Gonghe Regency

Quick Facts: Who was Gonghe Regency?

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Gonghe Regency

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An interregnum period in Zhou history (841–828 BC) following King Li's exile.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Gonghe Regency (Chinese: 共和执政; pinyin: Gònghé Zhízhèng) was an interregnum period in Chinese history led by He, Earl of Gong, from 841 BC to 828 BC, after King Li of Zhou was exiled by his nobles during the Compatriots Rebellion [zh], when the people rioted against their old corrupt king. It lasted until the ascension of King Li's son, King Xuan of Zhou. King Li of Zhou was, according to contemporary sources, a corrupt and decadent ruler. To pay for his pleasures and vices, King Li raised taxes and caused misery among his subjects. It is said that he barred the commoners from profiting from communal forests and lakes, and instated a new law which allowed him to punish anyone, by death, who dared to speak against him.

Career & Major Achievements

King Li's tyrannical rule soon forced many peasants and soldiers all around Zhou China into revolt in what was called the Compatriots Rebellion (國人暴动). Li was sent into exile at a place called Zhi near modern Linfen (842 BC), his son was taken by one of his ministers and hidden. To ensure stability during the resulting power vacuum, He, Earl of Gong took power. He was born in the State of Wei (衞國) and was eventually enfeoffed in Gong, forming his own state. Lüshi Chunqiu records the Zhou turning to He of their own accord to begin the regency during the Compatriots Rebellion.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

When King Li died in exile in 828 BC, power was passed to his son, the King Xuan of Zhou, ending the regency. He, Earl of Gong, would return to his home state, wherein it would rain heavily. Han dynasty historian Sima Qian interpreted gonghe as 'joint harmony' in his Records of the Grand Historian, and thus concluded that it was two famous dukes, Duke Ding of Zhou and Duke Mu of Shao, who took power, hence effectively transforming the state into a coregency. Later discoveries proved this incorrect. According to the Bamboo Annals, an archaeologically unearthed text discovered in antiquity but postdating Sima Qian, the Gonghe Regency was a period in which the Zhou dynasty was ruled by a single person—He, Earl of Gong.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Gonghe Regency

True or False: “The Gonghe Regency was universally understood by all subsequent Chinese historians to have been a coregency between two dukes.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While Sima Qian initially interpreted it as a coregency, later texts like the Bamboo Annals established that it was ruled by a single person: He, Earl of Gong.

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