Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty (Chou in transcription EFEO ) is the third Chinese dynasty, founded in the eleventh century BC. AD (c. 1046 BC. ), which dominated the country until 256 BC. AD , date ended the reign of the last king of the Zhou.
Another named Zhou Dynasty existed between 690 and 705 (see Wu Zetian ).
Summary |
History of the dynasty
The period of unity
The Zhou Dynasty was the longest dynasty of the Chinese empire, it lasted almost a millennium. She succeeded shortly before the year -1000 to the Shang dynasty that, according to Chinese chronicles, had become tyrannical. Its founder called Ji Fa (), the second son of Ji Chang () was King Wu ( Wu Wang ). The predecessor of the latter, who had only the rank of Duke, was given the posthumous title of "King Wen". Was the first capital city of Hao, on the Wei River in the present province of Shaanxi.
After overthrowing the Shang , Wen Wang of the Zhou dynasty founder tries to run the country with Zhougong , his uncle. Meanwhile, he wants to write all the ceremonies of daily life and the life of the Zhou court. On the death of King Wu of succession disputes emerge, but the regency Zhougong organizes and stabilizes the Empire.
The Western Zhou
The first period of this dynasty, from its foundation until the year -771 , is known as the Western Zhou. One of the great kings of this period seems to be the King Mu ( Muwanga Zhou ), who would reign between -1001 and -947. He fought against a people Tocharian Quanrong called, probably in the present province of Xinjiang.
In the Yangtze River basin was the kingdom of Chu. Around -900 , -850 , Chu refused to submit to the kingdom of Zhou, who wanted his land. During the war between these two states, revolts appear between -862 and -841 cons Li Wang , the tyrannical ruler Zhou who eventually have to withdraw. A regency was established then for about 14 years since Li's son was too young to reign.
King Xuan ( Xuan Wang ), who reigned until -782 , was an energetic ruler. He fought successfully against the barbarians, but his successor, You, was not at its height. Count Shen, who had helped the king to defeat the barbarians Xuan, had given his daughter in marriage to King You.
Infatuated with another wife, whose name Baos , You put away the daughter of the Earl of Shen and exiled the son he had with her, allowing the son of Baos become the new heir apparent. Count Shen then made an alliance with the Quanrong. In -771 , they stormed the capital, Hao, and killed the king You. The Zhou Dynasty was able to recover, but she had to install its new capital to the east, Luoyang, on the river Luo. Thus began the era of the Eastern Zhou.
According to legend, fell in love for Baos, You summoned the barons of the court and falsely told them that the capital was attacked. The barons ran in panic around the capital to defend it. When the king told them it was a joke, Baos, which was usually sad, laughed. The king renewed his escapades, and later, when the barbarians overran the capital actually, nobody defended the emperor.
The Eastern Zhou
Under the Eastern Zhou, the power of kings was increasingly symbolic and principalities became vassals practically independent kingdoms, leading to fragmentation of China.
Pingwang , grand-son of Youwang reigned from -771 to -721. After moving his capital and he moved to Luoyang , he maintained the governance of the Western Zhou. However, it divides its territory into seven provinces hereditary. At the head of each province, he placed one of the allies who helped him seize power. On the death of each prince, the province was divided between all his son, the then China is fragmented.
This was the period of " Spring and Autumn ", until -481 , and then the " Warring States ", which ended with the fall of the Zhou -256 , whose territory was conquered by State Qin. The last period saw the emergence of many philosophical schools, those of pathologists , the Confucians , the Taoists , the mohistes ... which turned deep in Chinese society.
Technological advances also occurred. The period of Spring and Autumn saw the advent of iron metallurgy in China. Very quickly, thanks to their mastery of high temperatures, the Chinese learned to melt the metal. During the Warring States period , they replaced the chariot of war by mounted cavalry, modeled on the peoples of Central Asia and Mongolia.
The oldest written texts in China dating back to the Western Zhou Period. These are the Shi Jing , a collection of poems, the Shang Shu , also called Shu Jing, who collects historical documents and the Yi Jing , a manual of divination.
From a mythological, Zhou said the fall of a god called Houjie , Prince Millet, who was himself the son of Shangdi the Lord on High. Houjie have taught men agriculture and established the first sacrifice. As for Shangdi was the god of heaven. Zhou is with the title "Son of Heaven" is first used to refer to the emperors.
According to the historian Sima Qian , the Zhou were the source of nomads who have settled and adopted Chinese customs after their settlement in the valley of the Wei: their sovereign "renounced the manners of the Rong and Di (the nomadic peoples) because he built a wall and an enclosure, houses and rooms, the city was then a separate location. He attributed the five officials who had the powers. " It is now certain that the Zhou were not Chinese. They are like the Mongols or the Manchus , from foreign nations who could govern China
Mode of Government of Eastern Zhou
It draws directly from the model of Shang. There are a sovereign: the son of heaven, a prime minister from a prominent family Qinshi and then three wise men / old men: they are three ministers on the same row:
- Minister of War (Director of horses)
- Minister of Agriculture (director of the multitude)
- Minister of Special Affairs.
Below, there are three junior ministers. They involved:
- Stewardship imperial, that is to say everything related to the emperor
- rites
- Justice
Below, there are civil servants (scribes, more managers) for the central government. They often belong to large families. They are recruited on the "6 liberal arts': to read, write, count, knowing a little poetry, learn archery, driving a car and have basic knowledge of the rites.
Zhou kings based their conquests and domination over an ideology that will form the basis of the Chinese state for millennia: the power given to them by the supreme deity but it only allows them to govern as if they are virtuous. If they fail in their duty rebellion or foreign invasion can take away this "mandate of heaven."
Religion
Culture
Theories on Zhou
Sima Qian said that Zhou was a semi-nomadic tribe of the northwest and possibly because of its barbaric customs, it seems, not Chinese. This origin raises debates in the historiography of endogenous development of Chinese culture or an external input:
The Zhou Han people
It must be remembered that the Shang themselves were a tribe and Xia before too. And what about the Sanxingdui found in Sichuan whose customs (some of which almost foreign) were similar to those of Zhou? In the writings of the disciples of Confucius , the Master seems no treat Zhou as outsiders, even very often citing as an example of honesty and integrity. Yet Confucius lived centuries before Sima Qian , and most previous writings Sima Qian to contradict it, and some left by the author biographies (including that of Lao Zi ) seem downright suspicious. Also the writings of Sima Qian should be taken with some reserve.
The Zhou were actually native to Shaanxi , (not the northwest as is claimed falsely) and they were like the Shang Xia vassals. However, they moved westward to escape persecution of Gui Jie Xia infamous ruler. As it was in a very remote time, it seems that it was impossible for Sima Qian to have known. However, it seems to have extrapolated that the Zhou were nomadic, which seems highly unlikely, considering they have just moved to escape the tyrannies of Gui Jie and they were originally vassals of Xia.
The Zhou, a people of nomadic origin
The opposing view takes into account the testimony of Sima Qian , and Christopher Beckwith .
Kings of the Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty of 39 kings
Western Zhou kings
Posthumous Names (wang means "king") - Personal names
- Zhou Wen Wang(-1122/-1122) - Ji ChangIt was not King (Wang), but a Duke (Gong).
- Zhou Wuwang(-1122/-1110) - Ji FaHe became king in 1049 BC by overthrowing the last king of Shang.
- Chengwang Zhou(-1110/-1078) - Song Ji
- Kangwang Zhou(-1078/-1052) - Zhao Ji
- Zhou Zhaowang(-1052/-1001) - Xia Ji
- Muwanga Zhou(-1001/-946) - JiMan
- Gongwang Zhou(-946/-934) - Ji Yi Hu
- Yiwang Zhou(-934/-909) - Ji Jian
- Zhou Xiaowang(-909/-894) - Bi Fang Ji
- Yiwang Zhou(-894/-878) - Xie Ji
- Liwang Zhou(-878/-841) - Hu Ji
- Regency Gonghe () - The Duke of Zhou Lu and Shang Yan govern during the vacancy of the throne
- Xuanwang Zhou(-827/-781) - Jing Ji
- Youwang Zhou(-781/-771) - Ji Gong Nie
Kings Eastern Zhou
Posthumous Names (wang means "king") - Personal names
- Pingwang Zhou(-771/-719) - JiYijiu
- Huanwang Zhou(-719/-696) - Lin Ji
- Zhou Zhuangwang(-696/-681) - Ji Tuo
- Xiwang Zhou(-681/-676) - JiHuqi
- Zhou Huiwang(-676/-651) - Lang Ji
- Xiangwang Zhou(-651/-618) - Zheng Ji
- Qingwang Zhou(-618/-612) - JiRenchen
- Kuangwang Zhou(-612/-606) - Ban Ji
- Dingwang Zhou(-606/-585) - Yu Ji
- Jianwang Zhou(-585/-571) - Yi Ji
- Lingwang Zhou(-571/-544) - JiXiexin
- Jingwang Zhou(-544/-519) - Gui Ji
- Daowang Zhou(-519) - Meng Ji
- Jingwang Zhou(-519/-475) - JiGay Miscellaneous
In Chinese astronomy , the term Zhoubo is sometimes used to describe the emergence of a new star, a phenomenon so called " guest star ". In rare circumstances, this event is personified by the term Zhoubo (lit. "Count of Zhou"), which is assigned an important astrological major.
See also
References
- Christopher Beckwith , Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia From The Bronze Age to the Present, Princeton University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-691-13589-2 , p45-49
- "The Mounting Evidence Against the isolantionnist position, Especially from Archaeology, data and identify Thats the intrusive Indo-European People Who Brought The Chariot Had a Powerful influences were the Shang culture" in Christopher Beckwith , Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia From The Bronze Age to the Present, Princeton University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-691-13589-2 , p46
History of ChinaMythical history Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Xia (2070-1600 BC.) Second and First Millennium BC. AD Shang (1600-1046 BC.) Zhou (1046-256 BC.) Spring and Autumn Period (VIII - V century BC.) Warring ( V century-221)Qin (221-206 BC.) Western Han (206 BC. - 9 AD.) First millennium AD. AD Western Han (206 BC. - 9 AD.) Xin (9-23) Eastern Han (23-220) Three Kingdoms (220-280) Jin (265-420 ) Sixteen Kingdoms (North China, 304-439) Dynasties Northern and Southern (420-589) Sui (581-618) Tang (618-690 and 705-907) Zhou (690-705) Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960) Liao (China North, 916-1125) Song (960-1279) Second millennium AD. AD Liao (North China, 916-1125) Song (960-1279) Western Xia (north-west China, 1038-1227) Jin (North China, 1115-1234) Yuan (1271-1368) Ming (1368-1644) Qing (1644-1912) Republic of China (since 1912, today only in Taiwan ) People's Republic of China (since 1949)
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