Royals › Monarch / Emperor
King Jie of Xia
Last ruler of the Xia in traditional history, whom the Shiji portrays as a violent king overthrown by Tang of Shang after fleeing to Mingtiao
Mural of the event “Tyranny of Jie of Xia”, which this person took part in.
By the late Xia, class contradictions had sharpened to extremes, aristocratic life had grown corrupt, and the rule of law had collapsed across the state. The last king Jie was a tyrannical glutton whose reckless spending pushed state finances to total crisis.
Also known as Si Lugui · Xia Jie · Jie
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
Jie, in the traditional account the last ruler of the Xia, appears in the Annals of Xia of the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) under the personal name Lugui, son of Di Fa. That chapter says many lords had already turned away from Xia, and that Jie, relying on force rather than virtue, harmed the people; he once summoned Tang of Shang, imprisoned him at Xiatai and then let him go. As the lords rallied to Tang, Tang attacked; Jie fled to Mingtiao and died in exile, regretting that he had not killed Tang when he could. Other texts add colour: the Discourses of the States (Guoyu) has him take Meixi as spoil from the Youshi, the Zhuangzi says he put Guan Longfeng to death, and the Hanshi waizhuan credits him with a lake of wine large enough for boats. The pairing Jie and Zhou later became a byword for tyranny.
Life and times
- UnknownBorn
Xia
Shangtraditional last ruler of the Xia - 1652 BCETyranny of Jie of Xia
Took partThe first warning of tyranny and the loss of the Mandate of Heaven.- Jie's Extravagance and Guan Longfeng1620 BCEKing Jie squandered imperial wealth on lavish palaces, executing loyal chancellor Guan Longfeng for daring dissent.
- Yi Yin Leaves Xia for Shang1610 BCECommoners lamented under oppression while sage Yi Yin abandoned Xia to align with righteous King Tang of Shang.
- Jie's Extravagance and Guan Longfeng
- 1600 BCEBattle of Mingtiao
Took partTang's chariot army defeated Jie at Mingtiao, ending Xia rule and establishing the Shang dynasty.- Battle of Mingtiao and Jie's ExileShang broke Xia defenses amidst a fierce thunderstorm at Mingtiao, pursuing and exiling Jie to Nanchao to inaugurate the dynasty.
- Battle of Mingtiao and Jie's Exile
- 1075 BCETyranny of King Zhou
LegacyShang's apex reversed into political collapse by the cruelty of its final king. - UnknownDied
Connections
- Shared events8
- Interactions1
