Tian Family Replacement of Qi / 田氏代齐
Tian family replacement of Qi / 田氏代齐 is the state-formation process 《资治通鉴·周纪》07丨两起刺杀（3） builds around 田和 and 齐康公. The source treats it as more than one usurpation act: Tian power accumulates across generations, the old Jiang-line ruler loses practical control first, and formal recognition comes only after the political facts have already moved.
The episode emphasizes displacement with face-saving. Tian He moves Qi Kang Gong to a coastal city and leaves him revenue for ancestral offerings. In the source’s reading, that preserves a thin ritual surface while emptying the old ruler’s authority, making the later recognition of Tian rule look like confirmation rather than the original seizure of power.
The concept also links Qi’s transition to 三晋受封. Once the 周王室 had recognized Han, Zhao, and Wei over the old Jin order, Tian He’s request could follow an existing legitimacy path. The source’s larger point is that precedent changes the cost of political disorder: a royal court can normalize a first break and then find later breaks easier to approve.
Key Claims
- De facto power can shift before formal title recognition.
- A usurpation can preserve ritual language and material support for the displaced ruler while removing real authority.
- Family strategy matters because the payoff of replacement can arrive after the decisive actor has little time to enjoy it personally.
- The Three Jin recognition precedent lowers the barrier for Tian He to seek comparable Zhou recognition.
- The process bridges 春秋时期 lineage legitimacy and 战国时期 power politics.