King Li of Zhou (died in 828 BC) (), personal name Ji Hu, was the tenth king of the
Chinese Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...
. Estimated dates of his
reign
A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Andorra), of a people (e.g., the Franks, the Zulus) or of a spiritual community (e.g., Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism ...
are 877–841 BC or 857–842 BC (''Cambridge History of Ancient China'').
King Li was a corrupt and decadent king. To pay for his pleasures and vices, King Li raised taxes and caused misery among his subjects. It is said that he barred the commoners from profiting from the communal forests and lakes. He enstated a new law which allowed him to punish anyone, by death, who dared to speak against him. King Li's bad rule soon forced many peasants and soldiers into revolt, and Li was sent into exile at a place called Zhi near
Linfen
Linfen is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. It is situated along the banks of the Fen River. It has an area of and according to the 2020 Census, a population of 3,976, ...
(842 BC).
His son was taken by one of his ministers and hidden.
When Li died in exile in 828 BC, power was passed to his son.
Family
Queens:
* Shen Jiang, of the Jiang clan of
Shen (), a sister of the Count of
Shen; the mother of Crown Prince Jing and You
Sons:
* Crown Prince Jing (; d. 782 BC), ruled as
King Xuan of Zhou
__NOTOC__
King Xuan of Zhou, personal name Ji Jing, was the eleventh king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Estimated dates of his reign are 827/25–782 BC.
He worked to restore royal authority after the Gong He interregnum. He fought the 'Western ...
from 827–782 BC
* Prince You (; d. 771 BC), ruled as
Duke Huan of Zheng
Duke Huan of Zheng (), was the founder of the state of Zheng during the early Zhou Dynasty of ancient China. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, he was the son of King Li of Zhou . His ancestral name was Ji (姬), given name You ( ...
from 806–771 BC
** Served as the
Minister of Education of Zhou from 773–771 BC
Ancestry
See also
*
Family tree of ancient Chinese emperors
This is a family tree of Chinese monarchs covering the period of the Five Emperors up through the end of the Spring and Autumn period.
Five Emperors
The legendary Five Emperors were traditionally regarded as the founders of the Chinese state. ...
Sources
Zhou dynasty kings
9th-century BC Chinese monarchs
828 BC deaths
Year of birth unknown
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