Emperor Min of Jin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emperor Min of Jin晉愍帝 |
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| Emperor of the Jin Dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 313 – 7 February 318 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Huai of Jin | ||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Yuan of Jin | ||||||||
| Crown Prince of the Jin Dynasty | |||||||||
| Tenure | 312–313 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Sima Chi | ||||||||
| Successor | Sima Shao | ||||||||
| Born | 300 | ||||||||
| Died | 7 February 318 (aged 17–18) | ||||||||
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| Father | Sima Yan | ||||||||
| Mother | Lady Xun | ||||||||
Emperor Min of Jin (simplified Chinese: 晋愍帝; traditional Chinese: 晉愍帝; pinyin: Jìn Mǐn Dì; 300 – February 7, 318), whose personal name was Sima Ye, was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty (266–420). He was the last ruler of the Western Jin period.
Emperor Min became emperor in 313 AD. In 316 AD, he surrendered to Liu Yao, a general from the Xiongnu state called Han-Zhao. He was later executed in 318 AD by Liu Cong, the emperor of Han-Zhao. His uncle, Emperor Huai, had also been executed by Liu Cong a few years earlier.
Contents
Becoming Emperor
Early Life and Escape
Sima Ye was a son of Sima Yan, who was the Prince of Wu. Sima Yan was a son of Emperor Wu, the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Sima Ye was later adopted by his uncle, Sima Jian, the Prince of Qin. This meant Sima Ye inherited the title of Prince of Qin.
In 311 AD, the Jin capital city, Luoyang, was captured by forces from the Han-Zhao state. Emperor Huai, Sima Ye's uncle, was captured. Sima Ye's father, Prince Yan, was killed. Young Sima Ye, who was only 13 years old, managed to escape from the Han-Zhao forces.
Journey to Chang'an
Sima Ye traveled to Mi County (in modern Zhengzhou, Henan). There, he met his uncles, Xun Fan and Xun Zu, who were Jin officials. They decided to support him as their leader. Later that year, a general named Yan Ding tried to take Prince Ye to the Guanzhong region (modern central Shaanxi). Yan Ding believed the central government could be rebuilt there.
On the way, many supporters and soldiers left them, including Prince Ye's uncles. However, Yan Ding and Prince Ye eventually reached Guanzhong. They received support from General Jia Ya. In 312 AD, Jia Ya was able to capture Chang'an, another important city. This allowed Prince Ye to enter Chang'an and set up his headquarters there. In the fall of 312, Jia Ya and Yan Ding offered Prince Ye the title of crown prince. They then organized a temporary government.
Emperor Min's Reign
Taking the Throne
In the spring of 313 AD, the captured Emperor Huai was executed by the Han-Zhao emperor, Liu Cong. It took three months for this news to reach Chang'an. Once the news arrived, Crown Prince Ye held a special mourning ceremony for his uncle. After that, he officially became the emperor, known as Emperor Min.
Challenges as Emperor
At that time, the city of Chang'an was very poor. It had fewer than a hundred households, and there were only four wagons available. The officials lacked proper uniforms and official seals. Military matters were mostly handled by generals Qu Yun and Suo Chen.
Emperor Min asked two powerful princes for help: Sima Bao, the Prince of Nanyang, and Sima Rui, the Prince of Langya. Sima Bao had a large army in Qin Province (modern eastern Gansu). Sima Rui controlled much territory near and south of the Yangtze River. However, both princes only showed loyalty in name. They did not send any real help to Emperor Min.
Around the new year of 314 AD, Han-Zhao forces launched a surprise attack on Chang'an. The attack was stopped that time. But it showed that Emperor Min's government was too weak to defend itself. Only Zhang Gui, the governor of Liang Province (modern central and western Gansu), sent small groups of soldiers and supplies to Chang'an from time to time. In 315 AD, Sima Bao thought about helping Emperor Min, but he decided not to. General Suo Chen also refused a plan to send the emperor to Sima Bao. He worried that Sima Bao would then use the emperor as a puppet.
Surrender to Han-Zhao
In the fall of 316 AD, the Han-Zhao general Liu Yao launched a major attack on Emperor Min's territory. After Liu Yao captured Beidi Commandery (roughly modern Tongchuan, Shaanxi), other Jin cities in the Guanzhong region quickly fell. Two relief forces arrived to help, but they were afraid to fight Liu Yao.
Because of this, Liu Yao was able to surround Chang'an. When the city ran out of food, Emperor Min decided to surrender. He was taken by Liu Yao to the Han-Zhao capital, Pingyang (in modern Linfen, Shanxi).
After Capture
After his capture, Liu Cong, the Han-Zhao emperor, first gave Emperor Min the title of Marquess of Huai'an. In early 318 AD, during a feast, Liu Cong made the former Jin emperor serve as a butler. Many former Jin officials who were present could not control their sadness and cried loudly at seeing their former emperor treated this way.
Around this time, several rebellions started against Han-Zhao. Each rebellion claimed they wanted to capture Han-Zhao's crown prince, Liu Can, to exchange him for the former Jin emperor. Because of this, Liu Can suggested that Sima Ye should be executed. Liu Cong agreed and had Emperor Min executed after receiving Liu Can's report.
Era Name
- Jianxing (建興 Jiànxīng) 313–317
