King Wu of Zhou

King Wu of Zhou
Family name:	Ji (姬 jī)
Given name:	Fa (發 fā)
Dates of reign:	1046 BC–1043 BC
Dynasty:	Zhou Dynasty
Era name:	none
Posthumous name: (short)	Wu (武 wŭ), literary meaning: "martial"
Posthumous name: (full)	Xiao Wu literary meaning: "filial and martial"

King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: zhōu wŭ wáng) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign, or ruler of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Various sources quoted that he died at the age of 93, 54 or 43. He was considered a just and able leader. Zhou Gong Dan was one of his brothers.

King Wu was the second son of King Wen of Zhou. After ascending to the throne, King Wu tried to accomplish his father's dying wish: the defeat of the Shang Dynasty. King Wu used many wise government officials--most notably Prime Minister Jiang Ziya, a man evidentially declared as "the master of strategy"--resulting in the Zhou government growing far stronger as the years elapsed.

In 1048 BC, King Wu called for a meeting of the surrounding dukes at Meng Jin. More than 800 dukes came to the meeting. In 1046 BC, seeing that the Shang government was in a shambles, King Wu launched an attack along with many neighboring dukes. In the Battle of Muye, Shang forces were destroyed, and King Di Xin of Shang set his palace on fire and burned himself to death.

Following the victory, King Wu established many smaller feudal states under the rule of his brothers and generals. He died three years later in 1043 BC.

Personal information

• Father
  • King Wen of Zhou (with him as second son)
• Mother
  • Taisi (太姒)
• Wife
  • Yi Jiang (邑姜) of state of Qi, daughter of Jiang Shang (姜尚)
• Children
  • Ji Song (姬誦), later King Cheng of Zhou

See also

• Fengshen Yanyi