Lu (state)

vassal state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China

Lu (Chinese: , c. 1042 – 249 BC) was a state during the Zhou dynasty in ancient China. It was located around what is now Shandong. It was founded in the 11th century BC, and its rulers came from a branch of the House of Ji (), which ruled the Zhou dynasty. The first duke was Boqin, a son of the Duke of Zhou, who was the brother of King Wu of Zhou and acted as regent for King Cheng of Zhou.[1]

State of Lu
魯國
c. 1042 BC–249 BC
Lu was a state in the northeast, south of Qi
Lu was a state in the northeast, south of Qi
CapitalQufu
Religion
Chinese folk religion, Taoism
GovernmentMonarchy
Duke 
History 
• Established
c. 1042 BC
• Annexed by Chu
249 BC
Lu
"Lu" in seal script (top), traditional (middle), and simplified (bottom) characters
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese

Lu was the home of the famous Chinese philosophers, Confucius and Mozi, giving it a strong cultural influence among the states of the Eastern Zhou period and in history.[2] The Annals of Spring and Autumn, for example, was written using the years of Lu's rulers. Another important work of Chinese history, the Zuo Zhuan or Commentary of Zuo, was also written in Lu by Zuo Qiuming.[3]

The American linguist, William H. Baxter (cited in Matisoff, 1995) suggests a possible link between the name () and its very similar-sounding word (), meaning "salty" or "rock salt." This is because the area of the State of Lu was a salt marsh in ancient times.[4]

The capital of the state was in Qufu, and its land mainly covered the central and southwest parts of what is now Shandong Province of China.[5] Lu was bordered to the north by the strong state of Qi and to the south by the powerful state of Chu. Lu's location on the eastern edges of the Western Zhou state, facing non-Zhou people in states like Lai and Xu, was an important reason for its creation.[6]

History

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Lu was one of the many states founded in eastern China at the start of the Zhou dynasty to extend Zhou rule far from its capital, Zongzhou, and its main region, Guanzhong. During the Western Zhou period, Lu helped keep Zhou control steady in what is now Shandong.[3]

In the early Spring and Autumn period, Lu was one of the strongest states and competed with Qi to the north. Under Duke Yin and Duke Huan of Lu, Lu defeated both Qi and Song states several times and led missions against other smaller states.[7]

However, things changed in the middle of this period when Qi became more powerful. Although Lu managed to defeat Qi in the Battle of Changshao in 684 BC, Lu could not gain the upper hand again. Meanwhile, the power of Lu's dukes weakened due to the rise of strong noble families known as the Three Huan—Jisun, Mengsun, and Shusun—descendants of Duke Huan of Lu. These families were so powerful that when Duke Zhao of Lu tried to regain control, they exiled him, and he never returned. It wasn't until the rule of Duke Mu of Lu, in the early Warring States period, that the dukes regained their power.[7]

In 249 BC, King Kaolie of Chu invaded and took over Lu. Duke Qing, the last ruler of Lu, became a commoner.[1][8]

The main line of the Duke of Zhou's descendants came from his firstborn son's third son, Yu, whose descendants took the surname Dongye. The Duke of Zhou’s descendants were given the title Wujing Boshi (五經博士).[9][10] Mencius, the famous Confucian philosopher, was a descendant of Qingfu, one of Duke Huan of Lu’s sons. This family connection is shown in the Mencius family tree.[11][12][13]

Rulers

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The Chinese Plain, 5th century BC
 
The surviving part of the State of Lu's city wall on the outskirts of Qufu.

Here is a list of Lu rulers based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian:[1][8]

Title Given name Reign Relationship
Duke Tai Boqin c. 1042–997 BC son of Duke of Zhou
Duke Kao You 998–995 BC son of Boqin
Duke Yang Xi or Yi 994–989 BC brother of Duke Kao
Duke You Zai or Yu 988–975 BC son of Duke Yang
Duke Wei Fei 974–925 BC brother of Duke You
Duke Li Zhuo or Di 924–888 BC son of Duke Wei
Duke Xian Ju 887–856 BC brother of Duke Li
Duke Shen Bi or Zhi 855–826 BC son of Duke Xian
Duke Wu Ao 825–816 BC brother of Duke Shen
Duke Yi Xi 815–807 BC son of Duke Wu
none Boyu 806–796 BC nephew of Duke Yi
Duke Xiao Cheng 795–769 BC brother of Duke Yi
Duke Hui Fuhuang or Fusheng 768–723 BC son of Duke Xiao
Duke Yin Xigu 722–712 BC son of Duke Hui
Duke Huan Yun or Gui 711–694 BC brother of Duke Yin
Duke Zhuang Tong 693–662 BC son of Duke Huan
Ziban Ban 662 BC son of Duke Zhuang
Duke Min Qi 661–660 BC son of Duke Zhuang
Duke Xi Shen 659–627 BC son of Duke Zhuang
Duke Wen I Xing 626–609 BC son of Duke Xi
Duke Xuan Tui or Wo 608–591 BC son of Duke Wen I
Duke Cheng Heigong 590–573 BC son of Duke Xuan
Duke Xiang Wu 572–542 BC son of Duke Cheng
Ziye Ye 542 BC son of Duke Xiang
Duke Zhao Chou 541–510 BC son of Duke Xiang
Duke Ding Song 509–495 BC brother of Duke Zhao
Duke Ai Jiang 494–467 BC son of Duke Ding
Duke Dao Ning 466–429 BC son of Duke Ai
Duke Yuan Jia 428–408 BC son of Duke Dao
Duke Mu Xian 407–377 BC son of Duke Yuan
Duke Gong Fen 376–353 BC son of Duke Mu
Duke Kang Tun 352–344 BC son of Duke Gong
Duke Jing Yan 343–323 BC son of Duke Kang
Duke Ping Shu 322–303 BC son of Duke Jing
Duke Wen II Jia 302–278 BC son of Duke Ping
Duke Qing Chou 277–249 BC son of Duke Wen II

Rulers family tree

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Lu state family tree
Three Huan
Duke of Zhou
周公旦
Bo Qin
伯禽
Duke Kao
鲁考公
Duke Yang
鲁炀公
Duke You
鲁幽公
Duke Wei
鲁魏公
Duke Li
鲁厉公
Duke Xian
鲁献公
Duke Zhen
鲁真公
?-855-825BC
Duke Wu
鲁武公
?-825-816BC
Duke Yi
鲁懿公
?-816-807BC
Duke Xiao
鲁孝公
?-796-769BC
Bo Yu
伯御
?-807-796BC
Duke Hui
鲁惠公
?-769-723BC
公子益师
衆氏
?-722BC
公子展
展氏
郈惠伯
郈氏
公子彄
臧孙氏
?-718BC
Duke Yin
鲁隐公
?-723-712BC
Duke Huan
鲁桓公
?-712-694BC
施父
施氏
Qingfu
庆父
孟孙氏
?-660BC
Duke Zhuang
鲁莊公
706-694-662BC
Shuya
叔牙
叔孙氏
?-662BC
Jiyou
季友
季孙氏
?-644BC
Zi Ban
子般
?-662BC
Duke Xi
鲁僖公
?-660-627BC
Duke Min
鲁闵公
670-662-660BC
公子遂
东门氏
?-601BC
Duke Wen
鲁文公
?-627-609BC

?-609BC

?-609BC
Duke Xuan
鲁宣公
?-609-591BC
叔肹
子叔氏
?-592BC
Duke Cheng
鲁成公
?-591-573BC
公子偃
?-575BC
公子鉏
Duke Xiang
鲁襄公
575-573-542BC
公衡
Zi Ye
子野
?-542BC
Duke Zhao
鲁昭公
560-542-510BC
Duke Ding
鲁定公
?-510-495BC
公衍公为
?-484
公果公贲Duke Ai
鲁哀公
?-495-468BC
Duke Dao
鲁悼公
?-468-437BC
公子荆孺子𪏆
Duke Yuan
鲁元公
?-437-416BC
Duke Mu
鲁穆公
?-416-383BC
Duke Gong
鲁共公
?-383-353BC
Duke Kang
鲁康公
?-353-344BC
Duke Jing
鲁景公
?-344-323BC
Duke Ping
鲁平公
?-323-303BC
Duke Wen
鲁文公
?-303-280BC
Duke Qing
鲁顷公
?-280-256-249BC


References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sima Qian. 鲁周公世家 [House of Duke of Zhou of Lu]. Records of the Grand Historian (in Chinese). Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. "Confucius | Biography, Teachings, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Miller, H. (2015-03-18). The Gongyang Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals: A Full Translation. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-49300-2.
  4. Matisoff, James A. (1995). “Sino-Tibetan Palatal Suffixes Revisited”. In: Nishi, Y., Matisoff, J. A. and Nagano, Y. (editors), Senri Ethnological Studies. 41: p. 52, n. 40 of 35–91.
  5. "Qufu | Confucius, Birthplace, Ancient City | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-08-24. In ancient times Qufu was the capital of the small independent state of Lu, which flourished from the 6th to the 4th century bce. It was established as a county-level city in 1986.
  6. Zhang, Qizhi (2015-04-15). An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture. Springer. ISBN 978-3-662-46482-3.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Auken, Newell Ann Van (2023-03-14). Spring and Autumn Historiography: Form and Hierarchy in Ancient Chinese Annals. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-55651-4.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Han, Zhaoqi (2010). "House of Duke of Zhou of Lu". Annotated Shiji (in Chinese). Zhonghua Book Company. p. 2691. ISBN 978-7-101-07272-3.
  9. H.S. Brunnert; V.V. Hagelstrom (2013). Present Day Political Organization of China. Routledge. pp. 493–494. ISBN 978-1-135-79795-9.
  10. 王士禎 (3 September 2014). 池北偶談. 朔雪寒. GGKEY:ESB6TEXXDCT.
  11. 《三遷志》,(清)孟衍泰續修
  12. 《孟子世家譜》,(清)孟廣均主編,1824年
  13. 《孟子與孟氏家族》,孟祥居編,2005年

Other websites

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