Chen Tuo

Chen Tuo
陳佗
13th ruler of Chen
Reign707–706 BC
PredecessorDuke Huan of Chen
SuccessorDuke Li of Chen
Died706 BC
Names
Chen Tuo (陳佗)
Posthumous name
None
HouseGui
DynastyChen
FatherDuke Wen of Chen

Chen Tuo (Chinese: 陳佗; pinyin: Chén Tuó; reigned 707 BC – died 706 BC), also known as Chen Ta (陳他) and Wufu (五父), was a duke of the Chen state.[1]

Chen Tuo was a son of Duke Wen and a younger brother of Duke Huan. In the first month of 707 BC, Duke Huan died under strange circumstances. He was believed to have become demented, and went missing for sixteen days before his body was found. The uncertainty threw the state into chaos, and Chen Tuo took the opportunity to murder his nephew, Duke Huan's son Crown Prince Mian, and usurp the throne.[2][1]

Duke Huan had a younger son named Yue, who was born to a princess of the neighbouring Cai state. After Chen Tuo's usurpation, the Cai army attacked and killed Chen Tuo in the eighth month of 706 BC. The marquis of Cai then installed Yue (Duke Li) to the Chen throne.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b c Han 2010, pp. 2780–1.
  2. ^ Yang 2009, p. 104.
  3. ^ Yang 2009, p. 109.