I ended the last post with an overview of how the Shang lost power to the Zhou. I'll be talking primarily in this blog post about the rise of the Zhou, and giving an overview of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The first King of the Zhou Dynasty was King Wu of Zhou who overthrew King Zhou of Shang at the Battle of Muye in 1046BCE. However, his father, King Wen of Zhou is credited as the actual founder of the Zhou Dynasty. King Wen was born Ji Chang, and the Kingdom of Zhou in his youth was a small state along the Wei River in present day Shaanxi.
At one point in his reign, King Zhou of Shang had Ji Chang imprisoned in Youli, near present day Tangyin in Henan, fearing his growing power. His son, Ji Fa, the future King Wu of Zhou, along with King Wen's adviser Jiang Ziya, came up with a cunning plan to get his dad out of prison.
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| I've got a cunning plan... |
Ji Chang then went home and started building up his power base. He was careful though to appear slovenly, as if he'd given up his ambitions so that King Zhou wouldn't throw him back into prison. The ruse worked, and King Zhou stopped keeping such a close eye on Ji Chang. At some point during his reign, year of which is in debate/unknown, Ji Chang unleashed his forces on a variety of small states to the West, increasing Zhou territory whilst King Zhou of Shang was busy fighting Dongyi barbarians in the East. Simultaneously, he pronounced himself King of Zhou, taking the name of Wen.
In 1056BCE, King Wen of Zhou kicked the bucket. His son Ji Fa ascended the throne, and took the name King Wu of Zhou. He initially wanted to go straight out and fight the Shang straight up, but his dad's adviser, Jiang Ziya, who was now his adviser, told him to be patient.
In 1044BCE, King Wu of Zhou called a meeting of zhu hou, or dukes/minor kings. The meeting was held at Meng Jin, a district of present day Luoyang in Henan Province, and according to legend, King Wu of Zhou crossed the Yellow River in force, conducting military exercises with his army. Over eight hundred zhu hou went to the meeting.
Following his show of force, the gathered zhu hou accepted King Wu's hegemony, declaring that they would follow him in opposition to the Shang. However, King Wu was still not certain of his greater strength, and not wanting to attack until all preparations were made, declared that man could not know Heaven's will, and dispersed the gathered zhu hou, to await his instructions for when the time was right.
Within two years, King Zhou of Shang's Eastern Campaign had ground to a halt, and so he redirected the entirety of his best troops Eastward. Sensing that the time was right, King Wu of Zhou called for the zhu hou to now assemble and overthrow the Shang.
And in 1046BCE King Wu of Zhou unleashed his forces; three hundred chariots, 3,000 elite troops, 45,000 infantry. Combined with his zhu hou allies, he commanded an army of over 60,000 men. The lead strategist for this army was his dad's old adviser, Jiang Ziya. Waiting for him at Muye (located south of modern day Qi County in Henan Province) was King Zhou of Shang. Although his main strength was now diverted East, he had an army of 530,000 men. To secure his victory, he had also armed 170,000 slaves, who now took the opportunity to say "Fuck you" to King Zhou and defect to the uh... Zhou.
What ensued was a very bloody battle, and many Shang soldiers held their spears upside down in a sign that they did not wish to fight. Some defected outright. However, many loyal Shang troops did fight, and they fought to the death. Despite their resolve, the Zhou soldiers were better trained, and their morale was high. In one of his chariot charges, King Wu broke through the Shang's line, forcing King Zhou to flee to his palace. The Zhou showed no mercy to the Shang loyalists, leaving none alive, shedding enough blood to "float a log".
That's how the traditional history goes, anyway. Modern estimates place the Shang force at somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 men, along with a large contingent of armed slaves.
Anyway, King Zhou of Shang committed suicide, and King Wu of Zhou emerged as the leading figure in Chinese politics, ushering in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Here, have a handy map of the political situation in China during the Western Zhou!
One thing to keep in mind for the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties is that the Empire as such did not exist yet, and would not exist until Qin Shi Huang united China for the first time. As such, multiple kingdoms existed, mostly subservient to the most powerful kingdom, but this was not always the case.
The Western Zhou Dynasty lasted from 1046BCE to 771BCE. The entirety of the Zhou Dynasty, both West and East constitutes the longest Dynasty in Chinese history. However, the Zhou's authority and power was only throughout China during the Western Zhou Dynasty.
During the Zhou Dynasty, China's bronze making reached its zenith, although the introduction of iron to China saw the shift towards its usage in weapon making, replacing bronze. King Wu of Zhou died three years after his ascension to power, and his brother, the Duke of Zhou ruled as regent while King Cheng of Zhou, the son of King Wu, was young. The Duke of Zhou conceived of one of the enduring elements of Chinese Dynastic history: The Mandate of Heaven.
Facing something of a legitimacy challenge in the years following the conquest, the Duke of Zhou came up with the Mandate of Heaven to counter the claims of Shang loyalists of a divine right to rule. The Mandate claims that only Heaven can appoint a ruler, and that a dynasty loses its right to rule when Heaven demands it. This is typically seen by a series of natural disasters and the dissatisfaction of the people.
The Duke of Zhou further cemented the Zhou's power base by giving fiefs to royal relatives in the East, which was a great idea at the time, but ultimately spelled the end of the Zhou dynasty a couple of centuries down the line.
China at this point was basically a feudal society, known as fengjian in Chinese. A rather nasty tradition in China, by which executing a political opponent also led to the execution of the person's spouse, their children, their childrens' spouses, their spouses' extended family, their grandchildren, their grandchildrens' spouses if they have them, their extended family, the executed person's parents, their extended family etc. led to the eventual cannibalization of the nobility, which is why I theorise that Feudal China didn't last all that long.
I will continue the examination of Chinese history next week with the Spring and Autumn period, part of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
In 1056BCE, King Wen of Zhou kicked the bucket. His son Ji Fa ascended the throne, and took the name King Wu of Zhou. He initially wanted to go straight out and fight the Shang straight up, but his dad's adviser, Jiang Ziya, who was now his adviser, told him to be patient.
In 1044BCE, King Wu of Zhou called a meeting of zhu hou, or dukes/minor kings. The meeting was held at Meng Jin, a district of present day Luoyang in Henan Province, and according to legend, King Wu of Zhou crossed the Yellow River in force, conducting military exercises with his army. Over eight hundred zhu hou went to the meeting.
Within two years, King Zhou of Shang's Eastern Campaign had ground to a halt, and so he redirected the entirety of his best troops Eastward. Sensing that the time was right, King Wu of Zhou called for the zhu hou to now assemble and overthrow the Shang.
And in 1046BCE King Wu of Zhou unleashed his forces; three hundred chariots, 3,000 elite troops, 45,000 infantry. Combined with his zhu hou allies, he commanded an army of over 60,000 men. The lead strategist for this army was his dad's old adviser, Jiang Ziya. Waiting for him at Muye (located south of modern day Qi County in Henan Province) was King Zhou of Shang. Although his main strength was now diverted East, he had an army of 530,000 men. To secure his victory, he had also armed 170,000 slaves, who now took the opportunity to say "Fuck you" to King Zhou and defect to the uh... Zhou.
What ensued was a very bloody battle, and many Shang soldiers held their spears upside down in a sign that they did not wish to fight. Some defected outright. However, many loyal Shang troops did fight, and they fought to the death. Despite their resolve, the Zhou soldiers were better trained, and their morale was high. In one of his chariot charges, King Wu broke through the Shang's line, forcing King Zhou to flee to his palace. The Zhou showed no mercy to the Shang loyalists, leaving none alive, shedding enough blood to "float a log".
That's how the traditional history goes, anyway. Modern estimates place the Shang force at somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 men, along with a large contingent of armed slaves.
Anyway, King Zhou of Shang committed suicide, and King Wu of Zhou emerged as the leading figure in Chinese politics, ushering in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Here, have a handy map of the political situation in China during the Western Zhou!
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| Just read the damn title. |
The Western Zhou Dynasty lasted from 1046BCE to 771BCE. The entirety of the Zhou Dynasty, both West and East constitutes the longest Dynasty in Chinese history. However, the Zhou's authority and power was only throughout China during the Western Zhou Dynasty.
During the Zhou Dynasty, China's bronze making reached its zenith, although the introduction of iron to China saw the shift towards its usage in weapon making, replacing bronze. King Wu of Zhou died three years after his ascension to power, and his brother, the Duke of Zhou ruled as regent while King Cheng of Zhou, the son of King Wu, was young. The Duke of Zhou conceived of one of the enduring elements of Chinese Dynastic history: The Mandate of Heaven.
Facing something of a legitimacy challenge in the years following the conquest, the Duke of Zhou came up with the Mandate of Heaven to counter the claims of Shang loyalists of a divine right to rule. The Mandate claims that only Heaven can appoint a ruler, and that a dynasty loses its right to rule when Heaven demands it. This is typically seen by a series of natural disasters and the dissatisfaction of the people.
The Duke of Zhou further cemented the Zhou's power base by giving fiefs to royal relatives in the East, which was a great idea at the time, but ultimately spelled the end of the Zhou dynasty a couple of centuries down the line.
China at this point was basically a feudal society, known as fengjian in Chinese. A rather nasty tradition in China, by which executing a political opponent also led to the execution of the person's spouse, their children, their childrens' spouses, their spouses' extended family, their grandchildren, their grandchildrens' spouses if they have them, their extended family, the executed person's parents, their extended family etc. led to the eventual cannibalization of the nobility, which is why I theorise that Feudal China didn't last all that long.
I will continue the examination of Chinese history next week with the Spring and Autumn period, part of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
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