King Yih of Zhou

Bronze pot, 3rd Year of King Yi Era (896 BCE), Western Zhou dynasty. Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province. Baoji Zhouyuan Museum

Bronze Pot of the Thirteenth Year of King Yi Era (886 BCE), Western Zhou dynasty. Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province. Baoji Zhouyuan Museum

King Yi of Zhou (Chinese: 周懿王; pinyin: Zhōu Yì Wáng), personal name Ji Jian, was a king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. Estimated dates of his reign are 899–892 BC or 899–873 BC.^[1]

King Yi's reign is poorly documented. The first year of his reign is confirmed by a solar eclipse on April 21, 899. He was succeeded to the throne by his uncle King Xiao, who was in turn succeeded by King Yi's son King Yí, who was "restored by the many lords". He is said to have moved from the capital to a locality called Huaili. This hints that he was removed from power by his uncle, but the matter is uncertain.^[2][3] Yi's grandson was King Li of Zhou.^[4]

Family

Queens:

• Wang Bo Jiang, of the Jiang clan (王伯姜 姜姓), the mother of Crown Prince Xie and a daughter

Sons:

• Crown Prince Xie (太子燮; d. 878 BC), ruled as King Yí of Zhou from 885 to 878 BC

Ancestry

See also

• Family tree of Chinese monarchs (ancient)

Sources

1. Cambridge History of Ancient China. Cambridge University Press. May 1999. ISBN 978-0-521-47030-8.
2. Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian. Vol. 4.
3. Han Zhaoqi (韩兆琦), ed. (2010). Shiji (史记) (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company. pp. 2510–2512. ISBN 978-7-101-07272-3.
4. Liu Xueqin 劉學勤 (1992). Zhou Xuanwang 周宣王, in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhongguo lishi 中國歷史, vol. 3, page 1605. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe