| Table of contents |
|
2 Figure 3 Sovereigns of Jin Dynasty 4 Major events 5 Related Articles |
The Jin Dynasty (晉 pinyin jėn, 265-420) followed the Three Kingdoms and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. The dynasty was founded by the Sima family, 司馬 pinyin Sīmǎ.
The first of the two periods, the Western Jin Dynasty (ch. 西晉, 265-316), was founded by Emperor Wu. Although providing a brief period of unity after conquering the Kingdom of Wu in AD 280, the Jin could not contain the invasion and uprising of nomadic peoples after the devastating War of the Eight Princes. The capital was Luoyang until 311 when Emperor Huai was captured by the forces of Han Zhao. Successive reign of Emperor Min lasted four years in Chang'an until its conquest by Former Zhao in 316.
Meanwhile remnants of the Jin court fled from the north to the south and reestablished the Jin court at Jiankang, whch was located south-eastward of Luoyang and Chang'an and near modern-day Nanjing, under Prince of Longya. Prominent local families of Zhu, Gan, Lu, Gu and Zhou supported the proclamation of Prince of Longya as Emperor Yuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (ch. 东晉 317-420) when the news of the fall of Chang'an reached the south.
Militaristic authorities and crises plagued the Eastern Jin court throughout its 104 years of existence. It survived the rebellions of Wang Dun and Su Jun. Huan Wen died in 373 before proclaiming himself emperor. Battle of Fei turned out to be a victory of Jin under a short-lived cooperation of Huan Chong, brother of Huan Wen and the Prime Minister (or Imperial Secretariat) Xie An. Huan Xuan, son of Huan Wen, usurped and changed the name of the dynasty to Chu. He was toppled by Liu Yu, who proclaimed himself Emperor Wu and forced the abdication of the last emperor, Emperor Gong, in 420.Overview
| Posthumous names | Family name and given names | Durations of reigns | Era names and their according range of years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese convention: "Jin" + posthumous name + "di" | |||
| Western Jin Dynasty 265-316 | |||
| Wu | Sima Yan | 265-290 | Taishi 265-274Xianning 275-280 |
| Hui | Sima Zhong | 290-307 | Yongxi May 17, 290-February 15,291Yongping February 16-April 23,291 |
| unknown | Sima Lun | 301 | Jianshi February 3-June 1,301 |
| Huai | Sima Chi | 307-311 | Yongjia 307-313 |
| Min | Sima Ye | 313-316 | Jianxing 313-317 |
| Eastern Jin Dynasty 317-420 | |||
| Yuan | Sima Rui | 317-323 | Jianwu 317-318Daxing 318-322 |
| Ming | Sima Shao | 323-325 | Taining 323-326 |
| Cheng | Sima Yan | 325-342 | Xianhe 326-335Xiankang 335-342 |
| Kang | Sima Yue | 342-344 | Jianyuan 343-344 |
| Mu | Sima Dan | 344-361 | Yonghe 345-357Shengping 357-361 |
| Ai | Sima Pi | 361-365 | Longhe 362-363Xingning 363-365 |
| Fei | Sima Yi | 365-372 | Taihe 365-372 |
| Jianwen (簡文 jian3 wen2) | Sima Yu (司馬昱 si1 ma3 yu4) | 372 | Xianan (咸安 xian2 an1) 372 |
| Xiaowu (孝武 xiao4 wu3) | Sima Yao (司馬曜 si1 ma3 yao4) | 372-396 | Ningkang (寧康 ning2 kang1) 373-375Taiyuan (太元 tai4 yuan2) 376-396 |
| An (安 an1) | Sima Dezong (司馬德宗 si1 ma3 de2 zong1) | 396-418 | Longan (隆安 long2 an1) 397-401Yuanxing (元興 yuan2 xing1) 402-404 |
| Gong (恭 gong1) | Sima Dewen (司馬德文 si1 ma3 de2 wen2) | 419-420 | Yuanxi (元熙 yuan2 xi1) 419-420 |
Major events
Related Articles