King Wu of Zhou

King Wu of Zhou 周武王
King Wu painted by Ma Lin
King of China
Reign	1046–1043 BC
Predecessor	King Zhou of Shang
Successor	King Cheng of Zhou
Died	1043 BC
Spouse	Yi Jiang (邑姜), daughter of Jiang Ziya
Issue	King Cheng of Zhou
Full name Ancestral name: Jī (姬) Given name: Fā (發)
House	Zhou dynasty
Father	King Wen of Zhou
Mother	Tai Si

King Wu of Zhou
Chinese	周武王
Literal meaning	"The Martial King of Zhou"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōu Wǔ wáng Wade–Giles Chou^1 Wu^3 wang^2 IPA [ʈʂóu̯ ù u̯ǎŋ] Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jou Wuu wang Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Zau^1 Mou^5 wong^4 Yale Romanization Jāu Móuh wòhng Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chiu Bú ông Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *Tiw M(r)aʔ ɢʷang
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	姬發
Simplified Chinese	姬发
Literal meaning	(personal name)
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jī Fā Wade–Giles Chi^1 Fa^1 IPA [tɕí fá] Gwoyeu Romatzyh Ji Fa Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *[k](r)ə Cə.pat

King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: Zhōu Wǔ Wáng) was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC.^[1]

King Wu's ancestral name was Ji (姬) and given name Fa (發). He was the second son of King Wen of Zhou and Queen Tai Si. 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 his father's unfinished task: overthrowing the Shang dynasty. In 1048 BC, Fa marched down the Yellow River to the Mengjin ford and met with more than 800 dukes. 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 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 Yellow Emperor and Yu the Great.

Family

• Father: King Wen of Zhou
• Mother: Tai Si
• Wife: Yi Jiang (邑姜), daughter of Jiang Ziya
• Children:
  • King Cheng of Zhou
  • Shu of Yu (邘叔)
  • Shu Yu of Tang (唐叔虞)
  • Marquis of Ying (應侯)
  • Marquis of Han (韓侯)

References

1. These dates are those of the People's Republic of China's official Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project, although they remain controversial.
2. Book of Rites, Tan Gong I, 1. Accessed 4 Nov 2012.