Yan, Marquis of Tian (; died 375 BC) was from 383 to 375 BC ruler of the

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded shortly ...

, a major power 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 ...

of ancient China. His personal name was Tián Yǎn (田剡), and

ancestral name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

Gui ( 媯).

Reign

Yan's father was

Duke Tai of Tian Qi Duke Tai of Tian Qi (; died 384 BC) was from 386 to 384 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Warring States period of ancient China. He was the first Qi ruler from the House of Tian, replacing the House of Jiang that had ruled ...

, the first Qi ruler from the House of Tian. Although leaders of the Tian clan had been ''de facto'' rulers of Qi since 481 BC, it wasn't until 386 BC that Duke Tai was formally recognized as ruler of Qi by

King An of Zhou King An of Zhou (), personal name Ji Jiao, was the thirty-third king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the twenty-first of the Eastern Zhou. He succeeded his father King Weilie of Zhou on the throne of China in 401 BC and reigned until his death ...

, the nominal king of all China. Duke Tai ascended the throne and exiled

Duke Kang of Qi Duke Kang of Qi (; died 379 BC) was from 404 to 386 BC the titular ruler of the State of Qi during the early Warring States period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Dai (呂貸), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Kang was his posthu ...

, the last Qi ruler from the House of Jiang, to a seaside city. Duke Tai died two years later and was succeeded by Yan. Duke Kang died in 379 BC. In 378 BC the states of

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

, Zhao, and Wei invaded Qi and attacked the city of Lingqiu (in present-day

Gaotang County Gaotang County () is a county of northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is administered by Liaocheng City. The population was in 2010 (2010 Census). Administrative divisions As 2012, this county is divided to 3 subdistr ...

Shandong Province Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...

). In 375 BC Yan was murdered by his younger brother Tian Wu, who usurped the throne and became known as

Duke Huan of Tian Qi Duke Huan of Tian Qi (; 400–357 BC) was from 374 to 357 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Warring States period of ancient China. Duke Huan's personal name was Tian Wu (田午), and ancestral name Gui ( 媯). His official ...

. Yan's son Tian Xi was also killed.'' Annals of Wei'', ''

Bamboo Annals The ''Bamboo Annals'' (), also known as the ''Ji Tomb Annals'' (), is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins in the earliest legendary time (the age of the Yellow Emperor) and extends to 299 BC, with the later centuries focusing on the history ...

'' (in Chinese).

Historical records

Because of the lack of reliable records during the

, the chapter on the House of Tian in

Sima Qian Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...

's influential ''

Shiji ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...

'' is unreliable and error-prone. Yan's reign was completely omitted from the ''Shiji'', and he remained largely unknown until the discovery of the ''

'' in 281 AD during the Jin dynasty.

Mausoleum

Yan's mausoleum is located on the Dingzu Mountain (鼎足山) near Qiling Town, in

Linzi District Linzi District () is a district of the prefecture-level city of Zibo, in central Shandong province, China. Located near the Shengli Oil Field, Linzi's economy is driven by petro-chemical refinery. Wheat, corn and cotton are cultivated in the rura ...

Zibo Zibo (, ) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Binzhou to the nor ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

, near the ancient Qi capital Linzi. There are two hill-like tombs built on the same platform. Together they measure from north to south, from east to west, and high. The area is called Two Kings' Cemetery (二王冢), and had been for 2,000 years thought to be the tombs of

Duke Huan of Qi Duke Huan of Qi (; died 643 BC), personal name Xiǎobái (小白), was the ruler of the State of Qi from 685 to 643 BC. Living during the chaotic Spring and Autumn period, as the Zhou dynasty's former vassal states fought each other for supremacy ...

and

Duke Jing of Qi Duke Jing of Qi (; died 490 BC) was ruler of the State of Qi from 547 to 490 BC. Qi was a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Chujiu (呂杵臼), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Jing ...

. However, archaeologists have concluded that they are in fact the tombs of Yan and his brother and murderer,

. All seven known mausoleums of Tian Qi rulers are now protected as a National Historical and Cultural Site. Since 2008 they have been included in the tentative list of UNESCO

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...

as part of the ancient Qi capital and mausoleum complex.

Family

Sons: * Youngest son, Prince Xi (; d. 375 BC)

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Marquis of Tian Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Qi (state) 4th-century BC Chinese monarchs 375 BC deaths 4th-century BC murdered monarchs Assassinated Chinese politicians