During the Shang Dynasty there was a gap

During the Shang Dynasty there was a gap between the rich and the poor. The kings lived in great wealth and the poor people resented it.

In 1045 BC, an aristocrat named Wu Wang led a rebellion against the Shang Dynasty. After defeating the Shang, Wu began a new dynasty called the Zhou.

ZHOU DYNASTY RDATES OF DYNASTY: 1045 BC - 256 BC CAPITAL CITY: HAO RULERS: KING WU WANG, KING YOO, OTHER KINGS

RRuled for more than 800 years--the longer than any other dynasty RRuled like the Shang dynasty--the king was the head of the government

bureaucracy R Appointed officials who are responsible for different areas of government. R What are the roles of the king? 1. Defend the kingdom against invaders 2. Had to keep the gods and spirits happy by performing religious rituals

Zhou ruled like the Shang RDivided their empire into territories. Aristocrats were in charge. Their son or another relative would take over when they died.

The king was their link between heaven and earth. He carried out religious rituals to strengthen the link between them and the gods. They claimed that kings ruled China because they had the Mandate of Heaven.

mandate • A formal order • Mandate of Heaven: written in the book from the god Tian. He was also called “Heaven. ” This was a heavenly law. The gods chose the king because of his talent and virtue (your morals or beliefs).

• The Mandate of Heaven worked in two ways: 1. The people expected the king to rule according to the proper way or Dao. 2. His duty was to keep the gods happy. If something happened to their civilization the people would think the king did not do his duty. 3. Because of the Mandate of Heaven they could replace him with another king.

• The Mandate of Heaven gave people rights! They could get rid of an evil ruler.

Zhou Accomplishments • Developed irrigation and flood control systems • Invented iron plows • Traded silk • Made more things to trade • Invented the crossbow • Invented the saddle and stirrup

crossbow

Saddle and stirrup

SOCIAL CLASSES King - gave land to the nobles Nobles -armies protected kingdom -divided land into states -made up the rules for their land Peasants Farmed the land f served the nobles -Had to be in the army

Public works • Peasants did a lot to serve the nobles. They built public works. Public works are structures built by the government for everyone’s use. • The peasant’s life was full of hardship as they did much of the manual work.

WHAT DID THE NOBLES HAVE TO DO FOR THE PEASANTS? THEY HAD TO PROTECT THEM

The story of King You • In the capital city of Hao the king got ready for an attack by ordering fires lit on hills around the capital. Several times King You had the fires lit to see if the armies would come. One day there was an attack but when the hills were lit the nobles’ armies thought it was another false alarm and did not come. Invaders came and took over the capital.

• King You died and the powers of the Kings were weak. The nobles began to be stronger. The made the land given to them by the king independent states. • The rulers fought with each other (200 years). It was called the Warring Kingdom period.

Extra information - (For class • • • discussion only) Family Sacrificing - no class Mostly horseback fighting Buried with living people Peasants - summer homes/winter homes Gods of nature - Tien Spring Festival Merchants and Craftsmen Astronomy Roads built