Emperor Fei of Jin facts for kids

Emperor Fei of Jin (simplified Chinese: 晋废帝; traditional Chinese: 晉廢帝; pinyin: Jìn Fèi Dì; Wade–Giles: Chin Fei-ti) was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China. His personal name was Sima Yi (司馬奕). He was the younger brother of Emperor Ai. A powerful military leader named Huan Wen later removed him from power.

The name "Emperor Fei" is special. It's not a usual title given after death. Instead, "Fei" (廢) means "deposed" or "removed." This shows that he was taken off the throne. He is also known as the Duke of Haixi (海西公), which was the title he received after being removed.

Early Life of Sima Yi

Sima Yi was born in 342. His father was Emperor Cheng, and his mother was Consort Zhou. He had an older brother, Sima Pi, who later became Emperor Ai.

In 342, Emperor Cheng became very sick. Usually, the throne would go to his son. However, his uncle, Yu Bing, wanted to keep control of the government. He convinced Emperor Cheng that China needed an older emperor because of threats from another kingdom called Later Zhao. So, Emperor Cheng passed the throne to his younger brother, Sima Yue. Sima Yue became Emperor Kang.

After Emperor Kang took the throne, he made Sima Yi the Prince of Donghai on August 1, 342.

Growing Up and Becoming a Prince

As Sima Yi grew up, he held different official positions. While he was the Prince of Donghai, he married Yu Bing's daughter, Yu Daolian. She became his princess consort.

In 361, his cousin, Emperor Mu, passed away. Sima Yi's older brother, Sima Pi, then became Emperor Ai. Sima Yi took over the important title of Prince of Langya, which his brother had held before.

In 365, Emperor Ai died without any sons. So, Sima Yi became the new emperor. This happened because his aunt, Empress Dowager Chu, ordered it. When he became emperor, he made his wife, Princess Consort Yu, the empress.

Emperor Fei's Rule

Even though Emperor Fei was an adult, he didn't have much real power. His granduncle, Sima Yu, handled most government matters. But even Sima Yu couldn't make all decisions freely. A very powerful general named Huan Wen often made choices for the government, and they had to accept them.

Challenges and Rebellions

Soon after Emperor Fei became emperor, an important city called Luoyang was lost to another kingdom, Former Yan. This happened because Emperor Ai's death had stopped a rescue army from being sent.

In late 365, a general named Sima Xun started a rebellion. He was the governor of Liang Province (which is in modern southern Shaanxi). However, his rebellion was quickly put down, and he was captured and executed in the summer of 366.

On July 5, 366, Empress Yu, Emperor Fei's wife, passed away. Emperor Fei did not marry another empress during his time as ruler.

Huan Wen's Ambitions

In 369, General Huan Wen led a big attack against Former Yan. He got very close to their capital city, Yecheng. But he hesitated to attack the city directly. Because of this, he was defeated by a Former Yan prince and forces from Former Qin.

Huan Wen had big plans to take over the throne himself. He wanted to show his power by conquering Former Yan. When that failed, he decided to show his strength in another way. He planned with his friend Xi Chao to remove Emperor Fei from power.

Emperor Fei had been a careful ruler and hadn't made any big mistakes. So, Huan Wen had to invent a reason to depose him. He spread false rumors that the emperor couldn't have children and that his sons were not truly his own.

In December 371, Huan Wen went to the capital city, Jiankang. He pressured Empress Dowager Chu to issue an official order that he had written. This order removed Emperor Fei from the throne. Huan Wen then replaced Emperor Fei with his granduncle, Sima Yu, who became Emperor Jianwen.

Emperor Fei was given a lower rank, becoming the Prince of Donghai again. This was the same title he had held for most of his life. Huan Wen also removed the emperor's consorts and their children from the palace. He also took action against the powerful Yin and Yu families.

Life After Being Emperor

Huan Wen wanted to lower the former emperor's rank even more. He suggested that the prince should become a commoner. However, Empress Dowager Chu disagreed. She only reduced his rank to the Duke of Haixi.

Huan Wen was worried that the former emperor might try to get back on the throne. So, he sent him away to Wu (which is in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu) and placed him under strict guard.

In 372, a rebel named Lu Song claimed to have an order from Empress Dowager Chu to bring Emperor Fei back to the throne. He sent a messenger to the duke to convince him to join the rebellion. At first, the duke believed him. But then he realized that if the empress dowager truly wanted to restore him, she would send royal guards. He understood there was no real order. Without the duke's support, Lu's rebellion quickly failed.

While in exile, the former emperor was always afraid of being killed. To show Huan Wen that he had no interest in politics, he spent his time enjoying music and being with women. He passed away in 386 and was buried in Wu. His wife, Empress Yu, was later moved to be buried with him.

Era Names

An era name is like a special name for a period of time during an emperor's rule.

• Taihe (太和, tài hé): January 28, 366 – January 6, 372

Family

Emperor Fei had a wife and some children:

• Empress Xiao, from the Yu clan (died 366). Her personal name was Daolian.
• Meiren, from the Tian clan (died 372)
  • An unnamed son (died 372)
  • An unnamed son (died 372)
• Meiren, from the Meng clan (died 372)
  • An unnamed son (died 372)