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1046 BCEReputable sourceWell documented

The Zhou and the Mandate of Heaven

On the timeline · around 1046 BCE · Early DynastiesEarly DynastiesThe Zhou and the Mandate of Heaven1,500 BCE1,250 BCE1,000 BCE750 BCE500 BCE

What happened

In 1046 BCE the Zhou overthrew the Shang at the Battle of Muye. To justify their conquest, the Zhou proclaimed the Mandate of Heaven: the idea that Heaven grants the right to rule to a just sovereign and withdraws it from a corrupt one, so a dynasty could rightfully be replaced if it lost virtue.

Why it matters

The Mandate of Heaven became the enduring theory of political legitimacy in China, used to justify the rise and fall of dynasties for the next three thousand years.

Sources