Duke Xuan of Chen (; reigned 692 BC – died 648 BC) was the sixteenth ruler of the

ancient Chinese state Ancient Chinese states () were typified by variously sized city-states and territories that existed in China prior to its unification by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE. In many cases these were vassal states and fiefs established in the '' fengjian'' ...

of Chen during the Spring and Autumn period. His ancestral surname was

Gui The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...

, given name Chujiu (杵臼), and Xuan (宣) was his

posthumous name 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 ...

Accession to the throne

Chujiu was a younger son of Duke Huan of Chen, whose brother Chen Tuo murdered Chujiu's eldest brother

Crown Prince Mian Crown Prince Mian (; died 707 BC) was the eldest son and designated successor of Duke Huan of Chen, the twelfth ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the early Spring and Autumn period. His given name was Mian (免). In the first mont ...

and usurped the throne in 707 BC. The army of the neighbouring

State of Cai Cài (; Old Chinese: *s.r̥ˤat-s) was an ancient Chinese state established at the beginning of the Zhou dynasty, rising to prominence during the Spring and Autumn period, and destroyed early in the Warring States period. History Following hi ...

killed Chen Tuo in 706 BC and installed

Duke Li of Chen Duke Li of Chen (; reigned 706 BC – died 700 BC) was the fourteenth ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the early Spring and Autumn period. His ancestral surname was Gui, given name Yue (躍), and Li (厲) was his posthumous name. ...

, another brother of Chujiu, on the throne. Duke Li reigned for seven years and died in 700 BC. However, it was his younger brother Lin ( Duke Zhuang) who succeeded him, instead of his son Chen Wan. After Duke Zhuang's death in 693 BC, Chujiu succeeded his brother as ruler of Chen, to be known as Duke Xuan.

Reign

In 689 BC, Chen, together with the states of Lu,

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

, and Cai, joined the major state of Qi to attack the state of Wey, in order to restore Duke Hui of Wey to the throne. In 676 BC,

King Hui of Zhou King Hui of Zhou (), personal name Ji Lang, was the seventeenth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the fifth of Eastern Zhou.''Records of the Grand Historian'' by Sima Qian Family Queens: * Queen Chen () * Queen Hui of Zhou, of the Gui clan of ...

married a princess of Chen, who became known as Queen Hui of Zhou. Duke Xuan's original heir apparent was Crown Prince Yukou. However, in 672 BC, the 21st year of his reign, Duke Xuan's favourite concubine gave birth to a son named Kuan. Duke Xuan killed Yukou and made Kuan his new heir apparent. Yukou was close to Duke Li's son Chen Wan. Afraid that his life was also in danger, Chen Wan fled to the State of Qi in the northeast. Duke Huan of Qi made Chen Wan an official in charge of manufacturing, and Chen Wan established the Chen (later known as Tian) clan in Qi. The Chen clan of Qi would grow increasingly powerful over the centuries, and eventually usurped the Qi throne. In 656 BC, the

hegemon Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over other city-states. ...

Duke Huan of Qi led an alliance of eight states to attack the states of Cai and Chu in the south. Chen was part of the alliance. The allied forces routed Cai, but returned without fighting the Chu. The Qi army needed to cross Chen territory on its way home. Yuan Taotu, a minister of Chen, was worried that the Qi army would demand resources from Chen and suggested to Duke Huan that the army take an eastern route through the

Dongyi The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula, and Ja ...

territory. Duke Huan agreed, but later discovered his intent and arrested him. Qi then proceeded to attack Chen as punishment. Duke Xuan reigned for 45 years and died in 648 BC. He was succeeded by his son Kuan, posthumously known as Duke Mu of Chen.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Xuan of Chen, Duke Monarchs of Chen (state) 7th-century BC Chinese monarchs 648 BC deaths