What is Son of Heaven?
{{Chinese | title = Son of Heaven | c = 天子 | p = Tiānzǐ | vie = Thiên tử | chuhan = 天子 | hangul = 천자 | hanja = 天子 | kanji = 天子 | hiragana = てんし | mc = tʰen t͡sɨ<sup>X</sup> | oc-bs = *l̥ˤin *tsəʔ }} The Son of Heaven was a title given to the Chinese ruler who was considered sacred and had power over everything under the sky. This title started with the Zhou dynasty and was based on the idea that the ruler had a [[Mandate of Heaven|mandate from heaven]]. Later, the title was used by other monarchs in the same region to support their own rule. The Son of Heaven was seen as the most important ruler who had power over everything.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Cambridge Illustrated History of China|last=Ebrey|first=Patricia Buckley|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-521-12433-1|edition=2nd|author-link=Patricia Buckley Ebrey|orig-year=1996}}</ref> In some places, like [[China]] and [[Japan]], the ruler was thought of as a god or a chosen one.<ref>{{cite book|title=Heritage of China: Contemporary Perspectives on Chinese Civilization|last=Dull|first=Jack|publisher=University of California Press|year=1990|isbn=978-0-520-06441-6|chapter=The Evolution of Government in China|author-link=Jack Dull}}</ref> == Related pages == * [[Emperor of China]] == Sources == {{Reflist}} * {{Religious Confucianism}} [[Category:Religious Confucianism]]