Li Ji (concubine)

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Li Ji ( Chinese  驪 姬 , Pinyin Lí Jī ; † 651 BC) was a concubine and later wife of Duke Xian von Jin ( Chinese  晉獻公 , Pinyin Jìn Xiàn Gōng ), ruler of the country Jin ( Chinese  晉 ) between 676 and 651 BC During the spring and autumn annals of ancient China. Li Ji is famous for initiating the Li Ji Riots that resulted in Prince Shensheng's suicide . She also put her son Xiqi on the Jin throne after Duke Xian's death . Because of her tricky deeds, her nickname was "Witch of her Age" ( Chinese  代 妖姬 ).

biography

Li Ji was a Li Rong ( Chinese  驪 戎 ), one of the northern Rong peoples ( Chinese  西戎 , Pinyin Xīróng , W.-G. Hsi-jung , English Western warlike people  - "Western warlike people"). 672 BC In the fifth year of his reign, Duke Xian took two daughters of the leader of the Li Rong: Li Ji and her younger sister Shao Ji ( Chinese  少 姬 ). Li Ji was favored by Duke Xian because of her beauty, and he wished to make her his main wife. Before he did that, he asked the gods through a fortune teller whether this was a wise decision. The answer wasn't what he expected. He asked a second time and got a positive answer. He then took Li Ji to be his main wife, who replaced Qi Jiang ( Chinese  齊 姜 ).

The Li Ji Riots

665v. In the twelfth year of Duke Xian's reign, Li Ji gave birth to Prince Xiqi . Because Li Ji wanted her son to be crown prince, she bribed two officials who Duke Xian trusted most, Liang Wu ( Chinese  梁 五 ) and Dongguan Biwu ( Chinese  東 關 嬖 五 ). The two officers convinced Duke Xian that Princes Shensheng , Chong'er and Yiwu would have to leave the capital Jiang ( Chinese  絳 ). The officials told the duke that the northern Rong and Di peoples were constantly intervening Ji, so the princes would have to defend the territory. Duke Xian then sent Prince Shensheng to defend Quwo ( Chinese  曲沃 县 ). Duke Xian also sent Prince Chong'er to defend the city of Pu ( Chinese  蒲 ) northwest of today's Xi in Shanxi and Prince Yiwu to protect Erqu ( Chinese  二 屈 ), today's Ji in Shanxi.

656 BC In BC, the 21st year of Duke Xian's reign, Li Ji started an intrigue when Prince Shensheng traveled to Quwo and made sacrifices in honor of his late mother Qi Jiang. Shensheng sent some of the food blessed by the gods to Duke Xian. Li Ji had secretly poisoned the food in order to accuse Shengsheng of the murder. Before Duke Xian began to eat, he gave some of the food to a dog to test the food for poison. The dog died instantly. After discovering the poison in food, Duke Xian sent men to Quwo to have Shengsheng detained. When Shensheng heard about this, he killed himself.

After Shensheng's suicide, Li Ji falsely accused Princes Chong'er and Yiwu of revolt, whereupon the princes fled to Pu and Erqu. 655 BC BC, the 22nd year of his reign, Duke Xian sent troops to Pu and Erqu to capture Chong'er and Yiwu. Chong'er and some of his loyal followers escaped to the Di, where his mother was from. Prince Yiwu also escaped.

In the ninth month of the year 651 BC Duke Xian died. Li Ji put her 15-year-old son Xiqi on the throne and appointed Xun Xi as chancellor to help him with government business. In the tenth month of the year 651 BC The Jin general Li Ke ( Chinese  里克 ) killed Xiqi about a month after his enthronement. Duke Xian had not been properly buried at the time. Xun Xi then put Zhuozi on the throne, although he was still a toddler. After that, Xun Xi completed Duke Xian's funeral. In the eleventh month of the year 651 BC Zhuozi was killed by Li Ke and his aunt. Xun Xi took his own life by hanging himself. Shao Ji, Zhuozi's younger sister and mother, was imprisoned.

Li Ke then invited Prince Chong'er, who was in qi , to re-ascend the Jin throne. But Chong'er refused. Li Ke then invited Prince Yiwu, who was in Liang and accepted him. Yiwu ascended the throne and became Duke Hui of Jin .

reception

In 1971, Yi-Wei Yao published a historical drama entitled The Crown Prince Shen-Sheng ( Chinese  申生: 四 幕劇 , Pinyin Shēn shēng: Sì mù jù ) on these events. The script is based on the actual events. The special focus is on the stories in which the concubine Li ji was involved. In the end, Li Ji goes crazy and takes his own life in the palace.

literature

  • Lily Xiao Hong Lee, AD Stefanowska, Sue Wiles: Li Ji Wife of Duke Xian of Jin . In: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women. Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 BCE – 618 CE ME Sharpe, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7656-4182-3 , pp. 41-42 ( books.google.de ).
  • Anne Behnke Kinney: 7.7 - Li Ji of Duke Xian of Jin . In: Exemplary Women of Early China. The Lien zhuan of Liu Xiang . Columbia University Press, New York 2014, ISBN 978-0-231-53608-0 , pp. 142 ff . ( books.google.de - Limited preview).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lisa Raphals: 37 - Duke Xian . In: Divination and Prediction in Early China and Ancient Greece . Cambridge University Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1-107-29228-4 ( books.google.de ).
  2. ↑ Dennis R. Schilling, Jianfei claw: The woman in ancient China, image and reality. Studies on the sources of the Zhou and Han periods . Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-515-07751-0 , pp. 30 ( books.google.de ).
  3. ↑ Yiwei Yao: The crown prince Shen-sheng. A tragedy in four acts . 1972, OCLC 63839621 (Original title: 申生 - Shēn shēng: Sì mù jù . Translated by Marion Taylor and others).
  4. ↑ 1991 The Crown Prince Shen-Sheng - Digital Collection of Originality in Theater of Yi-Wei Yao, Chi-Mei Wang, and Stan Lai. e-theatreen.teldap.tw, accessed on November 9, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Li Ji
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 驪 姬 (Chinese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Concubine and future wife of Duke Xian von Jin
DATE OF BIRTH 8th century BC BC or 7th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 651 BC Chr.