WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Mandate of Heaven (Tian ming) is the belief that the kings and emperors of China have been chosen to rule through the will of the supreme deity Heaven. The king remains in power only so long as he governs with virtue and, in this way, retains Heaven’s favor.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Mandate of Heaven did not require a ruler to be of noble birth, and had no time limitations. Instead, rulers were expected to be good and just in order to keep the Mandate.

Detailed explanation-3: -The ‘Mandate of Heaven’ established the idea that a ruler must be just to keep the approval of the gods. It was believed that natural disasters, famines, and astrological signs were signals that the emperor and the dynasty were losing the Mandate of Heaven.

Detailed explanation-4: -The “Mandate of Heaven” is an ancient Chinese philosophical concept, which originated during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE). The Mandate determines whether an emperor of China is sufficiently virtuous to rule; if he does not fulfil his obligations as emperor, then he loses the Mandate and thus the right to be emperor.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Mandate of Heaven was reinforced by Confucianism and its teachings. Confucianism was a belief system derived from the writings of Chinese scholar Kong Fuzi (Wade-Giles: Confucius) who lived between 551BC and 479BC.

Detailed explanation-6: -The Zhou created the Mandate of Heaven: the idea that there could be only one legitimate ruler of China at a time, and that this ruler had the blessing of the gods. They used this Mandate to justify their overthrow of the Shang, and their subsequent rule.