Liu Pi (; 216–154 BC) was a nephew of

Emperor Gao of Han Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emper ...

, son of Liu Xi, Prince of Dai, and appointed

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

of Wu by Emperor Gao. During the reign of Emperor Jing, he initiated the

Rebellion of the Seven States The Rebellion of the Seven States or Revolt of the Seven Kingdoms () took place in 154 BC against the Han dynasty of China by its regional semi-autonomous kings, to resist the emperor's attempt to centralize the government further. Background ...

to resist the Emperor's centralizing policies, during which he was defeated and killed.

Biography

In 196 BC, he was made Marquess of

Pei PEI or Pei may refer to: Places *Matecaña International Airport, Pereira, Colombia, IATA code PEI *Pei County (沛县), Jiangsu, China *Pei Commandery (沛郡), a commandery in Chinese history *Prince Edward Island, a province of Canada * Pei, ...

at the age of 20. He demonstrated his combat ability as a cavalry general in the campaign against

Ying Bu Ying Bu (died 195 BC) was a warlord and vassal king who lived in the early Han dynasty. He was a native of Lu County (六縣; present-day Lu'an, Anhui). In his early life under the Qin dynasty, Ying Bu was convicted and sentenced to ''qing'' (黥 ...

. In 195 BC, Emperor Gao promoted Liu Pi to Prince of Wu due to his growing concerns about the Wu provinces. When

Emperor Wen of Han Emperor Wen of Han (; 203/202 – 6 July 157 BCE), born Liu Heng (), was the fifth emperor of the Western Han dynasty in China from 180 to his death in 157 BCE. The son of Emperor Gao and Consort Bo, his reign provided a much needed stability a ...

was on the throne, Liu Pi's son Liu Xian and Crown Prince Qi (later

Emperor Jing of Han Emperor Jing of Han (Liu Qi (劉啟); 188 BC – 9 March 141 BC) was the sixth emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 157 to 141 BC. His reign saw the limiting of the power of the feudal kings/princes which resulted in the Rebellion of the Sev ...

) were involved in a game of ''

Liubo ''Liubo'' () was an ancient Chinese board game played by two players. The rules have largely been lost, but it is believed that each player had six game pieces that were moved around the points of a square game board that had a distinctive, sym ...

'' which ended in the crown prince accidentally killing Liu Pi's son with the chess board. Out of revenge and reflecting his growing distrust of the Emperor, Liu Pi started building up his wealth and military power within his territory. Emperor Wen believed his son was at fault for Liu Xian's death and did not hold Liu Pi accountable for his aggressive actions. After Crown Prince Qi ascended to the throne and became Emperor Jing of Han, based on the advice from

Chao Cuo Chao Cuo (, ca. 200–154 BC) was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and writer. He was a political advisor and official of the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), renowned for his intellectual capabilities and foresight in martial and politic ...

, Emperor Jing began to centralize power in an attempt to reduce the strength of the regional princes. In 154 BC, Liu Pi convinced six other princes to rebel against the emperor, thereby starting the

. The emperor appointed

Zhou Yafu Zhou may refer to: Chinese history * King Zhou of Shang () (1105 BC–1046 BC), the last king of the Shang dynasty * Predynastic Zhou (), 11th-century BC precursor to the Zhou dynasty * Zhou dynasty () (1046 BC–256 BC), a dynasty of China ** West ...

as commander and he defeated Liu Pi's army. Liu Pi was killed during the battle and his title was abolished.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Pi 216 BC births 154 BC deaths Han dynasty imperial princes Han dynasty generals Han dynasty rebels