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The 'Jìn Dynasty' (; 265–420), one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms period and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. The dynasty was founded by the Sima family (司馬 pinyin: Sīmǎ). Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "''Jin''" (see clarification here). At its height the Jin Dynasty had a population of about 20 million people.

Contents

History

Figure

Sovereigns of Jìn Dynasty

Major events

See also

External links

History

The first of the two periods, the 'Western Jìn Dynasty' (ch: 西晉, 265–316), was founded by Emperor Wu, better known as Sima Yan. Although providing a brief period of unity after conquering the Kingdom of Wu in AD 280, the Jìn 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 Han Zhao in 316.
Meanwhile remnants of the Jìn court fled from the north to the south and reestablished the Jìn court at Jiankang, south-east 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 Langye as Emperor Yuan of the 'Eastern Jìn Dynasty' (ch: 東晉 317–420) when the news of the fall of Chang'an reached the south. (Because the emperors of the Eastern Jìn Dynasty came from the Langye line, the rival Wu Hu states which did not recognize its legitimacy would at times refer to Jìn as "Langye.")
Militaristic authorities and crises plagued the Eastern Jìn court throughout its 104 years of existence. It survived the rebellions of Wang Dun and Su Jun. Huan Wen died in 373 before he could usurp the throne (which he had intended to do). Battle of Fei turned out to be a victory of Jìn 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 ordered the strangulation of the reinstated but retarded Emperor An. The last emperor and brother of Emperor An, Emperor Gong, was installed in 419. Abdication of Emperor Gong in 420 in favor of Liu Yu, then Emperor Wu, ushered in the Liu Song Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties.
Meanwhile North China was ruled by the Sixteen Kingdoms, many of which were founded by the Wu Hu, the non-Han Chinese ethnicities. The conquest of the Northern Liang by the Northern Wei Dynasty in 439 ushered in the Northern Dynasties.

Figure

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Sovereigns of Jìn Dynasty

Posthumous names	Family name and given names	Durations of reigns	Era names and their according range of years
''Chinese convention: "Jìn" + posthumous name + "di"''
'Western Jìn Dynasty 265–316'
Wu	Sima Yan	265–290	★ ''Taishi'' 265–274 ★ ''Xianning'' 275–280 ★ ''Taikang'' 280–289 ★ ''Taixi'' January 28, 290 – May 17, 290
Hui	Sima Zhong	290–307	★ ''Yongxi'' May 17, 290 – February 15, 291 ★ ''Yongping'' February 16 – April 23, 291 ★ ''Yuankang'' April 24, 291 – February 6, 300 ★ ''Yongkang'' February 7, 300 – February 3, 301 ★ ''Yongning'' June 1, 301 – January 4303 ★ ''Taian'' January 5, 303 – February 21, 304 ★ ''Yongan'' February 22 – August 15, 304; December 25, 304 – February 3, 305 ★ ''Jianwu'' August 16 – December 24, 304 ★ ''Yongxing'' February 4, 305 – July 12, 306 ★ ''Guangxi'' July 13, 306 – February 19, 307
none	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 Jìn Dynasty 317–420'
Yuan	Sima Rui	317–323	★ ''Jianwu'' 317–318 ★ ''Taixing'' 318–322 ★ ''Yongchang'' 322–323
Ming	Sima Shao	323–325	★ ''Taining'' 323–326
Cheng	Sima Yan	325–342	★ ''Xianhe'' 326–335 ★ ''Xiankang'' 335–342
Kang	Sima Yue	342–344	★ ''Jianyuan'' 343–344
Mu	Sima Dan	344–361	★ ''Yonghe'' 345–357 ★ ''Shengping'' 357–361
Ai	Sima Pi	361–365	★ ''Longhe'' 362–363 ★ ''Xingning'' 363–365
Fei	Sima Yi	365–372	★ ''Taihe'' 365–372
Jianwen	Sima Yu	372	★ ''Xianan'' 372–373
Xiaowu	Sima Yao	372–396	★ ''Ningkang'' 373–375 ★ ''Taiyuan'' 376–396
An	Sima Dezong	396–419	★ ''Longan'' 397–402 ★ ''Yuanxing'' 402–405 ★ ''Yixi'' 405–419
Gong	Sima Dewen	419–420	★ ''Yuanxi'' 419–420

Major events

★ War of the Eight Princes

★ Wu Hu ravaging

★ Battle of Fei

★ Butterfly Lovers

See also

★ Six dynasties

★ Sixteen Kingdoms

★ Chinese sovereign

★ List of tributaries of Imperial China

★ Liu Song Dynasty

★ Southern Dynasties

★ Northern Wei Dynasty

★ Northern Dynasties

★ Romance of the Three Kingdoms

★ Ge Hong

External links

★ Chinese History, the Jin Dynasty 晉

★ Largest Jin Dynasty Tomb Discovered in NW China