King Nan of Zhou facts for kids

King Nan of Zhou (Ji Yan; died 256 BC) was the 37th and final king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. He was the son of King Shenjing of Zhou. King Nan ruled from 314 BC until his death in 256 BC. His reign lasted 59 years, which was the longest of any king in the Zhou Dynasty and in all of pre-imperial China.

By the time King Nan became king, the Zhou rulers had lost almost all their political and military power. Even their remaining land was divided into two areas. These were West Zhou, where the capital Wangcheng was located, and East Zhou, centered near Chengzhou. King Nan had no land of his own. He depended on the kindness of local powerful lords.

Historians still discuss how much symbolic power King Nan had. Some believe that other Chinese states ignored him. They think the end of the Zhou dynasty was not a big deal at the time. This suggests Nan had no real royal power left. However, new discoveries and old writings like the Records of the Grand Historian show something different. They suggest that King Nan was still respected as the Son of Heaven until he died. No matter what, the last Zhou king managed to keep his weak dynasty going for 59 years. He did this through clever talks and plans. Finally, the powerful state of Qin took over in 256 BC, and King Nan died.

The King's Rule

Starting His Reign

King Nan began his rule in 314 BC. He moved the capital city from Chengzhou to Wangcheng. From then on, the Zhou lands were often attacked by other powerful states. The first attack was by Qin on Yiyang in West Zhou in 307 BC.

The survival of West and East Zhou depended on constant political moves. The king and the local lords had to keep changing their alliances. Even so, the two Zhou areas often fought each other, which made them weaker.

Clever Plans and Challenges

Once, the state of Qin wanted to march its army through East and West Zhou. Their goal was to attack Han. The lords of Zhou were afraid of being caught in this war. A clever advisor named Yan told King Nan to make a deal. He suggested that Han should give some land to Zhou. Then, Zhou should send some important people as hostages to Chu. This would make Qin think that Chu was planning to attack Qin during its war with Han.

At the same time, Yan suggested that King Nan should tell the king of Qin that Han suspected Zhou of working with Qin. This was because Han had given land to Zhou. This plan would help King Nan gain more land. It would also stop Qin's troops from marching through his territory.

Another time, King Nan was asked to go to Qin's royal court. They wanted to discuss attacking the Han city of Nanyang. Instead of going, King Nan secretly worked with Han. They blocked the road between Zhou and Qin. This stopped the discussion and avoided a war.

Internal Conflicts and Qin's Power

King Nan's rule was not only threatened by outside states. He also faced constant fighting between the lords of West and East Zhou. When they went to war, the state of Han first supported West Zhou's nobles. But then, Han betrayed its allies. Instead of fighting East Zhou, the Han forces looted Wangcheng and King Nan's palace. They avoided fighting King Nan directly, as they were still officially "allies."

As Zhou became weaker, the powerful state of Qin challenged the king more often. In 273 BC, a man named Ma Fan created a plan. He wanted to protect the Nine Tripod Cauldrons of Yu the Great. These cauldrons were symbols of royal power. He got help from King Anxi of Wei, who built a strong wall for Zhou.

However, the Zhou dynasty could not stop Qin from growing stronger. King Nan's kingdom was only spared because Qin's rulers believed that destroying the land of the Son of Heaven would harm their reputation. To survive, King Nan and his officials even acted as spies for Qin. They reported on military changes in the states of Han, Wei, and Zhao.

The End of the Dynasty

The Fall of Zhou

The state of Qin took over the town of Fushu. This town belonged to Han but was very close to the old royal capital. King Nan and the lords of West Zhou became very scared of an invasion. They joined an alliance against Qin. West Zhou attacked Qin, but they were quickly pushed back.

Wangcheng, the capital, was finally conquered in 256 BC. King Nan traveled to Xianyang to surrender to King Zhaoxiang of Qin. West Zhou was then taken over by Qin. King Nan was demoted to a lower rank, becoming the Duke of West Zhou. He was held in Wangcheng and died shortly after. This marked the official end of the Zhou dynasty's rituals.

Qin took the Nine Tripod Cauldrons. King Nan's son and heir, Ji Wen, was sent away to Danhu. Many members of the royal Ji family and citizens of West Zhou fled to East Zhou. There, they and the local lords declared Duke Wen of Eastern Zhou as the new king. However, Duke Wen was never recognized as king outside of East Zhou. Because of this, King Nan is generally seen as the last true King of Zhou.

Duke Wen, along with Nan's son Ji Zhao, led the fight against Qin. But they were defeated in 251 BC and 249 BC. East Zhou was then taken over by Qin. None of King Nan's other sons later claimed the Zhou royal title. The remaining royal Ji family fled to the State of Wey. This was how the Zhou dynasty ended. Its fall was barely noticed by the people and states of China at the time.

However, soon after King Nan's death, a king of Qin expressed sadness. He saw the dynasty's fall as a disruption to the order of Heaven and Earth. Scholars in Qin also wrote in the Lüshi Chunqiu: "Today, the house of Zhou has been destroyed. The line of the Sons of Heaven has been cut off. There is no greater chaos than having no Son of Heaven. Without the Son of Heaven, the strong overpower the weak. Many rule over a few. They use weapons to hurt each other and have no peace."

The title "Son of Heaven" was later taken by Qin Shi Huang. He declared himself the First Emperor of China.

See also

• Family tree of ancient Chinese emperors
• Duke Wen of Eastern Zhou — the last Zhou ruler and claimant to the throne