-The Xia dynasty was done, so now the Shang dynasty was kicked off!
-Lord Tang was now King Tan (or Da Yi) of the Shang dynasty!
-The dawn of the Shang dynasty is estimated to be at c. 1675 BC, but who the fuck knows.
-The capital was moved from (Henan (I guess?) to modern-day Anyang, Henan Province.
-Also, apparently the way capitals worked back then was that there were usually two- one was the "political" capital (where the king/emperor lived) and the other was the "ancestral" capital (where the dynasty traced its roots and where all their relics were and shit).
-Anyway, King Tang had inherited a pretty fucked up kingdom, which had been suffering as a result of the natural disasters caused by the divine "powers that be" being pissed off at King Jie's madness.
-So, King Tang pledged to his ancestors and the gods that he would love a life of purity and righteousness, and then he began to work hard to improve his kingdom.
-Thus, the drought and other natural disasters ended, and their was much rejoicing amongst the masses.
-King Tang died c. 1650 BC, but it's unclear as to what exactly went down after this (or if this even happened at all, to be honest).
-It's possible that he was succeeded by his eldest son, Tai Ding (AKA Da Ding), but the Records of the Grand Historian say that Da Ding died when he was young and before the death of King Tang, and that King Tang was proceeded by his own younger brother Wai Bing (AKA Bu Bing).
-However, the oracle bones (a primary source!) say that Tai Ding was indeed the second king and that he was then succeeded by his own son, Tai Jia (AKA Da Jia or Zhi), upon his death.
-Anyway, so whatever happened, Tai Jia is now king.
-The Records of the Grand Historian say that he was actually the 4th king (after succeeding his uncles Wai Bing and Zhong Ren (AKA Zi Yong); obviously who the fuck knows what was actually going on at this time.
-Tai Jia ended up being a shitty ruler, as he was a tyrant and hedonist.
-In order to save the dynasty, advisor Yi Yin (AKA Yi Zhi, or A Heng; the same dude who served as adviser to Lord Tang (AKA King Tang or Dai) seized power.
-Yi Yin then had King Tai Jia arrested and exiled to Yanshi County (modern-day Luoyang, Henan Province). He then ruled as regent for a few years until he allowed for King Tai Jia to come back.
-King Tai Jia then proved to everyone that he'd really changed for the good and learned his lesson, and winds up being a really good ruler after this!
-The Bamboo Annals, however, say that Yi Yin seized power in a violent coup until King Tai Jia was able to wrest power from him 7 years later in a violent counter-coup, with Yi Yin ending up being killed. So who knows, but experts think this version seems more unlikely.
-Also, because of these different versions, it's extremely difficult/impossible to have a clear idea of WTF was really going on or who succeeded who during this time.
-Anyway, so according to the oracle bones, when King Tai Jia died the throne went to his younger brother, Bu Bing (King Tai Jia's son was too young, I guess).
-King Bu Bing only ruled for a couple years before kicking the bucket.
-Next up was (depending on who you ask) King Tai Geng (AKA Da Geng), son of King Tai Jia. However, the Records of the Grand Historian claim that the next king was actually another of King Tai Geng's sons, Wo Ding (AKA Xun or Qiang Ding), but he isn't mentioned in the oracle bones...
-King Tai Geng either ruled for 5 or 25 years before croaking.
-Next up was King Xiao Jia, brother of King Tai Geng. He reigned for 17 years.
-Next up was (once again, depending on which version) King Da Wu (AKA Tai Wu), brother of King Xiao Jia, or King Yong Ji (AKA Lu Ji), another brother of King Xiao Jia.
-It was recorded that King Da Wu ruled for 75 years!
-Also during this time the Shang dynasty had increasing contact with the "Western Barbarians" (known as the Xirong (AKA just "Rong" or Hsi-jung)); the Shang described these savages as having red hair, green eyes, and other weird shit).
-Next up after this was King Zhong Ding (nephew of King Yong Ji), and he moved the capital to Ao (modern-day Zhengzhou, Henan Province).
-Fun fact: at some point, the Shang dynasty clashed with some horde known as the "Blue Barbarians", whoever the fuck they were.
-King Zhong Ding ruled for 10 years or so.
-Next was King Wai Ren (AKA Bu Ren), younger brother of King Zhong Ding.
-During this time, 2 of the Shang's vassal states (Pei and Xian) rebelled.
-These rebellions continued until after King Wai Ren died (ruled for 15 years).
-Next was King Jian Jia (AKA He Dan Jia), son of King Wai Ren.
-During this time the Shang dynasty clashed with the mysterious Blue Barbarians again, and King Jiang Jia spent a lot of time quelling the rebellions.
-King Jian Jia ruled for 9 years before dying.
-The next king was King Jian Jia's son, King Zu Yi.
-Moved the capital around a bunch, ruled for 19 years.
-Next was King Zu Yi's son, King Zu Xin. He ruled for 16 years.
-Next up was King Zu Xin's younger brother, King Wo Jia (AKA Qiang Jia).
-He ruled for 20-25 years.
-Next up was King Zu Xin's son, King Zu Ding, ruling for 32 years.
-Next up was his cousin, King Nan Geng. He ruled for 29 years.
-Next up was King Zu Ding's son, King Yang Jia (AKA Xiang Jia). Ruled for 7-17 years.
-Next up was King Yang Jia's younger bro, King Pan Geng (AKA Xun).
-Notable for moving the capital to Yin (modern-day Anyang, Henan Province), where it would remain the capital for the rest of the Shang dynasty period.
-Ruled for 28 years.
-Next up was King Pan Geng's younger bro, King Xiao Xin. He ruled for 3 years.
-Next up was King Xiao Xin's younger bro, King Xiao Yi, who ruled for 10 years.
-Next up was King Xiao Yi's son, King Wu Ding, who would rule for 59 years (c. 1250-1192 BC).
-We actually know surprisingly a lot about this dude since we have primary sources and other shit (like tombs and artifacts) that clearly demonstrate that he existed at some point.
-He was considered to be one of the best of the Shang dynasty kings, with many advancements in technology and science during this time.
-Had as many as 60 concubines/wives at his palace, given to him from neighboring tribes and states in order to secure alliances.
-The Shang dynasty population at this point was about 13.5 million people!
-Another important point is that we know a lot about King Wu Ding because we found that the tomb of his favorite concubine, Fu Hao (AKA Lady Hao, Mu Xin, or Lady Fu Hao) who herself was a badass. She was buried with a bunch of weapons and shit!
-Fu Hao was a genius at social manipulation, so she quickly rose through the ranks of the concubines to eventually come to dominate the others and gain the attention (and ear) of the king.
-She was eventually appointed to be the high priestess in charge of conducting the bone rituals and ceremonies and shit. Additionally, she was even given a position as army commander (!) and led the Shang armies during wars of expansion! This included battles with hordes such as the Yi (or Lo) people (ancestors of the Tibetans and others), the Qiang people (unclear who they are really), and the state of Ba.
-Also during this time, the Shang began to fight with barbarians to the north and west, such as the Guifang (possibly proto-Huns), Di (proto-Tibetans), and Quiang people.
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