although Duke Jing had at least five other grown sons, he made Prince Tu, his youngest son by his favourite concubine Yu Si, the new crown prince. Because Prince Tu was a young boy and his mother was of a lowly status, Duke Jing ordered the ministers Guo Xia of the Guo clan and Gao Zhang of the Gao clan to support Prince Tu and exile the other princes to the remote city of Lai. Duke Jing died soon afterward in the autumn of 490 BC. Guo and Gao installed Prince Tu on the throne, and the other princes escaped abroad. Yangsheng fled to the neighbouring

State of Lu Lu (, c. 1042–249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong province. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dyn ...

. However, the next year the Tian and Bao clans led by Tian Qi and Bao Mu staged a coup d'etat and defeated the Gao and Guo clans. Tian Qi brought back Yangsheng from Lu and installed him on the throne, to be known as Duke Dao of Qi. Bao Mu was reluctant to depose Prince Tu but dared not oppose Tian. Duke Dao soon killed Prince Tu, who is posthumously known as

An Ruzi An Ruzi (; died 489 BC), also called Yan Ruzi (), was for a few months in 489 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Tu (呂荼), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), a ...

. The Tian clan would from then on increasingly dominate the power of Qi, eventually replacing the House of Jiang as monarchs of Qi in 386 BC.

Battle with Lu

When Duke Dao was exiled in the State of Lu, he married Ji Ji (季姬), younger sister of

Ji Kangzi Ji or JI may refer to: Names and titles * Ji (surname), the pinyin romanization of a number of distinct Chinese surnames * Ji (Korean name), a Korean surname and element in given names (including lists of people with the name) * -ji, an honorifi ...

(季康子), who was the leader of the Ji clan, one of the three clans that controlled the power of Lu. After Duke Dao returned to Qi and ascended the throne, he sent for his wife in Lu. When Duke Dao was away, however, Ji Ji had an adulterous relationship with her uncle Ji Fanghou (季魴侯). Afraid that Duke Dao might discover his wife's infidelity, Lu refused to send Ji Ji to Qi. Enraged by Lu's refusal to send his wife, in 487 BC Duke Dao dispatched Bao Mu to invade Lu with the Qi army, taking the cities of Huan (讙) and Chan (闡). Lu was forced to send Ji Ji to Qi, and Qi returned the two cities to Lu. In the same year Duke Dao killed Bao Mu for trying to incite rebellion among the Qi princes.

Death

In 485 BC, the fourth year of Duke Dao's reign, the states of Wu, Lu, Zhu and Tan (郯) invaded Qi.

Fuchai Fuchai (reigned 495–473BC), sometimes also written Fucha, was the last king of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His armies constructed important canals linking the Yellow, Ji, and Huai River systems of th ...

, the king of Wu, was the commander of the allied forces as Wu was at the time the most powerful state of China. By the time the invading forces reached southern Qi, Duke Dao had been killed by a Qi official, probably

Tian Heng ''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their supreme god as '' Shàngdì'' (, "Lor ...

, who had succeeded his father Tian Qi as leader of the Tian clan. When the obituary reached King Fuchai, he suspended the campaign and for three days cried outside the army camp, according to the etiquette of the time. After the mourning period was over, Fuchai launched a naval attack on Qi, but was defeated and forced to retreat. Duke Dao's son Prince Ren subsequently ascended the throne, to be known as

Duke Jian of Qi Duke Jian of Qi (; died 481 BC) was from 484 to 481 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Ren (呂壬), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Jian was his post ...

Family

Wives: * Ji Ji, of the Jisun lineage of the Ji clan of Lu (), a daughter of Viscount Huan of Ji () and a younger sister of Viscount Kang of Ji (); married in 490 BC Sons: * Prince Ren (; d. 481 BC), ruled as

from 484 to 481 BC * Prince Ao (; d. 456 BC), ruled as

Duke Ping of Qi Duke Ping of Qi (; died 456 BC) was from 480 to 456 BC the titular ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Ao (呂驁), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Ping w ...

from 480 to 456 BC

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dao of Qi, Duke Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Qi (state) 5th-century BC Chinese monarchs 485 BC deaths 5th-century BC murdered monarchs Assassinated Chinese politicians Assassinated Chinese heads of state