Duke Zhuang I of Qi
Duke Zhuang of Qi, known in historiography as Duke Zhuang I of Qi to distinguish from the later ruler with the same posthumous name, personal name Lü Gou, was a monarch of the Qi state. He reigned from 794 BC to 731 BC.
Reign
Duke Zhuang succeeded his father Duke Cheng of Qi, who died in 795 BC, as ruler of Qi. He had a long reign during an era of upheaval in China. In 771 BC, the Quanrong tribes from the west attacked Haojing, the capital of the Zhou dynasty, and killed King You of Zhou. Duke Xiang of the state of Qin sent his army to escort King You's son King Ping of Zhou to the new capital Luoyi, marking the beginning of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. As a reward for Qin's protection King Ping formally granted Duke Xiang of Qin a nobility rank and elevated Qin to the status of a vassal state on par with other major states such as Qi and Jin. Although Qi was little affected by the turmoil as it was located east of the Zhou territory, the state of Qin would from then on grow stronger and eventually conquer Qi in 221 BC and unite China under the Qin dynasty.Duke Zhuang reigned for 64 years and died in 731 BC. He was succeeded by his son, Duke Xi of Qi.
Family
Wives:- The mother of Crown Prince Dechen and Zhuang Jiang
- The mother of Prince Lufu and Yi Zhongnian
- Crown Prince Dechen
- * Served as a Grand Master of Qi
- Prince Lufu, ruled as Duke Xi of Qi from 730 to 698 BC
- A son who was the father of Wuzhi, Duke of Qi
- * Known as Yi Zhongnian
- Prince Liao, the progenitor of the Xi lineage and the grandfather of Xi Peng
- * Served as a Grand Master of Xiyin
- Zhuang Jiang
- * Married Duke Zhuang I of Wey