Zhou Youwang 周幽王 (r. 781-771) was the last ruler of the Western Zhou dynasty 西周 (11th cent.-770 BCE). His personal name was Ji Gongnie 姬宮湼 (also written Sheng 涅 or Huang 湟), and he was the son of King Xuan 周宣王 (r. 827-782). He did not care for government himself but entrusted politics to Guo Shifu 虢石父, who exploited the people in a cruel way. He failed miserably during the campaigns against the Rong barbarians of Liuji 六濟戎. Several earthquakes and droughts worsened the general economic situation of the kingdom. King You was a slave of his consort Bao Si 褒姒, had degraded Queen Shen 申后 and her son, in order to promote Bao Si and her son Bofu 伯服 to the position of queen, resp. heir apparent. Bao Si incited the king to cruelly punish his ministers and the lords. Marquis Shen 申侯, father of the Queen, provided shelter to the heir apparent and created an alliance with the Quanrong barbarians 犬戎. In the battle of Lishan 驪山 the barbarians defeated the royal army, and King You was killed. His heir apparent would take over regency as King Ping 周平王 (r. 770-720) in the eastern capital of Luoyang 洛陽 and founded the Eastern Zhou dynasty 東周 (770-221 BCE). Source: Cang Xiuliang 倉修良 (ed. 1991). Shiji cidian 史記辭典, p. 296. Jinan: Shandong jiaoyu chubanshe.