When the Chou overthrew the last Shang king, they had to convince the people, especially the nobles, that they had the right to rule. The Chou told people that the gods in heaven had told them that they were to rule. This was called “The Mandate of Heaven”, heaven’s orders. The Chou added that the gods had warned them that they would only rule as long as they were good rulers. If they became selfish, and thought of themselves first, before the people, that heaven would appoint another ruling family.
No one knows if the nobles in ancient China believed this fairy tale, but they most probably thought that the Mandate of Heaven sounded like a good idea. The nobles were tired of war between the Shang and the Chou. Most of the nobles would have the same life under Shang or Chou rule, and they knew it. As for the peasants, it did not matter to them which family ruled.
The Mandate of Heaven is based on four principles:
- The right to rule is granted by Heaven.
- There is only one Heaven therefore there can be only one ruler.
- The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler.
- The right to rule is not limited to one dynasty.
Here are some of the ways these principles converted into action and justification:
- It gives the ruler prestige and religious importance.
- It gives the ruler supreme power.
- It allows a new ruler to gain power quickly if the people believe he has the ‘Mandate of Heaven’.
- A ruler’s power must be kept in check by virtue.
- The Mandate of Heaven justifies rebellion as long as the rebellion is successful. Simply because it was successful, obviously then, the new ruler had to have had a Mandate from Heaven.
(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)
