King Huiwen of Qin (; 356–311 BC), also known as Lord Huiwen of Qin () or King Hui of Qin (), given name Si (駟), was the ruler of the Qin state from 338 to 311 BC during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

Chinese history The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...

and likely an ancestor of Emperor

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of " king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Empero ...

. He was the first ruler of Qin to style himself "King" (王) instead of "Duke" (公).

Biography

Early life

Prince Si was the son of Duke Xiao, and succeeded his father as ruler after the latter's death.

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

reference page for a 2006 class called Moral Reasoning; includes a useful map. When the adolescent Si was still

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...

, he committed a

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

and was severely punished for it. The great minister

Shang Yang Shang Yang (; c. 390 – 338 BC), also known as Wei Yang () and originally surnamed Gongsun, was a Chinese jurist, philosopher, and politician.Antonio S. Cua (ed.), 2003, p. 362, ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy'"The fifth important legali ...

was just then implementing his legalist reforms to the laws of Qin and he insisted that the crown prince should be punished for the crime regardless of his royal status. Duke Xiao approved of the draconian punishment and Si's tutors, Prince Qian (公子虔), Duke Xiao's older brother, and

Gongsun Gu Gongsun () is one of the few Chinese compound surnames. Famous people with this surname include: * Gongsun Xuanyuan, reputed name of the Yellow Emperor; other sources say his surname was Ji * Gongsun Shu, emperor of Chengjia * Gongsun Shan ...

(公孫賈), for neglecting their duties in educating the crown prince, with Prince Qian having his nose cut off and Gongsun receiving the punishment of qing (黥; a form of punishment which involved branding a criminal by tattooing his face), while Ying Si was banished from the royal palace. It was believed that Si harboured a personal grudge against Shang Yang and when he came to the throne as King Huiwen, Si had Shang Yang put to death on charges of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. However, Huiwen retained the reformed systems in Qin left behind by his father and Shang Yang.

Reign

During Huiwen's reign, Qin became very powerful in terms of its

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

strength, and constantly invaded neighbouring states as part of its

expansionism Expansionism refers to states obtaining greater territory through military empire-building or colonialism. In the classical age of conquest moral justification for territorial expansion at the direct expense of another established polity (who of ...

policy. In 316 BC it conquered the states of Shu and Ba to the south in the

Sichuan basin The Sichuan Basin (), formerly transliterated as the Szechwan Basin, sometimes called the Red Basin, is a lowland region in southwestern China. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is drained by the upper Yangtze River and its tributar ...

. The strategy here was to annex and colonize the semi-civilized lands to the south rather than confront the more advanced states to the east with their large armies. The strategist Su Qin, a student of Guiguzi, managed to persuade the other six major states to form an alliance to deal with Qin. However, Su Qin's fellow student, Zhang Yi, came into the service of Huiwen and he helped Qin break up the alliance by sowing discord among the six states.

Death

King Huiwen ruled Qin for 27 years and died in 311 BC at the age of 46. He was succeeded by his son, King Wu of Qin, born of Queen Huiwen.

Family

Queens: * Queen Huiwen, of

Wei Wei or WEI may refer to: States * Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States * Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...

(; d. 305 BC), possibly a daughter of King Hui of Wei; married in 334 BC; the mother of Crown Prince Dang * Queen Dowager Xuan, of the Mi clan of Chu (; d. 265 BC), a royal of Chu by birth; the mother of Princes Ji, Shi and Kui Sons: * Prince Tong (; d. 311 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 313–311 BC * Crown Prince Dang (; 329–307 BC), ruled as King Wu of Qin from 310–307 BC * Prince Zhuang (; d. 305 BC) * Prince Yong (; d. 305 BC) * Prince Ji (; 325–251 BC), ruled as

King Zhaoxiang of Qin King Zhaoxiang of Qin (; 325–251 BC), or King Zhao of Qin (秦昭王), born Ying Ji (, was the king of Qin from 306 BC to 251 BC. He was the son of King Huiwen and younger brother of King Wu. King Zhaoxiang reigned as the King of Qin for 5 ...

from 306–251 BC * Prince Yun (; d. 301 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 308–301 BC * Prince Shi () ** Known by his title, Lord Gaoling () * Prince Kui () ** Known by his title, Lord Jingyang () * Prince Yao () * Prince Chi () Daughters: * Queen Yi of Yan () ** Married

King Yi of Yan King Yi of Yan (, died 321 BC), ancestral name Jī (姬), clan name Yān (燕), personal name unknown, was the first king of the state of Yan in Warring States period of Chinese history. He ruled the state between 331 BC until his death in 321 ...

(d. 321 BC) in 334 BC

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Fu Dalong in '' The Qin Empire II: Alliance'' (2012) * Portrayed by Alex Fong in '' The Legend of Mi Yue'' (2015) * Portrayed by Gallen Lo in '' Song of Phoenix'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huiwen of Qin, King 356 BC births 311 BC deaths 4th-century BC Chinese monarchs Rulers of Qin