Ran Zhi (; died ) was the

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 wif ...

of the short-lived

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

state Ran Wei. His father was the state's only emperor,

Ran Min Ran Min (; died 352), also known as Shi Min (石閔), posthumously honored by the Former Yan as Heavenly King Wudao of (Ran) Wei ((冉)魏武悼天王), courtesy name Yongzeng (永曾), nickname Jinu (棘奴), was a military leader during the er ...

. Ran Zhi, as Ran Min's oldest son, was created

when he proclaimed the new state in 350 after overthrowing the Later Zhao emperor Shi Jian and declared himself emperor. He created Ran Zhi's mother Lady Dong

empress An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

. After he was captured and executed by

Former Yan The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a dynastic state ruled by the Xianbei during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, ...

's prince

Murong Jun Murong Jun (; 319–360), courtesy name Xuanying (宣英), formally Emperor Jingzhao of (Former) Yan ((前)燕景昭帝), was an emperor of the Former Yan. He was the dynasty's second ruler, but after first using the Jin dynasty-created title o ...

in 352, Empress Dong tried to hold out but was eventually forced to surrender. Murong Jun created her the Lady Fengxi and created Ran Zhi the Marquess of Haibin. In 354, the Former Yan official Song Bin (宋斌) was accused of leading a plot to have Ran Zhi made emperor, and it was said that all who were involved were executed — implying, but not explicitly stating, that Ran Zhi was executed as well.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ran, Zhi 4th-century births 354 deaths Sixteen Kingdoms nobility Later Zhao people Ran Wei Executed Former Yan people People executed by Former Yan 4th-century executions