King Ping of Zhou facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King Ping of Zhou周平王 |
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| King of the Zhou dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 770–16 April 720 BC | ||||||||
| Predecessor | King You of Zhou | ||||||||
| Successor | King Huan of Zhou | ||||||||
| Died | 16 April 720 BC | ||||||||
| Issue | Crown Prince Xiefu Prince Hu Ruizu of Zhou (周睿祖) |
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| House | Ji | ||||||||
| Dynasty | Zhou (Eastern Zhou) | ||||||||
| Father | King You of Zhou | ||||||||
| Mother | Queen Shen | ||||||||
| King Ping of Zhou | |||||||||
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| Posthumous name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 周平王 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | The Peaceful King of Zhou | ||||||||
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King Ping of Zhou (Chinese: 周平王; pinyin: Zhōu Píng Wáng) was an important ancient Chinese king. His personal name was Ji Yijiu. He was the thirteenth king of China's Zhou dynasty and the very first king of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. He died on April 16, 720 BC.
The Start of His Reign
King Ping was the son of King You of Zhou and Queen Shen. His father, King You, had sent Queen Shen and Ji Yijiu away. This happened because King You preferred his concubine, Bao Si. He made Bao Si his new queen and her son, Bofu, his heir.
Queen Shen's father, the Marquess of Shen, was very unhappy about this. He joined forces with the Quanrong nomads and other local states. Together, they attacked King You. In a battle at Mount Li, King You and Bofu were killed. Bao Si was captured. After this, Ji Yijiu became the new king.
Two Kings at Once
Around the same time, another person, Jī Hàn, who was the Duke of Guó, made Jī Yúchén a king too. This new king was known as King Xie of Zhou. For a while, the Zhou Dynasty had two kings ruling at the same time. This period of "two parallel kings" lasted until King Xie was killed in 750 BCE.
Some historical writings, like the Xinian manuscript, tell a slightly different story. They suggest that many local lords first supported King Xie over King Ping. After King Xie was killed, there was no officially accepted King of Zhou for nine years. Then, in 741 BCE, a powerful lord named Marquis Wen of Jin recognized King Ping. Three years later, in 738 BCE, Marquis Wen helped King Ping move his capital.
Moving the Capital
King Ping moved the capital of the Zhou dynasty from Haojing in the west to Luoyang in the east. This big move marked the end of the Western Zhou dynasty. It also started the Eastern Zhou dynasty and a new historical period called the Spring and Autumn period. King Ping is the first Zhou king mentioned in the Zuo Zhuan, which is an important historical book.
Many centuries after King Ping's death, a powerful empress named Wu Zetian claimed to be related to him. She was a ruler during the Tang dynasty. She even changed the name of her dynasty to Zhou for a short time, before it went back to Tang after she died.
King Ping's Family
King Ping had several sons:
- His first son was Crown Prince Xiefu (太子洩父). He was the father of King Huan of Zhou.
- His second son was Prince Hu (王子狐). He served as a hostage for Duke Zhuang of Zheng.
- His youngest son was Prince Wu (王子武).
