Marquis Wen of Jin (Chinese: 晉文侯; pinyin: Jìn Wén Hóu; 805–746 BC), personal name Ji Chou, was a marquis of the Jin state. He was also the first ruler of Jin in the Spring and Autumn period.
| Marquis Wen of Jin 晉文侯 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquis of Jin | |||||||||
| Reign | 781–746 BC | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Shang Shu | ||||||||
| Successor | Marquis Zhao | ||||||||
| Born | 805 BC | ||||||||
| Died | 746 BC | ||||||||
| Issue | Marquis Zhao | ||||||||
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| Father | Marquis Mu | ||||||||
In 805 BC, Marquis Mu battled the Tiaorong (條戎) tribe. During this time, Marquis Wen was born. In 776 BC, Marquis Mu died and Marquis Wen's uncle, Shang Shu, took control and ascended the throne of Jin. Marquis Wen left Jin for fear of his uncle since he believed himself the rightful heir to the throne.
In 781 BC, after four years away from Jin, Marquis Wen brought troops to remove his uncle from the throne. He succeeded and became the next ruler of Jin.
In 771 BC, King You of Zhou was killed by Quanrong nomads and two Zhou royal family members were subsequently and separately declared king in opposition to each other: King Ping of Zhou and King Xie of Zhou.
In 760 BC, Marquis Wen killed King Xie of Zhou, and the Zhou royal government became one again. Since this action helped King Ping of Zhou in establishing the Eastern Zhou dynasty, Marquis Wen was heavily rewarded. King Ping of Zhou also granted him additional lands. Also, with the permission of King Ping of Zhou, he expanded the territory of Jin, especially areas around the Jin River.
In 746 BC, Marquis Wen died and was succeeded by his son, Marquis Zhao.