King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: Zhōu Wǔ Wáng; died c. 1043 BCE) was the founder and first king of the Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later.[1]
King Wu's ancestral name was Ji and given name Fa. He was the second son of King Wen of Zhou and Queen Taisi. In most accounts, his older brother Bo Yikao was said to have predeceased his father, typically at the hands of King Zhou, the last king of the Shang dynasty; in the Book 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 grandfather Jili had likewise inherited Zhou despite two older brothers.)
Upon his succession, Fa worked with his father-in-law Jiang Ziya to accomplish an unfinished task: overthrowing the Shang dynasty. During the ninth year of his reign, Fa marched down the Yellow River to the Mengjin ford and met with more than 800 dukes.[3] He constructed an ancestral tablet naming his father Chang 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. In 1046 BC, King Wu took advantage of Shang disunity to launch an attack along with many neighboring dukes. The Battle of Muye destroyed Shang's forces and King Zhou of Shang set his palace on fire, dying within.
King Wu – the name means "Martial" – followed his victory by establishing many feudal states under his 16 younger brothers and clans allied by marriage, but his death three years later provoked several rebellions against his young heir King Cheng and the regent Duke of Zhou, even from three of his brothers.
A burial mound in Zhouling town, Xianyang, Shaanxi was once thought to be King Wu's tomb. It was fitted with a headstone bearing Wu's name in the Qing 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 a Han dynasty royal. The true location of King Wu's tomb remains unknown, but is likely to be in the Xianyang-Xi'an area.
Wu is considered one of the great heroes of China, together with mythical Yellow Emperor and legendary Yu the Great.
^These dates are those of the People's Republic of China's official Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project, although they remain controversial.
^Book of Rites, Tan Gong I, 1. Accessed 4 Nov 2012.
King Wen ofZhou (Chinese: 周文王; pinyin: Zhōu Wén Wáng; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was the posthumous title given to Ji Chang (Chinese: 姬昌), the patriarch...
dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042–1021 BCE or 1042/35–1006 BCE. His parents were KingWuofZhou (周武王) and Queen Yi Jiang (邑姜). King Cheng was young...
dynasty, before the period of the Eastern Zhou. It began when KingWuofZhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when Quanrong...
T'ai-po) (circa 1150 BCE), or Wu Taibo, was the eldest son ofKing Tai ofZhou and the legendary founder of the State ofWu. His exact birth and death dates...
kept records about Zhou in oracle bones. The texts about Zhou inscribed by the Shang court are mainly those from the reign ofWu Ding and the last Shang...
KingZhou ([ʈ͡ʂoʊ]; Chinese: 紂王; pinyin: Zhòu Wáng) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang (商帝辛; Shāng Dì Xīn) or King Shou of Shang...
King Mu ofZhou (Chinese: 周穆王; pinyin: Zhōu Mù Wáng) was the fifth kingof the Zhou dynasty. The dates of his reign are 976–922 BC or 956–918 BC. King...
King Ping ofZhou (Chinese: 周平王; pinyin: Zhōu Píng Wáng; died 16 April 720 BC), personal name Ji Yijiu, was the thirteenth kingof the Zhou dynasty and...
of Muye, Mu, or Muh (c. 1046 BC) took place in ancient China between the rebel Zhou state and the reigning Shang dynasty. The Zhou army, led by Wuof...
King Kang ofZhou (Chinese: 周康王; died 996/78 BC) was the third kingof the Zhou Dynasty and son ofKing Cheng ofZhou. The dates of his reign are 1020–996...
King Zhao ofZhou (Chinese: 周昭王; pinyin: Zhōu Zhāo Wáng; 1027–957 BC) was the fourth kingof the Zhou dynasty. He ruled from 977/75 BC until his death...
member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother KingWu. He was...
Wu Geng or Wugeng (Chinese: 武庚 Wǔgēng), a.k.a. 祿父 Lùfù, was an ancient Chinese noble who was the son ofZhou, the last kingof the Shang. After his father...
King Weilie ofZhou (Chinese: 周威烈王; pinyin: Zhōu Wēiliè Wáng), personal name Jī Wǔ, was the thirty-second kingof the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the twentieth...
ruled as female emperor of the WuZhou dynasty of China from 690 to 705. She was the only female sovereign in the history of China widely regarded as...
son King Cheng's coronation, KingWu's brother Dan, the Duke ofZhou, declared himself regent and took over the court. This aroused the anger of the Three...
context: King Wu of Zhou (died 1043 BC), first kingof the Zhou dynasty KingWuof Chu (died 690 BC), first kingof the state of Chu Kings ofWu (state): Shoumeng...
government minister. She was married to KingWuofZhou (r. 1046–1043 BC). She was the first queen of the Zhou dynasty. She, Fu Hao and Lady Nanzi belonged...
Biographies of the Deities and Immortals. In 2006, he starred as KingWuofZhou in the television series adaption of Xu Zhonglin's book, Investiture of the Gods...
Yuan of Zhou. Kao fathered King Weilie ofZhou, whose reign started in 425 BC, after Kao's death. His grandson was King An ofZhou. Sons: Prince Wu (王子午;...
King Ling ofZhou (Chinese: 周靈王; pinyin: Zhōu Líng Wáng), personal name Ji Xiexin, was the twenty-third kingof the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the eleventh...
Ta2-chi3; Jyutping: Taan2 Gei2) was the favourite consort ofKingZhouof Shang, the last kingof the Shang dynasty in ancient China. In legends and fictions...
Global Information