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Jin Dynasty (265 AD - 420 AD)

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  • Jin Dynasty (265 AD - 420 AD)

    The Jin dynasty is separated into two parts: the Western Jin (265 - 316), founded by Emperor Wu (better known as Sima Yan) with its capital in LouYang and the Eastern Jin (317 - 420) founded by Emperor Yuan (Sima Rui), moving the capital from LouYang to Jiankang.

    The founder Sima Yan of the Western Jin was from the lineage of the Grand Historian Sima Qian (145 - 85 BCE). Their family had rose to power over the years, and this power was sealed after the incident of the Gaoping Tombs (249 CE) in Wei during the previous Three Kingdoms period where they couped the then ruling government.

    In 280 CE, 15 years after the forming of the Jin dynasty, the other surviving Kingdom, Eastern Wu was finally defeated and China was once more unified under Sima Yan. This unification did not last long as there was constant fighting and vying for power, it all came to head in the civil war of the Battle of the Eight Princes, who were eight princes given titles by Sima Yan and each wanted to take the throne. This upheaval devastated the Western Jin leaving them weakened and open to attack from the barbarian Wu Hu tribes of the North.

    In their weakened state the Jin could not hold off the constant attacks of the Wu Hu tribes and eventually the capital Louyang was captured in 311 with the capturing of Sima Yan and later his sucesssor Emperor Min ruling from Chang'an was also captured in 316.

    During this time the Jin court fled South East to JianKang and a new government was formed under the royal family member Prince Langye. Once news arrived of the fall of Emperor Min, Prince Langye was announced the new Emperor of China, and was given the title Emperor Yuan.

    Unrest plagued the 104 years of the Eastern Jin with Generals such as Generals Wang Dun and Su Jun rebelling against their rulers, trying to usurp the throne. One general Huan Wen came close but died before he could take the throne. But Huan Wen's brother, Huang Chong and a Prime Minister named Xie An joined forces for a brief time and for the first time strengthened the Eastern Jin.

    With this unity they marched an army up north to the former Jin border which was now being ruled by the Wu Hu tribes and lead by Xiongnu (their ruling of this part of China in Chinese history is known as the Sixteen Kingdom period or the Wu Hu period).

    They meet at the Fei River and the Eastern Jin were victorious over Xiongnu and the Wu Hu tribes in this important battle in Chinese history known as the Battle of Fei River.

    Later Huan Xuan son of Huan Wen usurped the throne taking power from the then Emperor An, changing the name of the dynasty to Chu. Soon after he was toppled by an army general named Liu Yu where Liu Yu reinstated Emperor An and later had the Emperor strangled and installed his brother, Emperor Gong the last Emperor of the Jin period to the throne in 419 CE. The Emperor abdicated the throne giving power to his brother Liu Yu, ending the Jin dynasty with the beginning of the next dynasty, The Southern and Northern Dynasties.
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