Marquis Wen of Jin (, 805–746 BC), ancestral name Ji (姬), given name Chou (仇), was the eleventh ruler of the
state of Jin. He was also the first ruler of Jin in 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 ...
.
In 805 BC,
Marquis Mu of Jin
Marquis Mu of Jin (), ancestral name Ji (姬), given name Feiwang (費王) or Fusheng (弗生), was the ninth ruler of the state of Jin during the Western Zhou Dynasty. After his father, Marquis Xian of Jin died in 812 BC, he ascended the thron ...
was battling with a tribe called Tiao (條). During this time, his eldest son, Chou, was born. In 776 BC, Marquis Mu of Jin died and Chou's uncle,
Shang Shu
The ''Book of Documents'' (''Shūjīng'', earlier ''Shu King'') or ''Classic of History'', also known as the ''Shangshu'' (“Venerated Documents”), is one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. It is a collection of rhetorica ...
, took control and ascended the throne of Jin. Chou left Jin for fear of his uncle since he believed himself the rightful heir to the throne.
In 781 BC, after four years away from Jin, he brought troops to remove his uncle from the throne. He succeeded and became the next ruler of Jin.
In 771 BC, the tenth year of his reign,
King You of Zhou
King You of Zhou (; 795–771 BC), personal name Ji Gongsheng, was the twelfth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the last of Western Zhou Dynasty. He reigned from 781 to 771 BC.
History
In 780 BC, a major earthquake hit Guanzhong. A sooths ...
was killed by
Quanrong The Quanrong () or Dog Rong were an ethnic group, classified by the ancient Chinese as " Qiang", active in the northwestern part of China during and after the Zhou dynasty (1046–221 BCE). Their language or languages are considered to have been me ...
nomads and two Zhou family members were subsequently and separately declared king:
King Ping of Zhou
King Ping of Zhou (; died 720 BC), personal name Ji Yijiu, was the thirteenth king of the Zhou dynasty and the first of the Eastern Zhou dynasty.Sima Qian. ''Records of the Grand Historian'', "Zhou Dynasty Annals".
History
He was the son of Kin ...
and
King Xie of Zhou
King Xie of Zhou (died 750 BCE) claimed sovereignty during the final stages of the Chinese Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BCE). After King You of Zhou replaced the then Queen Shen with his concubine Bao Si, whilst at the same time substituting Yi ...
. Therefore, both kings were claiming to be the next king of Zhou.
In 760 BC, the 21st year of his reign, Marquis Wen of Jin killed King Xie of Zhou, and the Zhou government became one again. Since this action helped King Ping of Zhou in establishing the
Eastern Zhou Dynasty
The Eastern Zhou (; zh, c=, p=Dōngzhōu, w=Tung1-chou1, t= ; 771–256 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the second half of the Zhou dynasty. It was divided into two periods: the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States.
History
In 770 ...
, Marquis Wen of Jin was heavily rewarded. The King also granted him lands to add to his territory. Also, with the permission of the King, he expanded the territory of Jin, especially areas around the Jin River.
In 746 BC, the 35th year of his reign, he died and his son, Bo, ascended the throne as the next ruler of Jin:
Marquis Zhao of Jin
Marquis Zhao of Jin (), ancestral name Ji (姬), given name Bo (伯), was the twelfth ruler of the state of Jin. He was also the second ruler of Jin in the Spring and Autumn period.
In 745 BC, the first year of his reign, he gave the land call ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wen of Jin, Marquis
Monarchs of Jin (Chinese state)
8th-century BC Chinese monarchs
805 BC births
746 BC deaths