Politics in the Shang Dynasty
Shang cities and regional rulers held most political authority. The nobles, who were often relatives of the king, ruled most areas of the empire and were controlled by complex arrangements with the emperors. Although the central government had a strong military, it did not use it to enforce its will against the city leaders; this was partly because it drew its soldiers from the city governments.
The capital of the Shang moved many times during the dynasty's rule. The capitals were at the cities of Shang, Bo, Ao, Xiang, Geng, Bi, Yan, and Yin, respectively. (Capitals are shown in red on the map.) Only a few of these capitals have been verified by archaeologists. |
Because of innovations of bronze and chariots, the Shang military was far stronger than the nearby nomads. Using bronze weapons and chariots, the military expanded Shang influence to cover a larger region of the Huang He valley than the Xia and become the first true dynasty. The mountain barriers against nomadic invasion also contributed to Shang military control.
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The nobles and rulers held a revered position in Shang government. Finely detailed bronze vessels were included in the tombs of the nobles as a sign of their greatness and power.
Emperor Di Xin, also known as Emperor Zhou, was the last king of the Shang. He was insane and extremely oppressive of the people. The Zhou Dynasty rulers of west China took advantage of his insanity to overthrow the emperor and declare that they had received a divine mandate to rule China in his stead.
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