Read the 515 year history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in one article

Mondo History Updated on 2024-02-03

In 770 B.C., King You of Zhou favored Bao Xi, deposed Empress Shen and the crown prince Ji Yijiu, and renamed Bao Xi and his son as queen and prince, which led to Shen Hou's father Shen Hou and Dog Rong to invade Haojing and kill King Zhou You, and later Shen Hou supported the deposed Ji Yijiu as the son of Zhou, that is, King Zhou Ping.

After King Ping of Zhou ascended the throne, in order to avoid the intrusion of the dog Rong, the capital was moved to Luoyang, and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was officially established. This year is the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period.

In the same year, Yu Gonghan, the remnant of King Zhou You, supported Ji Yuchen, the younger brother of King Zhou You, as the son of Zhou Tianzi, that is, Zhou brought the king, and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty formed a situation where the two kings stood side by side. In 750 BC, in order to curry favor with King Zhou Ping, Marquis Wen of Jin attacked and killed King Zhou Xi, ending the 20-year situation of two kings standing side by side.

In 720 BC, King Ping of Zhou died after 50 years of reign, and he appointed the Spring and Autumn Xiaoba Zheng Zhuang Gong as an auxiliary minister. In the same year, his eldest grandson Ji Lin ascended the throne, that is, King Huan of Zhou. After King Huan of Zhou ascended the throne, in order to weaken the control of Zheng Zhuang Gong and seize his power, Zheng Zhuang Gong was furious and no longer saw him.

So, in order to maintain the dignity of the royal family, King Zhou Huan personally led the army to crusade against Zheng Guo, but he was defeated, and King Zhou Huan was also shot in the shoulder, and Zhou Tianzi's prestige was discredited. In 697 BC, King Huan of Zhou, who had reigned for 23 years, died, and his son Ji Tuo ascended the throne, that is, King Zhuang of Zhou.

During the reign of King Zhou Zhuang, in order to maintain the royal family, he married his sister to Qi Xianggong to marry. In 682 BC, King Zhuang of Zhou, who had reigned for 15 years, died and was succeeded by his son Ji Huqi, who was King of Zhou.

During the reign of King Zhou Yi, he was forced to recognize the hegemony of Duke Huan of Qi, so that Duke Huan of Qi could coerce the Son of Heaven to disobey. In 677 BC, King Zhou Yi, who had reigned for 5 years, died, and his son Ji Lang ascended the throne, that is, King Hui of Zhou.

During the reign of King Hui of Zhou, he greedily seized the palace and land of his uncle Ji Hui's retainers, causing Ji Hui to launch a rebellion and expel King Hui of Zhou.

In 673 BC, King Hui of Zhou, with the help of Zheng Guo, killed Ji Yu and restored Zhou Tianzi. In 652 BC, King Hui of Zhou, who had reigned for 25 years, died, and his son Ji Zheng ascended the throne, that is, King Xiang of Zhou.

During the reign of King Xiang of Zhou, the competition for hegemony among the princes became increasingly fierce, and the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period appeared one after another. In 619 BC, King Xiang of Zhou, who reigned for 32 years, died, and his son Ji Renchen succeeded to the throne, that is, King Qing of Zhou.

During the reign of King Zhou Qing, the royal finances were poor, and even King Zhou Xiang had no money to bury him after his death. In 613 BC, King Qing of Zhou, who had reigned for 6 years, died, and his son Ji Ban ascended the throne, that is, King Kuang of Zhou.

During the reign of King Kuang of Zhou, the famous Zhao Dun Incident occurred in the Jin Kingdom. In 607 BC, King Kuang of Zhou, who had reigned for 7 years, died and was succeeded by his younger brother Ji Yu, who was King Ding of Zhou.

During the reign of King Zhou Ding, King Chuzhuang defeated the Jin State and became the overlord. In 586 BC, King Zhou Ding, who reigned for 21 years, died, and his son Ji Yi ascended the throne, that is, King Jian of Zhou.

In 572 BC, King Jian of Zhou, who had reigned for 14 years, died, and his son Ji Chuxin ascended the throne, that is, King Ling of Zhou. During the reign of King Ling of Zhou, the two countries of Jin and Chu allied in the Song Dynasty and divided the hegemony equally.

In 545 BC, King Ling of Zhou, who reigned for 27 years, died, and his son Ji Gui ascended the throne, that is, King Jing of Zhou. During the reign of King Jing of Zhou, the royal family even had to beg from various countries.

In the history of the Zhou Dynasty, during the reign of King Ji Kuo of Zhou Jing, King Goujian of Yue tried his courage to attack and destroy the state of Wu and became the overlord for a while. During the reign of King Jijie of Zhou Zhending, the three doctors of the Jin State, Zhao Xiangzi, Han Kangzi, and Wei Huanzi, defeated Zhibo, forming the actual Zhao State, Korea, and Wei State.

During the reign of Ji Wei, the king of Zhoukao, he assigned the land of Henan to his fourth brother Ji Jie, and established the Duchy of Western Zhou. During the reign of Zhou Weilie Wang Jiwu, Han Qian, Zhao Ji, and Wei Si were the princes of the Jin Dynasty, which was the three divisions of the Jin Dynasty, and since then, the Spring and Autumn Period ended and the Warring States Period began.

During the reign of Jijiao, the king of Zhou'an, canonized Tian He, the great doctor of Qi, as the Marquis of Qi, and was the representative of Qi for the Tian family. During the reign of King Jixi of Zhou Lie, the changes of the vassal states developed to a climax, such as the reform of Shang Ying in the Qin State and the Zou Ji reform in the Qi State.

In 315 B.C., King Shenliang of Zhou died of illness, and his son Ji Yan ascended the throne as King of Zhou. However, during the reign of King Zhou Xun, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty had become a number of principalities, and the status of the Zhou royal family became weaker and weaker.

In the end, he spent the rest of his life in the Western Zhou Principality, but he was unable to restore his former glory. In 256 BC, King Zhou died at the age of 59, leaving no crown prince.

This marked the demise of the Zhou royal family and the Western Zhou principality became history. In the same year, King Zhaoxiang of Qin led his army into Luoyang, Duke Wen of the Western Zhou Dynasty surrendered, and the Principality of the Western Zhou Dynasty was declared extinct. In 249 BC, King Xiang of Qin Zhuang sent Lü Buwei to attack the Eastern Zhou Principality, and Wenjun of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was killed by Lü Buwei, and the history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty also came to an end.

This is the rise and fall of the Zhou Dynasty between 315 and 249 BC. I am Hu Xiaoxin, who loves history, and I like to pay attention to it.

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