Wen Jiang (; died 673 BC) was a princess 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 ...

and duchess of the

State of Lu Lu (, c. 1042–249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong province. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dyn ...

during 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 ...

of ancient China. She was a daughter of

Duke Xi of Qi Duke Xi of Qi (; died 698 BC) was from 730 to 698 BC the thirteenth recorded ruler of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Lufu (呂祿甫), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Xi was ...

and sister of Duke Xiang and Duke Huan of Qi. She was the main wife of

Duke Huan of Lu Duke Huan of Lu (, died 694 BC) was from 711 to 694 BC the 15th ruler of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji ( 姬), given name Yun (允) or Gui (軌), and Duke Huan was his posthumous ...

and mother of

Duke Zhuang of Lu Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

. She is best known for having an incestuous relationship with her brother Duke Xiang, who had her husband murdered. Her clan name was Jiang (姜) and Wen was her

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

Marriage and childbirth

In 709 BC, during the reign of her father

, Wen Jiang married

, who had ascended the throne of the neighbouring

in 712 BC. Three years later, Wen Jiang gave birth to a boy. The boy had the same birthday as his father, therefore he was given the name Tong, meaning "the same", and was made the Crown Prince of Lu.

Murder of Duke Huan of Lu

In 698 BC Wen Jiang's father

died and was succeeded by his son

Duke Xiang of Qi Duke Xiang of Qi (; died 686 BC) was from 697 to 686 BC the fourteenth recorded ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Zhu'er (呂諸兒), ancestral name Jiang ( � ...

. Before her marriage to Duke Huan of Lu, Wen Jiang and her older half-brother Duke Xiang had had an

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

uous

affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...

. Chapter XII. In 694 BC, Wen Jiang and her husband Duke Huan visited her home state of Qi, and Wen Jiang and Duke Xiang renewed their sexual liaison. When Duke Huan found out about their relationship, Duke Xiang ordered his half brother Prince Pengsheng to murder Duke Huan when he was drunk. The people of Lu were incensed at Duke Xiang's crime, but could not do anything because Qi was a stronger state. To appease Lu, Duke Xiang had Pengsheng ( :zh:公子彭生) executed as a scapegoat. Crown Prince Tong, the son of Wen Jiang and Duke Huan, subsequently succeeded his father as ruler of Lu, to be known as

Later life

After the death of her husband, Wen Jiang stayed in Qi and continued the incestuous relationship with her brother Duke Xiang. In 693 BC Duke Xiang married a daughter of the king of Zhou, the nominal ruler of all China, but the Zhou princess died only a year later. Chapter II. In 686 BC Duke Xiang was murdered by his cousin Wuzhi, who usurped the Qi throne but was killed the following year. Prince Xiaobai, another brother of Wen Jiang, ascended the Qi throne, known as

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 ...

. Wen Jiang died in the seventh month of 673 BC, during the 21st year of her son Duke Zhuang's reign.

Other children

Besides Duke Zhuang, Wen Jiang and Duke Huan had two other sons named Shu Ya and Ji You. Duke Huan also had an older son named Qingfu with a concubine. Qingfu, Shu Ya, and Ji You were founders of three powerful clans that later controlled the power of Lu. Together they are called the

Three Huan The Three Huan ({{zh, c=三桓, p=Sān Huán) refers to three aristocratic clans, all descendants of Duke Huan of Lu, in the State of Lu, which dominated the government affairs, displacing the power of the dukes, for nearly three centuries during ...

for all being descendants of Duke Huan. Ji You's lineage, called Jisun or Ji, eventually formed the splinter state of Fei.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wen Jiang Zhou dynasty nobility Lu (state) Qi (state) Incest 8th-century BC Chinese women 8th-century BC Chinese people 7th-century BC Chinese women 7th-century BC Chinese people Ancient Chinese princesses 673 BC deaths Year of birth unknown