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{{Chinese|t=楚義帝|s=楚义帝|p=Chŭ Yì Dì|w=Ch'u I Ti|j=Co2 Ji6 Dai3|altname=King Huai II of Chu|t2=楚懷王|s2=楚怀王|p2=Chǔ Huái Wáng|w2=Ch'u Huai Wang|j2=Co2 Waai4 Wong4|altname3=Xiong Xin <br> {{small|(personal name)}}|c3=熊心|p3=Xíong Xīn|w3=Hsiung Hsin|j3=Hung4 Sam1}} {{Chinese|t=楚義帝|s=楚义帝|p=Chŭ Yì Dì|w=Ch'u I Ti|altname=King Huai II of Chu|t2=楚懷王|s2=楚怀王|p2=Chǔ Huái Wáng|w2=Ch'u Huai Wang|altname3=Xiong Xin <br> {{small|(personal name)}}|c3=熊心|p3=Xíong Xīn|w3=Hsiung Hsin}}


'''Emperor Yi of Chu''' (died 206 BC), also known as '''King Huai II of Chu''', personal name '''Xiong Xin''', was the ruler of the ] during the late ]. Chu was annexed by the ] in 223 BC as part of ], but in 209 BC, it was revived when rebellions erupted throughout China to overthrow the Qin Dynasty and restore the former states annexed by Qin. Xiong Xin was a grandson of ], and was living as a commoner then. He was discovered by a rebel leader, ], who officially recognised him as the heir to the throne of Chu and had him enthroned "King Huai II of Chu". However, Xiong Xin was actually a puppet ruler as the military power of Chu was actually in the hands of Xiang Liang's clan and he was merely used as a figurehead to rally support for Xiang's rebel force. After Xiang Liang died, his nephew ] overthrew the Qin Dynasty and proclaimed himself "Hegemon King of Western Chu", while Xiong Xin was promoted to the more honorific title of "Emperor Yi of Chu". He was relocated by Xiang Yu to Chen County (郴縣; in present-day ], ]) and was assassinated during his journey on Xiang's order. '''Emperor Yi of Chu''' (died 206 BC), also known as '''King Huai II of Chu''', personal name '''Xiong Xin''', was the ruler of the ] in the late ]. He was a grandson of ]. In 223 BC, during the ], the Chu state was conquered by the ], which unified the various Chinese feudal states in ] and established the Qin dynasty in 221 BC. In 209 BC, when rebellions broke out throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty, the Chu state was revived as an insurgent state against Qin imperial rule. Xiong Xin was discovered by ], a rebel leader who descended from a famous Chu general (]), and installed on the Chu throne as "King Huai II of Chu". However, Xiong Xin was merely a puppet ruler because power was concentrated in Xiang Liang's hands, and was later passed on to Xiang Liang's nephew, ], after Xiang Liang was killed in battle. In 206 BC, the Qin dynasty was overthrown by the rebels, after which Xiang Yu, who was the ''de facto'' leader of all the rebel forces, divided the former Qin Empire into the ]. He promoted King Huai II to a more "honourable" title – Emperor Yi of Chu – and made him the nominal ] over all the Eighteen Kingdoms. Xiang Yu then had Emperor Yi relocated to Chen County (郴縣; in present-day ], ]) and secretly ordered ] to assassinate the emperor during the journey.


==Early life== ==Early life==
Xiong Xin was a descendant of the royal house of the ] in the ], and a grandson of ]. However, he was not in the main line of succession and there were four kings who succeeded his grandfather before the Chu state was annexed by the ] in 223 BC as part of ]. Xiong Xin became a commoner after the fall of Chu. Xiong Xin was a descendant of the royal family of the ] in the ], and a grandson of ]. However, he was not in the main line of succession and there were four kings who succeeded his grandfather before the Chu state was conquered by the ] in 223 BC. Xiong Xin lived as a commoner under Qin rule after the fall of Chu.


==As king of Chu== ==As king of Chu==
In 209 BC, the ] to overthrow the ] erupted under the leadership of ], who proclaimed himself "King of Zhangchu" (張楚王; literally: "king of rising Chu"). Although Chen Sheng's uprising was crushed by the imperial forces, other rebel forces had sprouted throughout China to overthrow Qin and restore the former six states annexed by Qin about two decades ago. The leader of the Chu rebel force, ], was advised by ] to seek a member of the Chu royal family and install him on the throne, in order to garner more support from the people. Xiang Liang found Xiong Xin, a shepherd, and installed him on the throne of Chu in the summer of 208 BC. Xiong Xin ruled under the title of "King Huai II of Chu".<ref>In 299 BC, ] was tricked into attending a conference in the ], where he was captured and kept as a hostage in Qin until his death. ] suggested Xiong Xin to use his grandfather's title in order to garner more support, because King Huai's tragic fate was still deeply remembered by the people of Chu. However, "King Huai" was actually a ] and would be inappropriate for a living monarch.</ref> In 209 BC, the ] broke out under the leadership of ], who proclaimed himself "King of Zhangchu" (張楚王; lit. "king of rising Chu") and aimed to overthrow the Qin dynasty. Although Chen Sheng's uprising was crushed by Qin imperial forces, other rebellions erupted throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty and restore the former six states conquered by Qin about two decades ago. The leader of the Chu insurgent state, ], was advised by ] to seek a member of the Chu royal family and install him on the throne to garner more support from the people. Xiang Liang found Xiong Xin, who was living as a shepherd, and installed him on the throne in the summer of 208 BC. Xiong Xin ruled under the title of "King Huai II of Chu".<ref group="notes">In 299 BC, ] was tricked into attending a conference in the ], where he was captured and kept as a hostage in Qin territory until his death. ] suggested to Xiong Xin to use his grandfather's kingly title to evoke a sense of nostalgia and thus enhance his legitimacy, because King Huai's tragic fate was still deeply remembered by the people of Chu. However, "King Huai" was actually a ] and would be inappropriate for a living monarch.</ref>


King Huai II was effectively a puppet ruler, as the military power of Chu was actually in the hands of Xiang Liang. However, after Xiang Liang was killed at the Battle of Dingtao in the winter of 208 BC, the military power of Chu fell into the hands of King Huai II and some Chu generals, so the king gradually began to assert his authority. Following that, King Huai II commissioned ] and ] to lead two armies to attack Qin, promising that whoever managed to enter ] (heartland of Qin) first would be granted the title of "King of Guanzhong". Xiang Liang's nephew, ], was put as second-in-command to Song Yi's army, which was sent to attack the Qin forces led by ]. Zhang Han's army was besieging ], the capital of the ], and Song Yi refused to advance any further to assist the Zhao forces. Xiang Yu took Song Yi by surprise in a military conference and killed Song on charges of treason. Xiang Yu sent a messenger to inform King Huai II, and the king reluctantly approved Xiang's command of the army. In the winter of 207 BC, Liu Bang's army arrived in Guanzhong before Xiang Yu, and the last Qin ruler ] surrendered, marking the end of the Qin Dynasty. King Huai II was effectively a puppet ruler because the power of Chu was concentrated in Xiang Liang's hands. However, after Xiang Liang was killed at the Battle of Dingtao in the winter of 208 BC, the power was passed on to King Huai II and some Chu generals, so the king gradually began to assert his authority. After that, the king ordered ] and ] to lead two armies to attack Qin, and promised to award the title "King of Guanzhong" to whoever entered ] (the Qin heartland) first. Xiang Liang's nephew, ], was the second-in-command to Song Yi, who led his army to attack Qin forces led by ]. Zhang Han's army was besieging ], the capital of the ], and Song Yi refused to advance any further to assist the Zhao forces. Xiang Yu took Song Yi by surprise in a meeting, falsely accused him of treason, killed him and usurped his command. He then sent a messenger to inform King Huai II, who reluctantly approved his command. In the winter of 207 BC, Liu Bang arrived in Guanzhong first, before Xiang Yu. The last Qin emperor, ], surrendered to Liu Bang and brought an end to the Qin dynasty.


==As emperor of Chu== ==As emperor of Chu==
According to King Huai II's earlier promise, ] should become the "King of Guanzhong", but ] arrived in ] later and wrote a letter to King Huai II, asking the king to grant him the title instead. King Huai II's response was "As per the earlier agreement", but he had already lost his authority by then and existed as a king only in name. Xiang proclaimed himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" and proceeded to divide the former Qin empire into the ]. Xiang Yu promoted King Huai II to a more honorific title of "Emperor Yi of Chu" and he moved the emperor to the remote region of Chen County (郴縣; in present-day ], ]), effectively sending the puppet emperor into exile. According to the promise made earlier by King Huai II, Liu Bang should rightfully become the "King of Guanzhong", but after Xiang Yu reached Guanzhong, he wrote a letter to King Huai II to ask the king to give him the title instead. King Huai II's reply was to the effect of "per my earlier promise", but Xiang Yu ignored him and took control of Guanzhong from Liu Bang since he was more militarily powerful than Liu. Xiang Yu then proclaimed himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" and divided the former Qin Empire into the ], each ruled by one of the leaders of the rebel forces which overthrew the Qin dynasty. He also promoted King Huai II to a seemingly more "honourable" title – Emperor Yi of Chu. However, later, he had the puppet emperor relocated to Chen County (郴縣; in present-day ], ]), thereby effectively sending the emperor into exile.


==Death== ==Death==
Emperor Yi was aware of ]'s intention to send him into exile, so he feigned illness and used excuses in an attempt to postpone his "migration", but to no avail. The emperor was still forced to make his journey from Pengcheng (彭城; present-day ], ]) to Chencheng. In the meantime, Xiang Yu issued a secret order to ], ] and ] to kill the emperor during his journey. Emperor Yi was murdered by Ying Bu's men near Chengcheng and was buried by the locals in a hill southwest of Chen County. Emperor Yi was aware that Xiang Yu wanted to force him into exile, so he feigned illness and used that as an excuse to postpone his trip to Chen County, but to no avail. Xiang Yu still forced him to make his way from Pengcheng (彭城; present-day ], ]) to Chen County. At the same time, he secretly ordered ], ] and ] to kill the emperor during the journey to Chen County. Emperor Yi was murdered by Ying Bu's men near Chen County and buried by the locals at a hill in the southwest of the county.


During the power struggle for supremacy over China, known as the ], between ] and ], Liu used Emperor Yi's death as political propaganda to justify his war against Xiang. Liu Bang held a three-day-long memorial service for Emperor Yi in 205 BC and denounced Xiang Yu for committing regicide and called for the people to rise up against Xiang. In 202 BC, the Chu–Han Contention ended with victory for Liu Bang, who founded the ] and became ]. Liu Bang ordered his dukes ], ] and ] to conduct another memorial service for Emperor Yi in their respective fiefs. Between 206–202 BC, a power struggle for supremacy over China (historically known as the ]) broke out between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Liu Bang used Emperor Yi's death as political propaganda to justify his war against Xiang Yu. In 205 BC, he held a three-day memorial service for the emperor, accused Xiang Yu of committing regicide, and rally support from the people against Xiang Yu. In 202 BC, the Chu–Han Contention concluded with victory for Liu Bang, who became the sovereign ruler of China and established the ]. Liu Bang ordered his generals ], ] and ], who had been enfeoffed as marquises, to conduct memorial services for Emperor Yi in their respective marquisates.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group="notes"}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}

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* ]. '']'', volumes ], ]. * ]. '']'', volumes ], ].

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King Huai II of Chu
Emperor Yi of Chu
King Huai II of Chu
Reign208–206 BC
Full name
Emperor Yi of Chu
Traditional Chinese楚義帝
Simplified Chinese楚义帝
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChŭ Yì Dì
Wade–GilesCh'u I Ti
King Huai II of Chu
Traditional Chinese楚懷王
Simplified Chinese楚怀王
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChǔ Huái Wáng
Wade–GilesCh'u Huai Wang
Xiong Xin
(personal name)
Chinese熊心
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXíong Xīn
Wade–GilesHsiung Hsin

Emperor Yi of Chu (died 206 BC), also known as King Huai II of Chu, personal name Xiong Xin, was the ruler of the Chu state in the late Qin dynasty. He was a grandson of King Huai of Chu. In 223 BC, during the Warring States period, the Chu state was conquered by the Qin state, which unified the various Chinese feudal states in a series of wars and established the Qin dynasty in 221 BC. In 209 BC, when rebellions broke out throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty, the Chu state was revived as an insurgent state against Qin imperial rule. Xiong Xin was discovered by Xiang Liang, a rebel leader who descended from a famous Chu general (Xiang Yan), and installed on the Chu throne as "King Huai II of Chu". However, Xiong Xin was merely a puppet ruler because power was concentrated in Xiang Liang's hands, and was later passed on to Xiang Liang's nephew, Xiang Yu, after Xiang Liang was killed in battle. In 206 BC, the Qin dynasty was overthrown by the rebels, after which Xiang Yu, who was the de facto leader of all the rebel forces, divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms. He promoted King Huai II to a more "honourable" title – Emperor Yi of Chu – and made him the nominal sovereign ruler over all the Eighteen Kingdoms. Xiang Yu then had Emperor Yi relocated to Chen County (郴縣; in present-day Chenzhou, Hunan) and secretly ordered Ying Bu to assassinate the emperor during the journey.

Early life

Xiong Xin was a descendant of the royal family of the Chu state in the Warring States period, and a grandson of King Huai of Chu. However, he was not in the main line of succession and there were four kings who succeeded his grandfather before the Chu state was conquered by the Qin state in 223 BC. Xiong Xin lived as a commoner under Qin rule after the fall of Chu.

As king of Chu

In 209 BC, the Dazexiang Uprising broke out under the leadership of Chen Sheng, who proclaimed himself "King of Zhangchu" (張楚王; lit. "king of rising Chu") and aimed to overthrow the Qin dynasty. Although Chen Sheng's uprising was crushed by Qin imperial forces, other rebellions erupted throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty and restore the former six states conquered by Qin about two decades ago. The leader of the Chu insurgent state, Xiang Liang, was advised by Fan Zeng to seek a member of the Chu royal family and install him on the throne to garner more support from the people. Xiang Liang found Xiong Xin, who was living as a shepherd, and installed him on the throne in the summer of 208 BC. Xiong Xin ruled under the title of "King Huai II of Chu".

King Huai II was effectively a puppet ruler because the power of Chu was concentrated in Xiang Liang's hands. However, after Xiang Liang was killed at the Battle of Dingtao in the winter of 208 BC, the power was passed on to King Huai II and some Chu generals, so the king gradually began to assert his authority. After that, the king ordered Song Yi and Liu Bang to lead two armies to attack Qin, and promised to award the title "King of Guanzhong" to whoever entered Guanzhong (the Qin heartland) first. Xiang Liang's nephew, Xiang Yu, was the second-in-command to Song Yi, who led his army to attack Qin forces led by Zhang Han. Zhang Han's army was besieging Handan, the capital of the Zhao state, and Song Yi refused to advance any further to assist the Zhao forces. Xiang Yu took Song Yi by surprise in a meeting, falsely accused him of treason, killed him and usurped his command. He then sent a messenger to inform King Huai II, who reluctantly approved his command. In the winter of 207 BC, Liu Bang arrived in Guanzhong first, before Xiang Yu. The last Qin emperor, Ziying, surrendered to Liu Bang and brought an end to the Qin dynasty.

As emperor of Chu

According to the promise made earlier by King Huai II, Liu Bang should rightfully become the "King of Guanzhong", but after Xiang Yu reached Guanzhong, he wrote a letter to King Huai II to ask the king to give him the title instead. King Huai II's reply was to the effect of "per my earlier promise", but Xiang Yu ignored him and took control of Guanzhong from Liu Bang since he was more militarily powerful than Liu. Xiang Yu then proclaimed himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" and divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, each ruled by one of the leaders of the rebel forces which overthrew the Qin dynasty. He also promoted King Huai II to a seemingly more "honourable" title – Emperor Yi of Chu. However, later, he had the puppet emperor relocated to Chen County (郴縣; in present-day Chenzhou, Hunan), thereby effectively sending the emperor into exile.

Death

Emperor Yi was aware that Xiang Yu wanted to force him into exile, so he feigned illness and used that as an excuse to postpone his trip to Chen County, but to no avail. Xiang Yu still forced him to make his way from Pengcheng (彭城; present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu) to Chen County. At the same time, he secretly ordered Ying Bu, Wu Rui and Gong Ao to kill the emperor during the journey to Chen County. Emperor Yi was murdered by Ying Bu's men near Chen County and buried by the locals at a hill in the southwest of the county.

Between 206–202 BC, a power struggle for supremacy over China (historically known as the Chu–Han Contention) broke out between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Liu Bang used Emperor Yi's death as political propaganda to justify his war against Xiang Yu. In 205 BC, he held a three-day memorial service for the emperor, accused Xiang Yu of committing regicide, and rally support from the people against Xiang Yu. In 202 BC, the Chu–Han Contention concluded with victory for Liu Bang, who became the sovereign ruler of China and established the Han dynasty. Liu Bang ordered his generals Zhou Bo, Wang Ling and Fan Kuai, who had been enfeoffed as marquises, to conduct memorial services for Emperor Yi in their respective marquisates.

Notes

  1. In 299 BC, King Huai of Chu was tricked into attending a conference in the Qin state, where he was captured and kept as a hostage in Qin territory until his death. Xiang Liang suggested to Xiong Xin to use his grandfather's kingly title to evoke a sense of nostalgia and thus enhance his legitimacy, because King Huai's tragic fate was still deeply remembered by the people of Chu. However, "King Huai" was actually a posthumous name and would be inappropriate for a living monarch.

References

Emperor Yi of ChuHouse of Mi Died: 206 BC
Titles in pretence
Preceded byJing Ju — TITULAR —
King of Chu
Royal descent claimant
208–206 BC
Reason for succession failure:
Assassinated 		Succeeded byHegemon-King of Western Chu
Preceded byQin San Shi — TITULAR —
Emperor of China
Royal descent claimant
206 BC
Reason for succession failure:
Assassinated
Prominent people of insurgent states during the Qin dynasty
Rising Chu
Chu
Qi
Yan
Zhao
Wei
Hán
Rulers of the Eighteen Kingdoms
Sovereign ruler
Former Chu territories
Western Chu
Jiujiang
Hengshan
Linjiang
Former Qin territories
Han
Yong
Sai
Di
Former Qi territories
Qi
  • Tian Du
  • Tian Rong
  • Tian Jia
  • Tian Guang
  • Tian Heng
Jibei
  • Tian An
Jiaodong
  • Tian Fu
Former Yan territories
Yan
Liaodong
Former Zhao territories
Changshan
Dai
Former Wei territories
Western Wei
Yin
Former Hán territories
Hán
Henan

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