Duke Kang of Qin (, died 609 BC) was from 620 to 609 BC the fifteenth ruler of the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

state of Qin that eventually united China to become the

Qin Dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

. His

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, ...

was Ying ( 嬴), personal name Ying (罃), and Duke Kang was his

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 o ...

History

Duke Kang was one of the 40 sons of

Duke Mu of Qin Duke Mu of Qin (died 621BC), born Renhao, was a duke of Qin (659–621BC) in the western reaches of the Zhou Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. Sometimes considered one of China's Five Hegemons, he greatly expanded ...

, and succeeded Duke Mu as ruler of Qin when he died in 621 BC. In the same year

Duke Xiang of Jin Duke Xiang of Jin (, died 621 BC) was from 627 to 621 BC the ruler of the State of Jin, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Huan, and Duke Xiang was his posthumous title. He ...

also died, starting a succession crisis in Qin's neighbouring state Jin. Zhao Dun, the powerful minister of Jin, initially wanted to install Duke Xiang's younger brother Prince Yong on the Jin throne. Prince Yong was at the time exiled in Qin, and in 620 BC Qin sent an army to escort Yong back to Jin. However, Zhao Dun soon changed his mind and instead made Duke Xiang's young son Yigao the ruler, later known as

Duke Ling of Jin Duke Ling of Jin (, died 607 BC) was from 620 to 607 BC the ruler of the State of Jin, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Yigao, and Duke Ling was his posthumous title. When ...

. Jin then dispatched an army to stop Prince Yong, and defeated the Qin escort force at Linghu. The Jin succession dispute began a series of conflicts between Qin and Jin. A year after the battle at Linghu, Qin invaded Jin and took the city of Wucheng (武城, in present-day

Hua County, Shaanxi Huazhou District (), formerly Hua County or Huaxian (), is a district of Weinan, Shaanxi province, China. It was upgraded from a county to a district in 2015. The district spans an area of , and has a population of about 324,300 as of 2012. H ...

) in revenge. Two years later, in 617 BC Jin attacked Qin in return, taking Shaoliang (少梁, in present-day

Hancheng Hancheng () is a city in Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China, about 125 miles northeast of Xi'an, at the point where the south-flowing Yellow River enters the Guanzhong Plain. It is a renowned historic city, containing numerous historic ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

). Then in 615 BC Qin counterattacked again, taking Jima (羈馬). Jin dispatched an army to repel Qin, and the two forces met at nearby Hequ (河曲, present-day

Fenglingdu Fenglingdu () is a town in Ruicheng County, Yuncheng, Shanxi, China. , it administers Fenghuang Residential Community () and the following 34 villages: *Zhao Village () *Xiwang Village () *Puzi Village () *Dongzhang Village () *Tianshang Village ...

Ruicheng County Ruicheng County () is under the administration of the Yuncheng City, in the southwest of Shanxi province, China. It is the southernmost county-level division of Shanxi, with the Yellow River demarcating its border with the provinces of Henan t ...

), but both retreated without engaging in battle. Duke Kang reigned for 12 years and died in 609 BC. He was succeeded by his son

Duke Gong of Qin Duke Gong of Qin (, died 604 BC) was from 608 to 604 BC the sixteenth ruler of the Zhou Dynasty state of Qin (state), Qin that eventually united China to become the Qin Dynasty. His Chinese ancestral name, ancestral name was Ying (wikt:嬴, 嬴), ...

. He is credited with having written the song ''Wei-yang'' in honor of his mother Mu Ji ().Liu Yiqing. Richard Mather, trans. Shih-shuo hsin-yü, ''A New Account of Tales of the World'', p. 37. University of Michigan, 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang of Qin, Duke Year of birth unknown Rulers of Qin 7th-century BC Chinese monarchs 609 BC deaths