| King Wu of Zhou 周武王 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Depiction of King Wu byMa Lin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elder of thePredynastic Zhou | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 1050–1046 BCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | King Wen of Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| King of the Zhou dynasty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 1046–1043 BCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | King Zhou of Shang (Shang dynasty) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | King Cheng of Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Ji Fa (姬發) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 1043 BCE Haojing,Western Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Yi Jiang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| House | Ji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | King Wen of Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Tai Si | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 周武王 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Martial King of Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 姬發 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 姬发 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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King Wu of Zhou (diedc. 1043 BC), personal nameJi Fa, was the foundingking of the ChineseZhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended with his death three years later.[1]
King Wu was the second son of theZhou elderJi Chang (posthumously titled King Wen) andTai Si. In most accounts, his older brotherBo Yikao was said to have predeceased his father, typically at the hands ofKing Zhou of Shang, the last king of theShang dynasty. In theBook of Rites, however, it is assumed that his inheritance represented an older tradition among the Zhou of passing over the eldest son.[2] (Fa's grandfatherJili had likewise inherited Zhou despite having two older brothers.)
Upon his succession, Fa worked with his father-in-lawJiang Ziya to accomplish an unfinished task: overthrowing the Shang dynasty. During the ninth year of his reign, Fa marched down theYellow River to theMengjin ford and met with more than 800 elders.[3] He constructed anancestral tablet with his father'sposthumous name as King Wen and placed it on a chariot in the middle of the host; considering the timing unpropitious, though, he did not yet attack Shang. Around 1046 BC bycurrent estimates, King Wu took advantage of Shang disunity to launch an attack along with many neighboring elders. TheBattle of Muye destroyed Shang's forces and King Zhou set his palace on fire, dying within.
King Wu followed his victory by moving his court fromFeng to nearbyHao, leaving the older settlement to serve as a site forancestral temples and gardens. He granted many 'feudal'states to his 16 younger brothers and to clans allied by marriage, but his death soon after ascension provoked several rebellions against his young heirKing Cheng and the regentJi Dan, even fromthree of his brothers.
A burial mound at Zhouling in Xianyang Prefecture, Shaanxi, was once thought to be King Wu's tomb. It was fitted with a headstone bearing Wu's name under theQing dynasty. Modern archeology has since concluded that the tomb is not old enough to be from the Zhou dynasty and is more likely to be that of aHan dynasty royal. The true location of King Wu's tomb remains unknown but it is likely to be in the area of modern Xianyang and Xi'an.
King Wu is considered one of the great heroes of China, together with the mythicalYellow Emperor and the legendaryYu the Great.
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King Wu of Zhou Died: 1043 BC | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Zhou c. 1050–1046 BC | Succeeded by Himself as King of the Zhou dynasty |
| Preceded by | King of China c. 1046–1043 BC | Succeeded by |
