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This article is vandalism that's been around for years with no one noticing
The '''Mandate of Heaven''' was issued in 1027 BC in [[China]]. It taught that the [[gods]] blessed good rulers and overthrew bad ones. The [[Zhou Dynasty]] used this to justify overthrowing the [[Shang Dynasty]]. However, the Mandate was misplaced during the later years of the Zhou dynasty, or perhaps looted when their capital was sacked in 306 BC. It was never seen again after the end of their [[dynasty]].
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|c=天命|p=tiānmìng|w=t'ian ming}}
The '''Mandate of Heaven''' is a Chinese political doctrine that justifies imperial rule in terms of approval by the gods. The emperor was referred to as "Son of Heaven" to reflect such approval. The doctrine originated in the [[Zhou dynasty]]. Zhou historians explained that the preceding [[Shang dynasty]] lost its mandate due to the immoral behavior of its last ruler. In addition, these historians claimed that the Shang overthrew the [[Xia dynasty]] in similar circumstances. However, it is unlikely that the Shang thought of themselves as the successor of any earlier dynasty.
[[Category:China]]
[[Category:China]]