King Xiaowen of Qin
| King Xiaowen of Qin 秦孝文王 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reign | 13 September 250 BC – 15 September 250 BC | ||||
| Predecessor | King Zhaoxiang | ||||
| Successor | King Zhuangxiang | ||||
| Born | 302 BC | ||||
| Died | 250 BC (aged 51–52) | ||||
| Spouse | Queen Dowager Huayang Queen Dowager Xia | ||||
| Issue | King Zhuangxiang of Qin | ||||
| |||||
| Father | King Zhaoxiang of Qin | ||||
| Mother | Queen Dowager Tang | ||||
King Xiaowen of Qin (reigned 250 BC) was a Chinese king, who had a very brief reign. He is also known as Lord Anguo (安國君). His grandson was Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Biography
Xiaowen was a son of the King Zhaoxiang of Qin and Queen Tang and grandson of Queen Xuan.
He was a king of the Qin for less than one year, and died three days after his coronation.
This gave rise to many theories as to his short reign. The most accepted one is that he was very old when he ascended to the throne (his father ruled for over 50 years).[1]
However, there is a conspiracy theory: that Lü Buwei poisoned the king or at least hastened his death, to put the next king, King Zhuangxiang of Qin onto the throne. This is supported in a way by the fact that Zhuangxiang reigned for only 3 years.[2]
Marriages
Wives of Xiaowen were Ladies Huayang and Xia.
His son by Lady Xia was King Zhuangxiang of Qin.[3]
Lady Huayang was the favourite wife of Xiaowen and had great influence on him.
References
- ^ Nicola Di Cosmo, The Northern Frontier in Pre-Imperial China//The Cambridge History of Ancient China, p. 961
- ^ Sellman, James D. "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lu", in Great Thinkers of the Eastern World, Ian McGreal, ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1995:39.
- ^ ‘‘Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty (English translation). (1996). Ssu-Ma, Ch'ien. Sima, Qian. Burton Watson as translator. Edition: 3, reissue, revised. Columbia. University Press. ISBN 0231081693, 9780231081696. pg 35. pg 59.