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Western Zhou - Eastern Zhou: Spring and Autumn, Warring States
Feudal lords of the particular states
See also titles of rulers.
The ancestress of the Zhou, Jiangyuan 姜嫄 (daughter of a noble called Youtai 有邰 and wife of Emperor Di Ku 帝嚳), is said to have conceived after stepping into the footsteps of the Shang Dynasty god Shangdi 上帝, giving birth to the Lord of Millet (Hou Ji, Houji 后稷). The Zhou rulers are therefore thought to be descendants of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi 黃帝). Before settling down in the Wei River 渭水 valley/Shaanxi, the Zhou people is said to have lived near Bin 豳 (or 邠) in the Fen River 汾水 valley (modern Shanxi; other interpretations locate Bin in the Jing River 涇水 valley north of modern Xi'an 西安/Shaanxi).
The Kings of Western Zhou (Xizhou) 西周 (11.c.-770 BC)   Capitals: Qishan 岐山/Shaanxi, Cheng 程, Feng 豐, Hao 鎬 or Zongzhou 宗周 (near modern Xi'an/Shaanxi); secondary capital Luoyi 洛邑 (Luoyang 洛陽/Henan) |
- The first ancestor of the Zhou house is Hou Ji (Houji) 后稷 (personal name Zhou Qi 周棄 or Ji Qi 姬棄), the "Lord of Millet", a son of the mythical emperor Di Ku (Diku) 帝嚳
- son: Bu Zhu (Buzhu) 不窋
- son: Ju 鞠
- son: Gong Liu (Gongliu) 公劉
- son: Qing Jie (Qingjie) 慶節
- son: Huang Pu (Huangpu) 皇僕
- son: Chai Fu (Chaifu) 差弗
- son: Hui Yu (Huiyu) 毀渝
- son: Gong Fei (Gongfei) 公非
- son: Gao Yu (Gaoyu) 高圉
- son: Ya Yu (Yayu) 亞圉
- son: Gong Zulei 公祖類
- son: Gu Gong Danfu 古公亶父 ("Duke Danfu of Gu" {Taiwang 周太王})
- son: Ji Li 季歷
- son: King Wenwang 周文王.
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| dynastic title |
personal name |
time |
Zhou Wenwang 周文王, Viscount of the West (Xi Bo 西伯)
Died during the conquest of Shang; inventor of milfoil divination (see Book of Changes) |
Ji Chang 姬昌 |
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Zhou Wuwang 周武王
First ruling king of Zhou, ca. 1050 BC |
Ji Fa 姬發 |
(trad. 1121-1116 BCE) |
Zhou Chengwang 周成王
During his youth, he reigned with the help of his uncles, Duke Dan of Zhou 周公旦 and Duke Shi of Shao 召公奭 |
Ji Song 姬誦 |
(trad. 1115-1079) |
| Zhou Kangwang 周康王 |
Ji Zhao 姬釗 |
(trad. 1078-1053) |
| Zhou Zhaowang 周昭王 |
Ji Xia 姬瑕 |
(trad. 1052-1002) |
| Zhou Muwang 周穆王 |
Ji Man 姬滿 |
(trad. 1001-947) |
| Zhou Gongwang 周共王 (i.e. 恭) |
Ji Yihu 姬繄扈 |
(trad. 946-935) |
| Zhou Yiwang (Yihwang) 周懿王 |
Ji Jian 姬囏 (i.e. 艱) |
(trad. 934-910) |
| Zhou Xiaowang 周孝王 |
Ji Pifang 姬辟方 |
(trad. 909-895) |
| Zhou Yiwang 周夷王 |
Ji Xie 姬燮 |
(trad. 894-879) |
| Zhou Liwang 周厲王 |
Ji Hu 姬胡 |
878-841 BC |
| Interregnum Gonghe 共和 "Common Appeasement" (or: usurper Count He of Gong? 共伯和); the Dukes Zhou of Lu 魯周公 and Shao of Yan 燕召公 rule for the Infant King |
841-828 BC |
| Zhou Xuanwang 周宣王 |
Ji Jing 姬靜 (or 靖) |
827-782 BC |
| Zhou Youwang 周幽王 |
Ji Gongsheng 姬宮湦 (or Gongnie 宮涅) |
781-770 BC |
During the flight from the western capital to the east, the Zhou kings relied on the help of the lords of Qin 秦 and Jin 晉. Slain by succession struggles, the Zhou house was never able to reinstall their ancient power. The rulers of the Spring and Autumn period (Chunqiu 春秋) were mere a nominal head of the multiple states that had nothing more to do than to worship its own ancestors, and their names are not more than a simple list.
Already during the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou kings had fully lost their authoritative position. Enfeoffments and politics were all made by the local rulers, especially by the few powers that were successful in gaining the overlordship over the smaller states. The five hegemons (wuba 五霸) of the Spring and Autumn period had taken over the supra-state role of a judge, an appeaser and an executor that once was observed by the kings of Zhou. When the seven great powers (qiguo 七國) of the Warring States Period (Zhanguo 戰國) proclaimed themselves kingdoms, the Zhou rulers had lost their last administrative role. They were not more than the scions of a once mighty house, and the only thing they had to perform were the ancestral rites and the worship of Heaven and Earth. Shortly before the occupation of the small Zhou territory by Qin 秦, it was divided into a western (Xizhou 西周: Henan 河南) and an eastern branch (Dongzhou 東周: Gong 鞏). The last years of the Zhou rulers are still not clear to historians.
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dynastic title
-- Dukes of West Zhou (Xizhou 西周) |
personal name |
time |
| Zhou Yuanwang 周元王 |
Ji Ren 姬仁 |
475-469 BC |
| Zhou Zhendingwang 周貞定王 |
Ji Jie 姬介 |
468-441 BC |
| Zhou Aiwang 周哀王 |
Ji Qubing 姬去病 |
441 |
| Zhou Siwang 周思王 |
Ji Shu 姬叔 |
441 |
Zhou Kaowang 周考王
-- Xizhou Huangong 西周桓公 |
Ji Wei 姬嵬
-- Ji Jie 姬揭 Brother of King Kaowang |
440-426 BC
-- |
| Zhou Weiliewang 周威烈王 |
Ji Wu 姬午 |
425-402 BC |
Zhou Anwang 周安王
-- Xizhou Weigong 西周威公 |
Ji Jiao 姬驕
-- NN |
401-376 BC
-- |
| Zhou Liewang 周烈王 |
Ji Xi 姬喜 |
375-369 BC |
Zhou Xianwang 周顯王
-- Xizhou Huigong 西周惠公 |
Ji Pian 姬扁
-- NN |
368-321 BC
-- |
| Zhou Shenjingwang 周慎靚王 |
Ji Ding 姬定 |
320-315 BC |
| Zhou Nanwang 周赧王 (Yinwang 隱王) Last king of Zhou |
Ji Yan 姬延 (or Dan 誕) |
314-256 BC |
-- Xizhou Wugong 西周武公
Dongzhou (Gong 鞏) Huigong 東周惠公 |
-- Ji Jiu 姬咎
Ji Ban 姬班 Both sons of Xizhou Huigong |
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The Lord of East Zhou (Dongzhou Jun) 東周君
-- Xizhou Wengong 西周文公 |
NN
-- NN |
255-249 BC
-- |
Sources: Zhongguo da cidian bianzuan chu 中國大辭典編纂處(ed., 1936). Guoyu cidian 國語辭典, vol. 4. Beiping [Beijing]: Shangwu yinshuguan. [Rev. ed. Chongqing 1947]. [For the traditional reign dates.]
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