Duke Huan of Chen (; reigned 744 BC – died 707 BC) was the twelfth ruler of the
Ancient Chinese state
Ancient Chinese states () were typified by variously sized city-states and territories that existed in China prior to its unification by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE. In many cases these were vassal states and fiefs established in the '' fengjian'' s ...
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 ...
. His ancestral surname was
Gui
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...
, given name Bao (鮑), and Huan (桓) was his
posthumous name
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 ...
.
Life and death
Duke Huan succeeded his father Duke Wen of Chen, who died in 745 BC. After a reign of 38 years, he died in 707 BC under strange circumstances. He was believed to have become demented and behaved erratically. He went missing on the '' jia-xu'' day in the first month of 707 BC. His body was found sixteen days later, on the ''ji-chou'' day. The exact date of his death was unknown.
Chen Tuo's usurpation
The uncertainty of Duke Huan's death threw the state into turmoil, and his younger brother
Chen Tuo
Chen Tuo (; reigned 707 BC – died 706 BC), also known as Chen Ta (陳他) and Wufu (五父), was the thirteenth ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen (state), Chen during the early Spring and Autumn period. His given name was Tuo (佗) or ...
took the opportunity to murder Duke Huan's son
Crown Prince Mian Crown Prince Mian (; died 707 BC) was the eldest son and designated successor of Duke Huan of Chen, the twelfth ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the early Spring and Autumn period. His given name was Mian (免).
In the first mont ...
and usurp the throne.
Before his death, Duke Huan had married a princess of the neighbouring
state of Cai
Cài (; Old Chinese: *s.r̥ˤat-s) was an ancient Chinese state established at the beginning of the Zhou dynasty, rising to prominence during the Spring and Autumn period, and destroyed early in the Warring States period.
History
Following his ...
, who gave birth to a son named Yue. After Chen Tuo's usurpation, the Cai army attacked Chen and killed Chen Tuo in 706 BC. The marquis of Cai then installed Yue on the Chen throne, posthumously known as
Duke Li of Chen
Duke Li of Chen (; reigned 706 BC – died 700 BC) was the fourteenth ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the early Spring and Autumn period. His ancestral surname was Gui, given name Yue (躍), and Li (厲) was his posthumous name.
...
. Duke Li died after a reign of seven years, and he was succeeded by two younger sons of Duke Huan: Lin, Duke Zhuang of Chen, and Chujiu,
Duke Xuan of Chen
Duke Xuan of Chen (; reigned 692 BC – died 648 BC) was the sixteenth ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the Spring and Autumn period. His ancestral surname was Gui, given name Chujiu (杵臼), and Xuan (宣) was his posthumous na ...
Chen Wan
Chen may refer to:
People
*Chen (surname) (陳 / 陈), a common Chinese surname
* Chen (singer) (born 1992), member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO
* Chen Chen (born 1989), Chinese-American poet
* (), a Hebrew first name or surname:
* ...
, who was the son of Duke Li. Chen Wan later fled to Qi, a major state to the northeast of Chen, and established the Chen (Tian) clan there. The Chen clan of Qi grew increasingly powerful over the centuries, and eventually usurped the Qi throne.