King You of Zhou
Encyclopedia
King You of Zhou was the twelfth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty
and the last of Western Zhou Dynasty. He reigned from 781 to 771 BCE.
In 780 BCE, a major earthquake
hit Guanzhong
. A soothsayer
named Bo Yangfu (伯陽甫/伯阳甫) considered this an omen foretelling the destruction of the Zhou Dynasty.
In 779 BCE, a concubine named Baosi
entered the palace and came into King You's favour. She bore him a son named Bofu
(伯服). King You deposed Queen Shen (申后) and Crown Prince Yijiu
(宜臼). He made Baosi the new queen and Bofu the new crown prince
.
It is said that Baosi did not laugh easily. After trying many methods and failing, King You tried to amuse his favourite queen by lighting warning beacons and fooling his nobles into thinking that the Quanrong
(犬戎) nomads were about to attack. The nobles arrived at the castle only to find themselves laughed at by Baosi. Even after King You had impressed Baosi, he continued to abuse his use of warning beacons and lost the trust of the nobles.
Queen Shen's father, the Marquess of Shen
(申侯), was furious at the deposition of his daughter and grandson Crown Prince Yijiu and mounted an attack on King You's palace with the Quanrong. King You called for his nobles using the previously abused beacons but none came. In the end, King You and Bofu were killed and Baosi was captured.
After King You died, nobles including the Marquess of Shen, the Marquess of Zeng (缯侯) and Duke Wen of Xu (許文公/许文公) supported deposed Prince Yijiu as King Ping of Zhou
to continue the Zhou Dynasty. As the national capital Haojing
(鎬京/镐京) had suffered severe damage, and was located near the potentially dangerous Quanrong, in 771 BCE, King Ping of Zhou
moved the capital eastward to Luoyi (雒邑), later called Luoyang
, thus beginning the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and ushering in the Spring and Autumn Period which would last for more than 300 years.
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
and the last of Western Zhou Dynasty. He reigned from 781 to 771 BCE.
In 780 BCE, a major earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
hit Guanzhong
Guanzhong
Guanzhong , or Guanzhong Plain, is a historical region of China corresponding to the lower valley of the Wei River. It is called Guanzhong or 'within the passes' to distinguish it from 'Guandong' or 'east of the pass', that is, the North China Plain. The North China Plain is bordered on the west by...
. A soothsayer
Fortune-telling
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination...
named Bo Yangfu (伯陽甫/伯阳甫) considered this an omen foretelling the destruction of the Zhou Dynasty.
In 779 BCE, a concubine named Baosi
Baosi
Baosi was the concubine of the Ancient Chinese sovereign King You of Zhou. She was considered one of the most beautiful Chinese women ever.-Life:...
entered the palace and came into King You's favour. She bore him a son named Bofu
Bofu
Bofu , sometimes referred to as Bopan , was the son of Chinese Zhou Dynasty monarch King You of Zhou and his concubine Baosi . After Baosi entered the royal palace, King You deposed Queen Shen and her son Crown Prince Yijiu , replacing them with Baosi and Bofu...
(伯服). King You deposed Queen Shen (申后) and Crown Prince Yijiu
King Ping of Zhou
King Ping of Zhou , also referred to as Crown Prince Yijiu or King P'ing of Chou was the thirteenth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the first of Eastern Zhou Dynasty...
(宜臼). He made Baosi the new queen and Bofu the new crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
.
It is said that Baosi did not laugh easily. After trying many methods and failing, King You tried to amuse his favourite queen by lighting warning beacons and fooling his nobles into thinking that the Quanrong
Quanrong
The Quǎnróng , literally "Dog Rong", were an ethnic group active in the north western part of China during the Zhōu and later dynasties. Their language is classified as part of the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages family....
(犬戎) nomads were about to attack. The nobles arrived at the castle only to find themselves laughed at by Baosi. Even after King You had impressed Baosi, he continued to abuse his use of warning beacons and lost the trust of the nobles.
Queen Shen's father, the Marquess of Shen
Marquess of Shen
The Marquess of Shēn was a ruler of the State of Shēn during the Zhōu Dynasty period of Chinese history. A vassal state of the Zhōu Kings, Shēn state covered the area of modern day Nanyang City in Henan Province....
(申侯), was furious at the deposition of his daughter and grandson Crown Prince Yijiu and mounted an attack on King You's palace with the Quanrong. King You called for his nobles using the previously abused beacons but none came. In the end, King You and Bofu were killed and Baosi was captured.
After King You died, nobles including the Marquess of Shen, the Marquess of Zeng (缯侯) and Duke Wen of Xu (許文公/许文公) supported deposed Prince Yijiu as King Ping of Zhou
King Ping of Zhou
King Ping of Zhou , also referred to as Crown Prince Yijiu or King P'ing of Chou was the thirteenth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the first of Eastern Zhou Dynasty...
to continue the Zhou Dynasty. As the national capital Haojing
Haojing
This article is about the ancient Zhou Dynasty capital, for Haojing'ao see MacauHaojing was one of the two settlements comprising the capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty , the other of which was Fēngjīng . Together they were known as Fēnghào and stood on opposite banks of the Feng River with...
(鎬京/镐京) had suffered severe damage, and was located near the potentially dangerous Quanrong, in 771 BCE, King Ping of Zhou
King Ping of Zhou
King Ping of Zhou , also referred to as Crown Prince Yijiu or King P'ing of Chou was the thirteenth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the first of Eastern Zhou Dynasty...
moved the capital eastward to Luoyi (雒邑), later called Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, thus beginning the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and ushering in the Spring and Autumn Period which would last for more than 300 years.