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Marquis Wen of Wei
Ruler of Wei at the opening of the Warring States who employed Li Kui, Wu Qi and Ximen Bao and was recognised as a feudal lord by the Zhou king in 403 BC
Mural of the event “Partition of Jin”, which this person took part in.
At the end of the Spring and Autumn period, power in Jin lay with its ministerial houses. In 453 BCE Han, Zhao and Wei combined at Jinyang to destroy the Zhi clan, and in 403 BCE King Weilie of Zhou named Wei Si, Zhao Ji and Han Qian as feudal lords, splitting Jin in three.
Also known as Wei Si
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
Marquis Wen of Wei, personal name Si (the Records of the Grand Historian, or Shiji, gives Du), was a grandson of Wei Huanzi. He studied under Confucius's disciple Zixia and honoured the recluses Tian Zifang and Duangan Mu; the Shiji says he bowed from his carriage whenever he passed Duangan Mu's gate. He entrusted government to Li Kui (also called Li Ke), set Wu Qi to hold the Xihe region against Qin, sent Ximen Bao to govern Ye and had Yue Yang conquer Zhongshan. In 403 BC King Weilie of Zhou formally recognised the heads of Wei, Zhao and Han as feudal lords. The Shiji and the Bamboo Annals (Zhushu jinian) differ by some twenty years over the length of his reign. Sima Guang opened his Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government (Zizhi tongjian) with the recognition of 403 BC and told how the marquis rode out in the rain to keep a hunting appointment with his gamekeeper.
Life and times
- UnknownBorn
Zhou - 453 BCEPartition of Jin
Took partAfter the Battle of Jinyang the Han, Zhao and Wei lineages destroyed the Zhi clan and divided Jin; in 403 BCE King Weilie of Zhou recognized them as lords.- Zhou King Recognizes Three Jin Lords403 BCEIn 403 BCE King Weilie of Zhou recognized Wei Si, Zhao Ji and Han Qian as lords, sanctioning the partition of Jin.
- Zhou King Recognizes Three Jin Lords
- 396 BCEDiedper the Bamboo Annals
Family tree
- Direct kin
Marquis Wen of WeiGrandfather