Duke of Zhou

(noun)

A regent to the king who established the feudal system, and held a lot of power during the Western Zhou period. 

Related Terms

Examples of Duke of Zhou in the following topics:

  • Society Under the Zhou Dynasty

    • Under the initial period of the Zhou Dynasty (called the Western Zhou period), a number of innovations were made, rulers were legitimized under the Mandate of Heaven, a feudal system developed, and new forms of irrigation allowed the population to expand.
    • The first period of Zhou rule, during which the Zhou held undisputed power over China, is known as the Western Zhou period.
    • At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty's rule, the Duke of Zhou, a regent to the king, held a lot of power, and the king rewarded the loyalty of nobles and generals with large pieces of land.
    • When the Duke of Zhou stepped down, China was united and at peace, leading to years of prosperity.
    • Portrait of the Duke of Zhou in Sancai Tuhui, a Chinese encyclopedia published in 1609 during the Ming Dynasty.

  • The Mandate of Heaven

    • The Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang Dynasty, and used the Mandate of Heaven as justification.
    • Under the Zhou Dynasty, China moved away from worship of Shangdi ("Celestial Lord") in favor of worship of Tian ("heaven"), and they created the Mandate of Heaven.
    • The Zhou claimed that their rule was justified by the Mandate of Heaven.
    • The need for the Zhou to create a history of a unified China is also why some scholars think the Xia Dynasty may have been an invention of the Zhou.
    • The Zhou ruled until 256 BCE, when the state of Qin captured Chengzhou.

  • Art Under the Zhou Dynasty

    • Under the Zhou, expansion of this form of writing continued, with the inclusion of patrons and ancestors.
    • Very few paintings from the Zhou have survived, however written descriptions of the works have remained.
    • During the Eastern Zhou period, a large quantity of lacquerware began to be produced.
    • The written inscription of 11 ancient Chinese characters on the bronze vessel states its use and ownership by Zhou royalty.
    • Identify some of the art forms prevelant under the Zhou Dynasty

  • The Eastern Zhou Period

    • The first period of Zhou rule, which lasted from 1046-771 BCE and was referred to as the Western Zhou period, was characterized mostly by unified, peaceful rule.
    • Thus, the assassination marked the end of the Western Zhou period and the beginning of the Eastern Zhou period.
    • The first part of the Eastern Zhou period is known as the Spring and Autumn period, named after the Spring and Autumn Annals, a text that narrated events on a year-by-year basis, and marked the beginning of China's deliberately recorded history.
    • This period, in the second half of the Eastern Zhou, lasted from about 475-221 BCE, when China was united under the Qin Dynasty.
    • After a series of wars among these powerful states, King Zhao of Qin defeated King Nan of Zhou and conquered West Zhou in 256 BCE; his grandson, King Zhuangxiang of Qin, conquered East Zhou, bringing the Zhou Dynasty to an end.

  • Rise of the Tang Dynasty

    • The Tang dynasty was largely a period of progress and stability in the first half of its rule, followed by the An Lushan Rebellion and the decline of central authority in the later half of the dynasty.
    • Two of China's most famous poets, Li Bai and Du Fu, belonged to this age, as did many famous painters such as Han Gan, Zhang Xuan, and Zhou Fang.
    • Decline of the Sui Dynasty and the Founding of the Tang
    • Li Yuan was duke of Tang and governor of Taiyuan during the Sui dynasty's collapse.
    • Wu's rule was actually a short break in the Tang dynasty, as she established the short-lived Zhou dynasty; the Tang dynasty was restored after her rule.

  • Louis XV

    • His grandfather and Louis XIV's son, Louis Le Grand Dauphin (Dauphin being the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France), had three sons with his wife Marie Anne Victoire of Bavaria: Louis, Duke of Burgundy; Philippe, Duke of Anjou (who became King of Spain); and Charles, Duke of Berry.
    • Louis XV was the third son of the Duke of Burgundy and his wife Marie Adélaïde of Savoy.
    • At birth, Louis XV received a customary title for younger sons of the French royal family: Duke of Anjou.
    • Initially, Louis XV left the Duke of Orléans in charge of state affairs.
    • Following the advice of Fleury, Louis XV appointed his cousin Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, to replace the late Duke of Orléans.

  • Introduction to the Shang Dynasty

    • It built huge cities, monopolized bronze, and developed writing, until it was overthrown by the Zhou.
    • The Shang Dynasty (also called the Yin Dynasty) succeeded the Xia Dynasty, and was followed by the Zhou Dynasty.
    • Instead, a council of chosen advisers administered various aspects of the government.
    • The Shang Dynasty was overthrown in 1046 BCE by the Zhou, a subject people living in the western part of the kingdom.
    • The names and timeframes of these kings match traditional lists of Shang kings.

  • The Xia Dynasty

    • The final part of the Mythical Period was under the rule of the legendary Xia Dynasty, which may have been mythological.
    • Yu supposedly began the practice of inherited rule (passing power from father to son), a model that was perpetuated in the later Shang and Zhou dynasties.
    • Many argue that the Zhou Dynasty, which ruled China much later, invented the idea of the Xia Dynasty to support their claim that China could only be, and had always been, ruled by one ruler.
    • The Zhou created the idea of the "Mandate of Heaven," which stated that there could be only one legitimate ruler of China at any given time.
    • Some people argue, therefore, that the Zhou may have created the idea of an ancient Xia Dynasty to support the idea that China always had one ruler.

  • Administration of the Empire

    • The 1232 document marked the first time that the German dukes were called domini terræ, owners of their lands, a remarkable change in terminology as well.
    • The direct governance of the Reichsgut no longer matched the needs of either the king or the dukes.
    • In the Holy Roman Empire, the main dukes and bishops of the kingdom elected the King of the Romans.
    • In 1356, Emperor Charles IV issued the Golden Bull, which limited the electors to seven: the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony, the Margrave of Brandenburg, and the archbishops of Cologne, Mainz, and Trier.
    • During the Thirty Years' War, the Duke of Bavaria and the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg were given the right to vote as the eighth and ninth electors, respectively.

  • Chinese Philosophy

    • Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, and Mohism all began during the Zhou Dynasty in the 6th century BCE, and had very strong influences on Chinese civilization.
    • He looked back on the Western Zhou period, with its strong centralized state, as an ideal.
    • Daoism as a religion arose over time, and involved the worship of gods and ancestors, the cultivation of "chi" energy, a system of morals, and the use of alchemy to achieve immortality.
    • The first was concerned with shi, or the investment of the position of ruler with power (rather than the person) and the necessity of obtaining facts to rule well.
    • The third was the concept of shu, or tactics to keep the state safe.