Duke Xian of Qin (424–362 BC)
| Duke Xian II of Qin 秦獻公 | |
|---|---|
| Ruler of House of Ying | |
| Father | Duke Ling of Qin |
Duke Xian II of Qin (
Accession to the throne
Duke Xian was the son of
Reforms
By the time Duke Xian finally became the monarch of Qin thirty years after the death of his father, decades of internal turmoil had greatly weakened the formerly powerful state of Qin. The neighbouring state of Wei, on the other hand, grew stronger and annexed Qin's Hexi territory (west of the Yellow River).[1][2]
Abolition of human sacrifice
As soon as he ascended the throne, Duke Xian started to make a series of reforms. In 384 BC, the first year of his reign, he abolished the practice of funeral
Moving the capital
In 383 BC, the second year of his reign, Duke Xian moved the Qin capital from the long-time capital Yong (in present-day
Establishing counties
Duke Xian expanded the practice of establishing counties, which were administered by bureaucrats appointed by the central government. This was a major departure from the then prevalent practice of enfeoffing territories to hereditary aristocrats who ran their fiefs like mini-states. Duke Xian established several counties in Pu, Lantian, Pumingshi, and even in the new capital Yueyang. The reform strengthened the power of the central government, and would be further expanded to the whole state by the famous reformer Shang Yang under Duke Xian's successor Duke Xiao, contributing to Qin's rise and eventual unification of China.[2][4]
War with Wei
In 364 BC, Qin and the
Two years later, Qin attacked Wei again at Shaoliang (少梁, in present-day Hancheng, Shaanxi), and captured Wei general Gongsun Cuo (公孙痤).[1]
Death and succession
Duke Xian reigned for 23 years and died in 362 BC at the age of 62. He was succeeded by his son Duke Xiao of Qin. He was buried in Xiaoyu, near his capital Yueyang.[2]
Family
Sons:
- First son, Crown Prince Quliang (太子渠梁; 381–338 BC), ruled as Duke Xiao of Qin from 361 to 338 BC
- Second son, Prince Jichang (公子季昌)
- Prince Qian (公子虔)
- Served as the Grand Tutor of King Huiwen of Qin
Ancestry
| Duke Ligong of Qin (d. 443 BC) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Duke Huai of Qin (d. 425 BC) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Viscount Zhao of Qin | |||||||||||||||||||
| Duke Ling of Qin (d. 415 BC) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Duke Xian of Qin (424–362 BC) | |||||||||||||||||||
In popular culture
Duke Xian appeared in the 2009 Chinese TV series The Qin Empire. He was played by the actor Xu Huanshan.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Sima Qian. 秦本纪 [Annals of Qin]. Records of the Grand Historian (in Chinese). guoxue.com. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-7-101-07272-3.
- ^ Yellow Bird, Classic of Poetry (in Chinese).
- ^ a b c d Zhu, Zhongxi (2004). "On Duke Xian of Qin". Long You Wen Bo (陇右文博) (in Chinese) (2). Gansu Provincial Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ "Cast of TV series The Qin Empire" (in Chinese). Sohu Entertainment. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2012.