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The Chinese Shang Dynasty began around 1600 BCE, during China's Bronze Age. The government was a monarchy in which the king was both lawmaker and judge so no-one dared to argue with him. He ruled by force, and anyone who transgressed the king's laws would be killed immediately by his soldiers.

The decision about who should be king was originally taken by force - whichever clan had the biggest army would rule the civilization until a clan with a better army came along; in the Shang Dynasty's case, this lasted 550 years.

The king ruled 200 to 300 clans that resided within his territory. Other nobles kept watch watch over smaller regions within the territory. These roles were the equivalents of barons in medieval Europe. Archaeologists think that when a king died in the Shang Dynasty, his closest relation would take the throne.

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9y ago

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