King Ping of Zhou (before 771 BC - 720 BC) (ch. 周平王 Zhōu Píng Wáng), also referred to as Crown Prince Yijiu or King P'ing of Chou was the thirteenth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the first of Eastern Zhou Dynasty. He was the son of King You of Zhou and Queen Shen.
King You of Zhou had exiled Queen Shen and Crown Prince Yijiu after the king became enamored with his concubine Baosi and made her queen. As a result, Queen Shen's father, the Marquess of Shen, teamed with the Quanrong nomads and local satellite states to overthrow King You. King You was killed, Baosi captured and Yijiu acquired his father's throne as King Ping of Zhou.
King Ping of Zhou moved the Zhou Dynasty east from Hàojīng (鎬京/镐京) to Luoyi (雒邑), thus ending the Xi (Western) Zhou Dynasty and beginning the Dong (Eastern) Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period.
Ping is noteworthy as an ancestor of Wu Zetian, who from 690 AD would style her dynasty the later Zhou in recognition of her ancestry.
| Family name | Ji (姬 Jī) in Chinese |
| Given name | Yijiu (宜臼 Yí Jìu) in Chinese |
| Era name | none |
| Father | King You of Zhou |
| Mother | Queen Shen (Daughter of the Marquess of Shen) |
| Wife | unknown |
| children | Yi Fu (洩父) |
| Grandchildren | Lin (林), King Huan of Zhou |
| Duration of reign | 770 BC-720 BC |
| Tomb | unknown |
| Temple name | unknown |
| Courtesy name | unknown |
| Posthumous name | Ping 平 (pinyin píng), literal meaning: "peaceful" |
|
King Ping of Zhou
|
||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by You |
King of China 772 BC – 720 BC |
Succeeded by Huan |