Sima Ying (司馬穎) (279 – c. December 306), courtesy name Zhangdu (章度), was a Jin dynasty imperial prince who served briefly as his half-brother Emperor Hui 's regent and crown prince . He was the sixth of eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes . His title was the Prince of Chengdu (成都王), but he did not receive any posthumous names .
72-546: Sima Ying was Sima Yan 's 16th son, by his concubine Consort Cheng. On 22 December 289, Emperor Wu created him the Prince of Chengdu, with a fiefdom of 10000 households. After Emperor Wu died in May 290 and Emperor Hui succeeded to the throne, Sima Ying remained in the capital Luoyang . However, after he once rebuked Jia Mi ( 賈謐 ), a nephew of Emperor Hui's powerful wife Empress Jia Nanfeng , for disrespecting Emperor Hui's son Sima Yu
144-580: A détente with Lu and treated the Eastern Wu border residents well, causing them to view Jin favorably. When Emperor Wu ascended the throne in February 266, he honored his mother Wang Yuanji as empress dowager. In 266, he also honored his aunt Yang Huiyu ( Sima Shi 's wife) an empress dowager, in recognition of his uncle's contributions to the establishment of the Jìn Dynasty. He made his wife Yang Yan empress
216-417: A conclusive victory against Sima Ai. Sima Yong's forces were about to withdraw in spring 304 when Sima Yue the Prince of Donghai, the grandson of Sima Tai (司馬泰; a great-granduncle of Emperor Hui), believing that Sima Ai could not win this war, arrested him and delivered him to Sima Yong's general Zhang Fang ( 張方 ), who executed Sima Ai cruelly by burning him to death. Sima Ying became in effective control of
288-467: A county magistrate to seize public land for themselves, Emperor Wu refused to punish the high level officials while punishing the county magistrate harshly. Emperor Wu faced two major military issues almost immediately—incessant harassment from the rival Eastern Wu 's forces, under emperor Sun Hao , and tribal rebellions in Qin (秦) and Liang (涼) provinces (modern Gansu ). Most officials were more concerned about
360-449: A joint attack by Liu Cong and Wang on Luoyang, but that victory was the exception to Han-Zhao's inexorable advances. After Liu Yuan died in 310 and was succeeded by Liu Cong, Han-Zhao renewed its attacks on the Luoyang region. Meanwhile, Sima Yue continued to alienate other generals and officials, and when Liu Kun , the military commander of Bing (并州, roughly modern Shanxi ) proposed to him
432-409: A particularly fateful choice on Crown Prince Zhong's behalf—in 272, he selected Jia Nanfeng , the strong-willed daughter of the noble Jia Chong , to be Crown Prince Zhong's princess. Crown Princess Jia would, from that point on, have the crown prince under her own tight control. Before Empress Yang died in 274, she was concerned that whoever the new empress would be, she would have ambitions to replace
504-769: A plan with Gou Xi , the military commander of Qing Province (青州, modern central and eastern Shandong ), who had been dissatisfied with Sima Yue, to overthrow Sima Yue's yoke. Sima Yue discovered this plan, but was unable to wage a campaign against Gou. He grew ill in his anger and distress, and died in April 311. The generals and officials in his army, led by Wang Yan , instead of returning to Luoyang, headed east toward Sima Yue's principality of Donghai (roughly modern Linyi , Shandong ) to bury him there. He Lun, upon hearing about Sima Yue's death, also withdrew from Luoyang and sought to join that force. However, both were intercepted by Shi Le and wiped out. Shi, declaring that Sima Yue had caused
576-548: A power balance that Emperor Wu had hoped for at his death might be restored, as Princes Jiong and Ying were each given regent titles (and awarded the nine bestowments , in one rare case where the nine bestowments were not signs of an impending usurpation, although Prince Ying declined the bestowments), and many talented officials were promoted into important positions. However, the Princes Jiong and Ying were actually apprehensive of each other's power, and Prince Ying decided to yield
648-474: A relatively smooth process. After the fall of Eastern Wu, Emperor Wu ordered that provincial governors no longer be in charge of military matters and become purely civilian governors, and that regional militias be disbanded, despite opposition by the general Tao Huang and the key official Shan Tao . This would also eventually prove to create problems later on during the upheaval of the Five Barbarians , as
720-433: A result, Yang Jun became fearful of Sima Liang and had him posted to the key city of Xuchang . Several other imperial princes were also posted to other key cities in the empire. By 290, Emperor Wu resolved to let Yang and Sima Liang both be regents, but after he wrote his will, the will was seized by Yang Jun, who instead had another will promulgated in which Yang alone was named regent. Emperor Wu died soon thereafter, leaving
792-450: A son of Emperor Hui's uncle, Sima You ), and Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian (a grandson of Emperor Hui's great-granduncle Sima Fu , Prince Xian of Anping), each of whom had strong independent military commands—Sun sent his trusted subordinates to be their assistants. Prince Jiong refused and declared a rebellion to restore Emperor Hui. At Lu's suggestion, Sima Ying declared for the rebellion as well, and as Sima Jiong's forces were stuck in
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#1733202255925864-485: A stalemate against Sima Lun's troops, Sima Ying defeated the other wing of Sima Lun's forces, causing them to collapse. As Sima Jiong and Sima Ying's forces approached Luoyang. Sima Lun was captured by officials in Luoyang who declared for the rebellion as well, and forced to issue an edict returning the throne to Emperor Hui. He was then forced to commit suicide in June. The associates of Sima Lun were executed. Some thought that
936-512: The Book of Jin and Wenxian Tongkao record another embassy from " Da Qin " appearing in China during the reign of Emperor Wu. These histories assert that it arrived in 284 and presented tributary gifts to the emperor. As Emperor Wu grew ill in 289, he considered whom to make regent. He considered both Yang Jun and his uncle Sima Liang the Prince of Ru'nan, the most respected of the imperial princes. As
1008-546: The War of the Eight Princes and the loss of northern China, would remain in place as a Jin institution for the duration of the dynasty's existence, and would be adopted by the succeeding Southern dynasties as well. Another problem that Emperor Wu saw with Cao Wei's political system was its harshness in penal law, and he sought to reform the penal system to make it more merciful—but the key beneficiaries of his changes turned out to be
1080-517: The Xianbei , Qiang and other tribes in northwestern China and also with the Xiongnu in modern Shanxi , who were resettled there after the dissolution of their state by Cao Cao in 216 under the watchful eyes of Chinese officials, and were feared for their military abilities. These officials advised Emperor Wu to try to suppress the tribes before considering conquests of Eastern Wu. Under the encouragement of
1152-434: The crown prince , Empress Jia sent Sima Ying away from the capital to take up the defense post for the important city of Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan , Hebei ). Sima Ying was handsome but not much more intelligent than his developmentally disabled half-brother Emperor Hui. However, he developed a good reputation among officials and the people by being lenient, filial to his mother Princess Dowager Cheng, and listening to
1224-404: The Eight Princes, he held a number of offices in the capital Luoyang . In early 304, when the regent Sima Ai the Prince of Changsha (Emperor Hui's half-brother) was battling the forces of Sima Ying the Prince of Chengdu (also Emperor Hui's half-brother) and Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian (grandson of Emperor Hui's great-granduncle Sima Fu , Prince Xian of Anping [安平献王]), even though Sima Ai
1296-671: The King of Jin by the next day. On 4 February 266, he forced Cao Huan to abdicate, ending the state of Cao Wei. Four days later, on 8 February 266, he declared himself emperor of the Jin dynasty. Emperor Wu immediately sought to avoid what he saw as Cao Wei's fatal weakness—lack of power among the imperial princes. In February 266, immediately after taking the throne, he made princes of many of his uncles, cousins, brothers, and sons, each with independent military commands and full authority within their principalities. This system, while it would be scaled back after
1368-472: The Prince of Han, claiming descent (through a princess) from the Han dynasty , thus creating Han-Zhao .) Once Sima Ying arrived in Luoyang, he found the troops of his ally Sima Yong there, commanded by Zhang Fang. Instead of continuing to support Sima Ying, however, Sima Yong turned his back on Sima Ying and had him removed from his crown prince position, instead creating another half-brother of Emperor Hui, Sima Chi
1440-579: The Prince of Lujiang and Sima Kuo ( 司馬廓 ) the Prince of Zhongdu, attempting to flee to Gongshi, when he was intercepted by Feng Song ( 馮嵩 ) the governor of Dunqiu Commandery (頓丘, roughly modern Puyang , Henan ) and taken to Yecheng. The defender of that city, Sima Xiao ( 司馬虓 ) the Prince of Fanyang (a cousin of Sima Yue and his brothers Sima Teng , Sima Lue and Sima Mo ), imprisoned Sima Ying but did not wish to kill him. However, when Sima Xiao died later that year, his secretary Liu Yu ( 劉輿 ), worried that there were still many of Sima Ying's supporters in
1512-427: The Prince of Yuzhang, crown prince. Sima Ying was demoted back to being the Prince of Chengdu. Soon, Zhang forced Emperor Hui, Crown Prince Chi, and Sima Ying to move from Luoyang to Chang'an , safely under Sima Yong's control. After Sima Ying was removed as crown prince, the people of Yecheng nevertheless missed the days when he was considered a capable governor, under Lu's guidance. In 305, his former subordinates,
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#17332022559251584-687: The Prince of Yuzhang. Later, Yong further had Zhang forcibly move Emperor Hui and Crown Prince Chi to Chang'an , under his firm control. Sima Yue decided to act against Sima Yong. In fall 305, he declared a rebellion with the stated intention of returning Emperor Hui to Luoyang. The warlords of the empire were forced to take sides, but eventually they generally fell into line behind Sima Yue because they were disgusted with Zhang's cruelty. The battles were initially largely indecisive, but in early 306, after Sima Yue had some minor victories over Sima Yong's forces, Sima Yong panicked and killed Zhang, seeking peace with Sima Yue. Sima Yue refused, and by later that year
1656-566: The Simas' takeover of power, thought it might be appropriate to return power to his branch of the clan. However, a number of high level officials favored Sima Yan, and Sima Zhao agreed. After Sima Zhao was created the King of Jin on 2 May 264 (thus reaching the penultimate step towards usurpation), Sima Yan was created the Crown Prince of Jin in June 265. On 6 September 265, Sima Zhao died without having formally taken imperial authority. Sima Yan became
1728-616: The Western Jin, as the princes engaged in an internecine struggle known as the War of the Eight Princes soon after his death, and then the " Five Barbarians " uprisings that destroyed the Western Jin and forced its successor, Eastern Jin, to relocate to the region south of the Huai River . Sima Yan was born to Sima Zhao and his wife Wang Yuanji , daughter of the Confucian scholar Wang Su , in 236, as their oldest son. At that time, Sima Zhao
1800-518: The Yangtze and clearing the river of Eastern Wu fleets. The Eastern Wu chancellor Zhang Ti (張悌) made a last-ditch attempt to defeat Wang Hun's force, but was defeated and killed. Wang Hun, Wang Jun, and Sima Zhou each headed for Jianye, and Sun Hao was forced to surrender in spring 280. Emperor Wǔ made Sun Hao the Marquess of Guiming. The integration of former Eastern Wu territory into Jin appeared to have been
1872-416: The advice of his capable advisor Lu Zhi . After Empress Jia falsely accused Crown Prince Yu of crimes, deposed him on 6 February 300 and then later murdered him in April that year, she was overthrown by Emperor Hui's granduncle Sima Lun , the Prince of Zhao in May. Sima Lun then usurped the throne in February 301. Suspecting three key princes—Sima Ying, Sima Jiong the Prince of Qi (Emperor Hui's cousin and
1944-519: The capital Luoyang ; Sima Yan went to Ye to receive Cao. After his father was created the Duke of Jin on 9 December 263 in light of the army's conquest of Shu Han , he was named heir. However, at times Sima Zhao hesitated as to whether Sima Yan or his brother Sima You would be the more appropriate heir—as Sima You was considered talented and had also been adopted by Sima Shi, who had no biological sons of his own, and Sima Zhao, remembering his brother's role in
2016-648: The capital, Sima Jiong became arrogant based on his accomplishments. He had his sons created princes, and ran the matters of the central government from his mansion, rarely visiting the emperor or attending the imperial meetings. He enlarged his mansion to be as large as the palace, and he entrusted matters to people who were close to him, and would not change his ways even when some of his more honest associates tried to change his behavior. When Emperor Hui's grandsons (and sons of Sima Yu) Sima Zang and Sima Shang ( 司馬尚 ), successive crown princes, died in childhood, leaving Emperor Hui without male descendants by May 302, Sima Ying
2088-399: The central government regency to Prince Jiong at the time and return to his defense post at Yecheng. When he bid farewell to Sima Jiong, he did not talk about politics at all but only about his mother's illness, and this brought further praise on his character, as did his subsequent acts to collect the bodies of soldiers who had died in the war against Sima Lun to give them proper burials. In
2160-445: The central government's remaining troops, along with a large number of officials, effectively stripping Luoyang and Emperor Huai bare of their defenses, except for a small detachment commanded by Sima Yue's subordinate He Lun (何倫), intended as much to monitor as to protect Emperor Huai. From that point on, Luoyang was left even without a police force and became largely a city abandoned to bandits and thugs. Emperor Huai soon entered into
2232-822: The city, forged an edict ordering Sima Ying to commit suicide. His two sons were also killed with him. After Ji captured Yecheng in 307, he placed Sima Ying's casket on a wagon in his command train, and he would report all important decisions to Sima Ying's casket. After Ji was defeated on 11 January 308, Sima Ying's casket was thrown in a well, and his former associates took it out of the well and buried it. Emperor Wu of Jin Emperor Wu of Jin ( simplified Chinese : 晋武帝 ; traditional Chinese : 晉武帝 ; pinyin : Jìn Wǔ Dì ; Wade–Giles : Chin Wu-Ti ; 236 – 16 May 290 ), personal name Sima Yan ( Chinese : 司馬炎 ; pinyin : Sīmǎ Yán ), courtesy name Anshi (安世),
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2304-453: The crown prince, and therefore Empress Yang asked Emperor Wu to marry her cousin Yang Zhi . He agreed. In 273, Emperor Wu would undertake a selection of beautiful women from throughout the empire—a warning sign of what would eventually come. He looked most attentively at the daughters of high officials, but he also ordered that no marriages take place across the empire until the selection process
2376-453: The empire in the hands of a developmentally disabled son and nobles intent on shedding each other's blood for power, and while he would not see the disastrous consequences himself, the consequences would soon come. Consorts and Issue: SGZ has: "On the day renchen (September 7), the Crown Prince of Jin, Sima Yan, succeeded to his enfeoffment and inherited his rank; he assumed the Presidency of
2448-674: The empire much damage, burned Sima Yue's body. Sima Yue's sons were all captured and presumably killed by Shi. Only Princess Pei fled, and after much suffering, including a stint where she was enslaved, she arrived in Jianye during the Tai'xing era (318-321) . Because she had persuaded Sima Yue to let Sima Rui have the Jianye post, Sima Rui was grateful to her and honored both her and Sima Yue posthumously, and allowed her to adopt his son Sima Chong (司馬沖; 311 - 28 August 341 ) to serve as Sima Yue's heir. As for his brothers-in-law (Princess Pei's brothers), Pei Dun
2520-435: The general Ma Long having finally put down Tufa's rebellion, Emperor Wu concentrated his efforts on Eastern Wu, and commissioned a six-pronged attack led by his uncle Sima Zhou , Wang Hun , Wang Rong , Hu Fen (胡奮), Du Yu, and Wang Jun , with the largest forces under Wang Hun and Wang Jun. Each of the Jin forces advanced quickly and captured the border cities that they were targeting, with Wang Jun's fleet heading east down
2592-540: The generals Yang Hu and Wang Jun and the strategist Zhang Hua , however, Emperor Wu, while sending a number of generals to combat the tribes, prepared the southern and eastern border regions for war against Eastern Wu throughout this part of his reign. He was particularly encouraged by reports of Sun Hao's cruelty and ineptitude in governing Eastern Wu; indeed, the officials in favor of war against Eastern Wu often cited this as reason to act quickly, as they argued that Eastern Wu would be harder to conquer if and when Sun Hao
2664-565: The generals Gongshi Fan ( 公師藩 ) and Ji Sang therefore declared a rebellion, seeking to restore him. Sima Yong sent Sima Ying to try to pacify or suppress the rebellion, but while he was on the way to Yecheng, Sima Yue declared a rebellion with the ostensible goal of returning Emperor Hui to Luoyang, and Sima Ying was unable to progress to Yecheng; he instead returned to Chang'an. After Sima Yue defeated Sima Yong in 306 and welcomed Emperor Hui back to Luoyang, he put out an order for Sima Ying's arrest, and Sima Ying fled with his sons Sima Pu ( 司馬普 )
2736-408: The government from his stronghold of Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan , Hebei ) as both regent and crown prince , the officials in Luoyang tired of the situation. Later in 304, Sima Yue led them in a rebellion against Sima Ying's forces, and he took Emperor Hui with him on the campaign. After some initial hesitation, Sima Ying fought and defeated Sima Yue's forces, forcing Sima Yue to flee. Emperor Hui
2808-427: The government, but continued to control it remotely from Yecheng. Sima Ying soon ordered Emperor Hui's second wife, Yang Xianrong , and his crown prince Sima Tan, deposed. Then, at Sima Yong's pre-arranged petition, Sima Ying was created the crown prince. He put people he trusted in charge of the defenses of Luoyang, while remotely controlling the government from Yecheng. Eventually, the officials in Luoyang tired of
2880-554: The myriad officials and had gifts and documents of appointments conferred upon him, all in conformity with ancient institutions". Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Achilles Fang. Jin shu, Chronicle of Wudi states: "In the second year of Xianxi, in the fifth month, Sima Yan was appointed Crown Prince of Jin. Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Achilles Fang. Sima Yue Sima Yue (司馬越) (died 23 April 311 ), courtesy name Yuanchao (元超), formally Prince Xiaoxian of Donghai (東海孝獻王),
2952-445: The nobles, as it quickly became clear that the mercy was being dealt out in an unequal manner. Nobles who committed crimes often received simple rebukes, while there were no meaningful reductions in penalties for commoners. This led to massive corruption and extravagant living by the nobles, while the poor went without government assistance. For example, in 267, when several high level officials were found to have worked in conjunction with
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3024-513: The officials, still concerned with Tufa's rebellion, were opposed, but Yang was supported by Du Yu and Zhang. Emperor Wu considered their counsel seriously but did not implement it at this time. Also in 276, pursuant to his promise to the deceased Empress Yang, Emperor Wu married his cousin Yang Zhi and made her empress. The new Empress Yang's father, Yang Jun , became a key official in the administration and became exceedingly arrogant. In 279, with
3096-510: The palace that he did not know whom he should have sexual relations with; he therefore rode on a small cart drawn by goats, and wherever the goats would stop, he would stop there, as well. Because of this, many of the women planted bamboo leaves and salt outside their bedrooms—both items said to be favored by goats. Empress Yang's father Yang Jun and uncles Yang Yao (楊珧) and Yang Ji (楊濟) became effectively in power. Emperor Wu also became more concerned about whether his brother Prince You would seize
3168-464: The paramount authority in the Wei government. Sima Yan's first important appearance in history was in 260, when forces loyal to his father, led by Jia Chong , defeated an attempt by the Wei emperor Cao Mao to take back power and killed Cao Mao. At that time, as a mid-level army general, he was commissioned by his father to escort the new emperor Cao Huan (then still known as Cao Huang) from his dukedom to
3240-472: The people's resources. Further, when Emperor Wu established the Jin Dynasty, he was concerned about his regime's stability, and, believing that the predecessor state, Cao Wei, had been doomed by its failures to empower the princes of the imperial clan , he greatly empowered his uncles, his cousins, and his sons with authority, including independent military authority. This ironically led to the destabilization of
3312-627: The plan of an attack on the Han-Zhao capital Pingyang (平陽, in modern Linfen , Shanxi ) in conjunction with the powerful Xianbei chieftain Tuoba Yilu the Duke of Dai , Sima Yue was fearful of backstabbing attack by some of these warlords and therefore unable to accept Liu's plan. Indeed, when Emperor Huai and Sima Yue sent out calls for the various governors to come to Luoyang's aid later that year, there were few responses. Sima Yue became uncertain of himself, and late in 310 left Luoyang with virtually all of
3384-410: The post from which Sima Rui would later, after the fall of Luoyang and Chang'an to Han-Zhao , claim the Jin imperial title . In 309, Sima Yue, concerned about the growing use of authority that Emperor Huai was exerting, made a sudden return to Luoyang and arrested and executed a number of Emperor Huai's associates, including Emperor Huai's uncle Wang Yan (王延). Other than privately mourning them, there
3456-421: The regional governors were not able to raise troops to resist quickly enough. He also rejected advice to have the non-Han gradually moved outside of the empire proper. In 281, Emperor Wu took 5,000 women from Sun Hao's palace into his own, and thereafter became even more concentrated on feasting and enjoying the women, rather than on important matters of state. It was said that there were so many beautiful women in
3528-507: The same year. In 267, he made her oldest living son, Sima Zhong crown prince—based on the Confucian principle that the oldest son by an emperor's wife should inherit the throne—a selection that would, however, eventually contribute greatly to political instability and the Jin Dynasty's decline, as Crown Prince Zhong appeared to be developmentally disabled and unable to learn the important skills necessary to govern. Emperor Wu further made perhaps
3600-513: The second brother, was appointed Prince of Xincai, and was made Chief Controller of Si and Ji Provinces, while being garrisoned at Ye. Sima Lüe , the third brother, was made General who Attacks the South, Chief Controller of Jing Province and was garrisoned at Xiangyang. Sima Mo , the youngest brother, was appointed Grand General who Conquers the West and Chief Controller of Qin, Yong, Liáng and Yi provinces. He
3672-637: The situation, and they rose under Sima Yue's command in summer 304. Sima Yue, with Emperor Hui accompanying him, then attacked Yecheng. Sima Ying, after some initial hesitation, battled Sima Yue's troops and defeated him, forcing him to flee and capturing Emperor Hui. He did not return Emperor Hui to Luoyang, but kept him at Yecheng. This gave Wang Jun ( 王浚 ), the commander of the forces in You Province (幽州, modern Beijing , Tianjin , and northern Hebei ), with whom Sima Ying had prior disputes, an excuse to attack Sima Ying, and he did so, claiming that Sima Ying
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#17332022559253744-454: The start of his reign, was recaptured by Eastern Wu . In 272, the Eastern Wu general Bu Chan , in fear that Sun Hao was going to punish him on the basis of false reports against him, tried to surrender the important city of Xiling (西陵, in modern Yichang , Hubei ) to Jin, but Jin relief forces were stopped by the Eastern Wu general Lu Kang , who then recaptured Xiling and killed Bu. In light of these failures, Yang took another tack—he started
3816-437: The throne if he died. In January 283, he sent Prince You to his principality, even though there was no evidence that Prince You had such ambitions. Princess Jingzhao and Princess Changshan kow-towed and begged Emperor Wu to rescind his order, but he merely grew angry and demoted Princess Changshan 's husband in retaliation. Prince You, in anger, grew ill and died in April. Following previous Roman embassies in 166 and 226,
3888-405: The unification of China; legends boasted of his incredible potency among ten thousand concubines. Emperor Wu was commonly viewed as generous and kind, but also wasteful. His generosity and kindness undermined his rule, as he became overly tolerant of the noble families' (世族 or 士族, a political/bureaucratic landlord class from Eastern Han to Tang dynasty ) corruption and wastefulness, which drained
3960-421: Was a Western Jin imperial prince and regent for Emperor Hui and Emperor Huai . He was the last of eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes . Sima Yue was the eldest son of Sima Tai (司馬泰; posthumously known as Prince Wenxian of Gaomi (高密文献王) ), who was a son of Sima Yi 's brother Sima Kui (司馬馗), making Yue a second cousin of Jin's founding emperor Emperor Wu . Sima Yue's mother
4032-517: Was a grand-daughter of the Wei official Yang Jun (杨俊) . In February 266, after Emperor Wu established the Jin dynasty, Sima Tai was named Prince of Longxi on 9 February. As the eldest son, Yue's first title was "Heir to the Princedom of Longxi" (陇西世子). It was in this capacity that he was made a teacher who taught the classics to the crown prince Sima Zhong ; other such teachers include Yang Miao (杨邈) and Sima Yao (司马繇), son of Sima Zhou . His wife Lady Pei
4104-459: Was a grandson of Sima Yi , nephew of Sima Shi and son of Sima Zhao . He became the first emperor of the Jin dynasty after forcing Cao Huan , last emperor of the state of Cao Wei , to abdicate to him. He reigned from 266 to 290, and after conquering the state of Eastern Wu in 280, was the emperor of a reunified China. Emperor Wu was also known for his extravagance and sensuality, especially after
4176-670: Was a mid-level official in the government of Cao Wei and a member of a privileged clan, as the son of the general Sima Yi . After Sima Yi seized power from the regent Cao Shuang in February 249 in the Incident at the Gaoping Tombs , Sima Zhao became more influential in the state. After his father's death in September 251, Sima Zhao became the assistant to his brother, the new regent Sima Shi . After Sima Shi died in March 255, Sima Zhao became regent and
4248-505: Was a younger sister of Pei Dun, son of Pei Kang, elder brother of Pei Kai ; Pei Kang was an ancestor of the historians Pei Songzhi and Pei Ziye . Sima Yue also took part in Jia Nanfeng 's coup against Emperor Hui's first regent Yang Jun , and was made a marquis, with a fiefdom of 5000 households. On 30 September 291, he was created the Prince of Donghai . During the early parts of the War of
4320-431: Was able to force Sima Yong to abandon both Emperor Hui and Chang'an. Sima Yue welcomed Emperor Hui back to the capital Luoyang in June. In January 307, Emperor Hui was poisoned to death, and historians generally agreed that the poisoning was done at Sima Yue's orders, but the motive was unclear. Crown Prince Chi ascended to the throne as Emperor Huai. Emperor Huai, in contrast with the developmentally disabled Emperor Hui,
4392-443: Was captured and taken to Yecheng. Subsequently, however, Sima Ying was defeated by Wang Jun , the commander of the forces of You Province (幽州, modern Beijing , Tianjin , and northern Hebei ) and fled to Luoyang without his troops. Sima Yong then seized control of the government and Emperor Hui, deposing Sima Ying from his position as crown prince in February 305 and replacing him with another half-brother of Emperor Hui's, Sima Chi
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#17332022559254464-464: Was considered the appropriate successor, but Sima Jiong chose to bypass him by recommending the seven-year-old Sima Tan , the Prince of Qinghe (Emperor Hui's nephew and a son of his half-brother Sima Xia ( 司馬遐 )) as the crown prince on 6 July, with intent to easily control the young Crown Prince Tan. Sima Jiong became suspicious of Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian—because Sima Yong had initially wanted to support Sima Lun, until he saw that Sima Lun's cause
4536-546: Was done. In 276, Emperor Wu suffered a major illness—which led to a succession crisis. Crown Prince Zhong would be the legitimate heir, but both the officials and the people hoped that Emperor Wu's capable brother, Sima You, the Prince of Qi, would inherit the throne instead. After Emperor Wu became well, he divested some military commands from officials that he thought favored Prince You, but otherwise took no other punitive actions against anyone. Later that year, Yang Hu reminded Emperor Wu of his plan to conquer Eastern Wu. Most of
4608-445: Was fighting off the overwhelming force that Sima Ying and Sima Yong had, Sima Yue became convinced that a victory was impossible, and he seized Sima Ai and delivered him to Sima Yong's general Zhang Fang , who executed Sima Ai cruelly by burning him to death. Sima Ying controlled the government remotely, with Sima Yue being one of the generals who stayed in Luoyang to execute Sima Ying's orders. As Sima Ying continued to remotely control
4680-401: Was garrisoned at Chang'an. Later that year, on 25 August, at the urging of his wife Princess Pei, he issued an order that appeared insignificant at the time but would turn out to be important later on—making Sima Rui the Prince of Langye in charge of Yang Province (揚州, modern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu and Anhui ), at the post of Jianye (建業, in modern Nanjing , Jiangsu ); this was
4752-491: Was his servant Meng Jiu ( 孟玖 ). Even though Sima Ai submitted all important matters to him, he still considered Sima Ai an interference to his control of government and wanted to eliminate him. At the same time, Sima Yong, who had hoped that if Sima Ying became emperor he could then be prime minister, persuaded Sima Ying to again join him against Sima Ai. They started military action against Sima Ai in fall of 303, and while they had overwhelming force, their forces could not score
4824-532: Was hopeless. Sima Yong knew of Sima Jiong's suspicion, and started a conspiracy; he invited Sima Ai the Prince of Changsha to overthrow Sima Jiong, believing that Sima Ai would fail; his plan was then to start a war against Sima Jiong in conjunction with Sima Ying. Once they were victorious, he would depose Emperor Hui and make Sima Ying the emperor, and then serve as Sima Ying's prime minister. In winter 302, Sima Yong declared his rebellion, and Sima Ying soon joined, despite opposition from Lu Zhi. Hearing that Sima Ai
4896-526: Was improperly detaining Emperor Hui. Wang's forces were reinforced with ferocious Xianbei and Wuhuan soldiers, and Sima Ying's forces, in fear of their fighting abilities, collapsed, before they could be reinforced with Xiongnu forces under the command of Sima Ying's associate Liu Yuan . Sima Ying was forced to flee to Luoyang with Emperor Hui, now without troops to support him. (Upon hearing Sima Ying's collapse, Liu Yuan, instead of coming to Sima Ying's aid, declared independence from Jin and styled himself
4968-417: Was intelligent and astute, and he sought to revive the war-ravaged empire, but Sima Yue maintained a tight grip on authority and would not allow the emperor much actual power. On 18 May 307, he left Luoyang and set up headquarters at Xuchang (許昌, in modern Xuchang , Henan ), but continued to control the government remotely. He also gave his younger brothers various titles and military appointments. Sima Teng ,
5040-573: Was nothing that Emperor Huai could do. Sima Yue further disbanded the imperial guards and put his own personal forces in charge of protecting the emperor. For all of Sima Yue's assertion of authority, he could not stop Han-Zhao, under its generals Liu Cong the Prince of Chu (the son of Han-Zhao's emperor Liu Yuan , Liu Yao the Prince of Shi'an (Liu Yuan's nephew), Wang Mi , and Shi Le , from disrupting Jin rule throughout northern and central China and gradually wearing out Jin forces and capturing Jin cities and towns. In late 309, he managed to fight off
5112-575: Was part of the conspiracy as well, Sima Jiong made a preemptive strike against Sima Ai, but Sima Ai was prepared and entered the palace to control Emperor Hui. After a street battle, Sima Jiong's forces collapsed, and he was executed in January 303. Sima Ai became the effective regent, but in order to reduce opposition, he submitted all important matters to Sima Ying, still stationed at Yecheng. After Sima Jiong's death, Sima Ying became extremely arrogant as well, and trusted inappropriate persons, chief among whom
5184-704: Was replaced. However, after a major revolt by the Xianbei chief Tufa Shujineng started in 270 in Qin Province, Emperor Wu's attention became concentrated on Tufa, as Tufa was able to win victory after victory over Jin generals. In 271, the Xiongnu noble Liu Meng rebelled in Bing province as well, and while his rebellion did not last long, this took Emperor Wu's attention away from Eastern Wu. In 271, Jiao Province (交州, modern northern Vietnam ), which had paid allegiance to Jin ever since
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