| King Wu of Zhou zh|周武王 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succession: | Elder of the Predynastic Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign: | 1050–1046 BCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor: | King Wen of Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor: | Himself as King of the Zhou dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succession1: | King of the Zhou dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign1: | 1046–1043 BCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor1: | King Zhou of Shang (Shang dynasty) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor1: | King Cheng of Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House: | Ji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty: | Predynastic Zhou (1050–1046 BC) Zhou (Western Zhou) (1046–1043 BC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Ji Fa (Chinese: 姬發) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Death Date: | 1043 BCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Death Place: | Haojing, Western Zhou dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posthumous Name: | King Wu (武王) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father: | King Wen of Zhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother: | Tai Si | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse: | Yi Jiang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
King Wu of Zhou (; died), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese 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 was the second son of Ji Chang (posthumously King Wen) and Tai Si. In most accounts, his older brother Bo Yikao was said to have predeceased his father, typically at the hands of King Zhou of Shang, 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 with his father's posthumous 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. 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 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 Ji Dan, 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.
King Wu is considered one of the great heroes of China, together with the mythical Yellow Emperor and the legendary Yu the Great.
Queens:
Sons:
Daughters: