Ziban

Ziban
子般
Ruler of Lu
Reign662 BC
PredecessorDuke Zhuang of Lu
SuccessorDuke Min of Lu
Died6 October 662 BC
Names
Ancestral name: Ji (Chinese: )
Given name: Ban (Chinese: or )
HouseJi
DynastyLu
FatherDuke Zhuang of Lu
MotherMeng Ren (Chinese: 孟任)

Ziban (Chinese: 子般; pinyin: Zǐ Bān; lit.'Son Ban'; died 6 October 662 BC), personal name Ji Ban (姬般), was a ruler of the Lu state. He is generally known in historiography as Ziban due to his reign being less than a year long, as Ziban died in the same year as his father, Duke Zhuang.[1]

Ziban's mother was Meng Ren (孟任), a woman from the Dang (黨) family who Duke Zhuang saw from a tower he built, which overlooked the Dang residence. Duke Zhuang followed her and promised to make her his concubine. Meng Ren agreed and made a covenant with him by cutting her arm. Later, Ziban was born.

After the death of Duke Zhuang in 662 BC, Prince You (友), Duke Zhuang's brother, installed Ziban to the Lu throne.

Two months into his reign, Ziban was murdered by Qingfu (慶父), another one of Duke Zhuang's brothers. Qingfu installed Qi (Duke Min), Ziban's brother, to the Lu throne, while Prince You fled to the Chen state.

  1. ^ Miller (2015), p. 76