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King Ping of Zhou

King Ping of Zhou (died 720 BC) (Chinese: 周平王; pinyin: Zhōu Píng Wáng), formerly romanized as King P'ing of Chou, was the thirteenth king of the Chinese zhou dynasty and the first of eastern zhou dynasty. He was the son of King You of Zhou and Queen Shen, and was known as Crown Prince Yijiu before ascending the throne.

King You of Zhou had exiled Queen Shen and Yijiu after the king became enamored with his concubine Bao Si and made her queen. As a result, Queen Shen's father, the Marquess of Shen, teamed with the Dog Rong nomads and local satellite states to overthrow King You. King You was killed, and Bao Si captured. Yijiu ascended the throne and was posthumously known as King Ping of Zhou.

King Ping of Zhou moved the zhou dynasty east from Haojing to Luoyi, thus ending the western zhou dynasty and beginning the eastern zhou dynasty and the spring and autumn period.

Over 14 centuries after King Ping's death, tang dynasty empress regnant Wu Zetian claimed ancestry from King Ping through his son Prince Wu, and changed the dynastic name to Zhou, which was reverted to Tang after her death.

Last update 19-06-2012

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