Duke Huan of Qi

Jiang Xiaobai 姜小白
Duke of Qi
Reign	685 BC - 643 BC
Predecessor	Gongsun Wuzhi
Regent	Guan Zhong Bao Shuya
Issue
Prince Wukui (r.643 BC-642 BC) Duke Xiao (r.642 BC - 633 BC) Duke Zhao (r.632 BC - 613 BC) Duke Yi (r.612 BC - 609 BC) Duke Hui (r.608 BC-599 BC)
Full name
Ancestral name: Jiang Clan name: Qi Given name: Xiaobai
House	House of Jiang
Father	Duke Xi of Qi
Died	7 October 643 BC

Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公, Qí Huán Gōng, died 643 BC) was the best-known ruler of the state of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His ancestral name is Jiang(姜),clan name is Qi(齊)，given name is Xiǎobái(小白) and he was the brother of Duke Xiang. His clan was Lǚ(呂). When Duke Xiang and Duke Wuzhi of Qi who took the throne after Duke Xiang were both killed, his elder brother Jiu, who was in Lu then, was supposed to be the heir and had gained support from Duke Zhuang of Lu, and Guan Zhong (管仲), who was initially teacher of Jiu, shot an arrow at Xiaobai on his way back to Qi from Ju, but it didn't hurt Xiaobai at all while Xiaobai pretended to be shot to death immediately and managed to arrive in Qi earlier than Jiu and take the throne after the ministers were persuaded by Bao Shuya. This angered Duke Zhuang of Lu and he started a fight against Qi for Jiu at Qianshi(乾时), but was finally defeated by Qi troops and even some of his own territory in Wenyang(汶阳) was possessed. Seeing Duke Huan was steady at his throne, Duke Zhuang of Lu assassinated Jiu eventually in order to make peace. Duke Huan was the Marquis of Qi from 685 BC until his death; under this period the State of Qi reached its zenith, and the Duke himself was elected to be one of the Five Hegemons.

At the start of his reign and on the advice of his trusted retainer Bao Shuya Lord Huan appointed Guan Zhong, an outstanding politician, to be his Prime Minister. Under Guan Zhong's reforms, Qi became the strongest state of the time, allowing Lord Huan to make a greater impact outside his state. Under the slogan of respecting the king and defending against the barbarian(尊王攘夷, pinyin: zūnwáng rǎngyí), Lord Huan gained hegemony among the states of ancient China. He helped the states of Yan, Xing and Wei against barbarian troops. He also called on some states to attack the state of Chu in order to ‘defend the honor of the king’.

The slogan 'Respecting the king and defending against the barbarian' was much later revived by the Japanese at the time of the Meiji restoration.

An incident is recorded in the chapter Xiaocheng (小稱) of the book Guanzi (管子):

Yi Ya (易牙) served the Lord (公) Huan of Qi with his culinary talent. The lord said, "the only thing which I have yet to taste is steamed infant." Then, Yi Ya steamed his first-born and offered him to the lord.

(in Classical Chinese: 夫易牙以調和事公。公曰：「惟蒸嬰兒之未嘗。」於是蒸其首子而獻之公。)

(There was not a strong taboo on cannibalism in ancient China and many accounts of cannibalism can be found in other historical times; for another example see Duke Wen of Jin).^{[citation needed]}

Upon Guan Zhong's deathbed, Duke Huan of Qi approached him to discuss who he should appoint as his next prime minister. Guan Zhong strongly discouraged allowing Tang Wu, Yi Ya, Shu Diao, and Gongzi Kaifang to stay, but Duke Huan only sent them away for a few months. After calling them back those four secretly staged a coup, locking Duke Huan in his room and making the outside world believe they were relaying his orders. One day one of his wives got in through a small hole and found out that the ministers had been starving the Duke to death. He died and was not buried for eleven days, so that "worms began crawling out from around his door", which allowed the people to find out that something was amiss. (Guanzi, Xiaocheng chapter. Alan Rickett's translation, p. 428-32.)

Other versions of this story also exist, some in the Guanzi, others in a variety of sources such as the Huainanzi, Annals of Lü Buwei, and Han Feizi. For example, the story from the Annals of Lü Buwei says that the Duke waited three years to recall his ministers after Guan Zhong's death.

Family

• Grandfather: Duke Zhuang of Qi the Elder 齊前莊公
• Father: Duke Xi of Qi 齊僖公
• Uncle: Yizhongnian 夷仲年
• Cousin: Prince Wuzhi 公孫無知
• Brother: Duke Xiang of Qi 齊襄公
• Brother: Prince Gwu 公子糾
• Sister: Xuan Jiang, Duchess of Wei 衞宣公夫人宣姜, married Duke Xuan of Wei
  • Nephew: Duke Hui of Wei 衛惠公
  • Nephew: Duke Dai of Wei 衛戴公
  • Nephew: Duke Wen of Wei 衛文公
  • Niece: Lady Song Huan 宋桓公夫人, married Duke Huan of Song
  • Niece: Lady Xu Mu, married Duke Mu of Xu
• Sister: Wen Jiang, Duchess of Lu 魯桓公夫人文姜, married Duke Huan of Lu
  • Nephew: Duke Zhuang of Lu 魯莊公
• Wife: Lady Wei the Elder
  • Son: Wukui 公子無虧
• Wife: Lady Wei the Younger
  • Son: Duke Hui of Qi 齊惠公
    • Grandson: Duke Qing of Qi 齊頃公
• Wife: Lady Zheng
  • Son: Duke Xiao of Qi 齊孝公
• Wife: Lady Ge
  • Son: Duke Zhao of Qi 齊昭公
    • Grandson: Lord She 齊君舍
• Wife: Lady Mi
  • Son: Duke Yi of Qi 齊懿公
• Wife: Song Hua Zi
  • Son: Prince Yong 公子雍

References

Duke Huan of Qi House of Jiang Died: 643 BC
Chinese nobility
Preceded by Wuzhi	Duke of Qi 685 BC – 643 BC	Succeeded by Wukui