Yi Jiang (; 11th century BC), was a Chinese queen and government minister. She was married to

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou () was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC. King Wu's ancestral name was ...

(r. 1046–1043 BC). She was the first queen of the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

. She,

Fu Hao Fu Hao () died c. 1200 BC, posthumous temple name Mu Xin (母辛), was one of the many wives of King Wu Ding of the Shang dynasty and also served as a military general and high priestess. Minimal evidence detailing Fu Hao's life and military ach ...

and

Lady Nanzi Nanzi (南子) also called Wey Ling Nanzi Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles. 2007. (? – 480 BC) was the consort of Duke Ling of Wey (r. 534–492 BC) in the Spring and Autumn period. She was most famous for her meeting with Con ...

belonged to the few politically influential women in China prior to

Queen Dowager Xuan Queen Dowager Xuan of Qin (; 338(?)–265 BC), also known as Mi Bazi (羋八子), was the first queen dowager in Chinese history. A concubine of King Huiwen of Qin and the mother of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Queen Dowager Xuan acted as regent for h ...

Life

Very little is known about Yi Jiang's early life. She was the first daughter of the Great Duke of Qi, of the Lü lineage of the Jiang clan of Qi (), a former officer of the Shang dynasty who was given political asylum at the home of Ji Chang, Count Wen of Zhou State, when he was pursued by King Zhou of the Shang dynasty. Yijiang married Ji Chang's second son, Ji Fa, the future King Wu, in the year of their first meeting around 1055 BC she gave birth to two children, the oldest being Ji Song, future

King Cheng of Zhou King Cheng of Zhou (), personal name Ji Song (姬誦), was the second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042–1021 BCE or 1042/35–1006 BCE. His parents were King Wu of Zhou and Queen Yi Jiang (邑姜). King Cheng w ...

(probably born in 1054 BC), the second son was Ji Yu, future Duke of Tang. Yi Jiang belonged to the Jiang family and was born in Yi. Her marriage to Ji Fa was one of many instances of arranged marriages between members of the Ji and Jiang families, who had an old dynastic alliance. It was considered a sign of good fortune for the Zhou rulers when they married consorts of the Jiang family, this former aristocratic family that had been losing its prominence in the last years of the Shang dynasty, and was restored to power after the founding of the Zhou dynasty. Yi Jiang is acknowledged to have had influence over the affairs of state. Her spouse the king appointed her as one of his nine government ministers, an appointment which is confirmed in records.Keith McMahon,
Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao
'

Issue

* Prince Song (; 1060–1020 BC), ruled as

from 1042 to 1021 BC * Third son, Prince Yu (), ruled as the Marquis of

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

from 1042 BC

References

{{Reflist 11th-century BC births 11th-century BC deaths 11th-century BC Chinese people 11th-century BC women Chinese queens