The Mandate of Heaven is a Chinese political ideology that was used in ancient and imperial China to legitimize the rule of the King or Emperor of China. According to this doctrine, heaven bestows its mandate on a virtuous ruler. This ruler, the "Son of Heaven," is responsible for maintaining order and justice in the world. The Mandate of Heaven did not require a ruler to be of noble birth, and had no time limitations. Instead, rulers were expected to be good and just in order to keep the Mandate.

The Zhou Dynasty created the Mandate of Heaven, which was the idea that there could be only one legitimate ruler of China at a time, and that this ruler had the blessing of the gods. They used this Mandate to justify their overthrow of the Shang Dynasty and their subsequent rule. Retaining the mandate is contingent on the just and able performance of the rulers and their heirs. Corollary to the concept of the Mandate of Heaven was the right of rebellion against an unjust ruler. The Mandate of Heaven was often invoked by philosophers and scholars in China as a way to curtail the abuse of power by the ruler, in a system that had few other checks.

If a ruler lost the Mandate of Heaven, it was believed that natural disasters, famine, and other calamities would occur, and the people would rise up against the ruler. Chinese historians interpreted a successful revolt as evidence that Heaven had withdrawn its mandate from the ruler. The Mandate of Heaven was an enduring state ideology, and it was also adopted by the kingdom of Silla.