Emperor Yuan of Jin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emperor Yuan of Jin |
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Portrait of Emperor Yuan from Sancai Tuhui
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| First Emperor of Eastern Jin Dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 26 April 318 – 3 January 323 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Min | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Ming | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 276 | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 3 January 323 (aged 47) Jiankang, Eastern Jin |
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| Burial | Jianping ling (建平陵), Nanjing, Jiangsu | ||||||||||||||||
| Consorts | Empress Yuanjing Empress Dowager Jianwenxuan |
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| Issue | Emperor Ming Sima Pou Sima Chong Sima Xi Emperor Jianwen Princess Xunyang |
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| House | House of Sima | ||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Eastern Jin | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Sima Jin | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Xiahou Guangji | ||||||||||||||||
Emperor Yuan of Jin (Chinese: 晉元帝; pinyin: Jìn Yuán Dì; Wade–Giles: Chin Yüan-ti), born Sima Rui (司馬睿), was an important emperor of the Jin dynasty. He was the very first emperor of the Eastern Jin period. He ruled from 318 to 323 AD. During his time, the Jin dynasty lost control of its northern lands. However, he managed to make the Jin authority strong in the areas south of the Huai River and east of the Three Gorges. For many years, the Jin dynasty was safe from attacks by northern groups known as the Wu Hu kingdoms.
Contents
Becoming Emperor
Early Life and Escape
Sima Rui was born in 276 AD in Luoyang, which was the capital city of Jin at the time. His father was Sima Jin, the Prince of Langya. When his father died in 290 AD, Sima Rui became the new Prince of Langya. He was known for being steady and clever.
Around 304 AD, there was a big conflict called the War of the Eight Princes. This was a series of fights among different princes of the Jin dynasty. Sima Rui was a minor general in one of these campaigns. After a defeat, he became scared and decided to flee back to his home region, Langxie.
He tried to return to Luoyang first. But guards stopped him from crossing the Yellow River, as they were ordered to prevent nobles from leaving. A guard named Song Dian helped him by pretending they were just construction workers. This allowed Sima Rui to cross. After reaching Luoyang, he took his mother and went to Langxie. They stayed there for several years, away from the ongoing wars.
Gaining Power in the South
In 307 AD, Sima Yue, who had won the War of the Eight Princes, appointed Sima Rui as a military commander. Sima Rui was sent to Jianye (modern Nanjing), a city south of the Yangtze River. Wang Dao became his main advisor.
At first, Sima Rui was not very famous, so few local leaders supported him. Wang Dao advised him to visit important local figures like He Xun and Gu Rong. Sima Rui invited them to join his government. These men were respected, and soon, people began to trust Sima Rui's leadership. Wang Dao and his cousin, the general Wang Dun, also played key roles. People used to say that the region was ruled equally by the Sima family and the Wang family.
After the Fall of Luoyang
Taking Control of Southern China
In 311 AD, the city of Luoyang fell to forces from the Han Zhao kingdom. Emperor Huai was captured. Many people fled from the north to Sima Rui's territory south of the Yangtze River. Wang Dao suggested that Sima Rui find talented people among these refugees and add them to his government.
Sima Rui began to act more like an emperor. He took control of all the provinces south of the Huai River. Over the next few years, his generals, like Wang Dun and Tao Kan, defeated rebels in the western provinces. However, Sima Rui did not try to send armies north to fight Han Zhao.
Because many of his powerful helpers were from the north, some local people in the south became unhappy. This caused problems within Sima Rui's government. In 315 AD, some members of the powerful Zhou family planned an uprising against him. But the plot was discovered and did not cause major damage. By 315 AD, Wang Dun had put down the last rebels in the west. He started to become very ambitious and act more independently from Sima Rui.
Becoming Emperor Yuan
In 313 AD, Emperor Huai was executed by Han Zhao. Sima Ye, Emperor Huai's nephew, was declared emperor (as Emperor Min) in Chang'an. Sima Rui was named the Left Prime Minister, a title he accepted. However, he did not send any real help to Emperor Min. Due to a naming rule, Sima Rui's headquarters, Jianye, was renamed Jiankang. This name stayed for several centuries.
When his general Zu Ti asked to lead an army north, Sima Rui only gave him supplies for a thousand men, but no actual soldiers. Zu Ti had to find his own soldiers. Despite this, he managed to take back several cities south of the Yellow River.
In 316 AD, Chang'an also fell to Han Zhao forces, and Emperor Min was captured. Sima Rui quickly announced he would fight Han Zhao, but then claimed he lacked supplies and canceled the plan. In early 317 AD, his officials asked him to become emperor. After saying no at first, he took the title "King of Jin" on April 6, 317 AD. He made his son Sima Shao the crown prince on May 1 of the same year.
In early 318 AD, Liu Cong, the Han Zhao emperor, executed Emperor Min. Three months later, the news reached Jiankang. Sima Rui then declared himself emperor, becoming Emperor Yuan.
Losing Northern China
At this time, the areas directly under Emperor Yuan's control were mainly south of the Yellow River and east of the Three Gorges. Some Jin territories in the north still recognized him as emperor. However, Zhang Shi, a governor in western China, did not fully recognize him. He continued to use Emperor Min's old era name, showing he wanted some independence.
Later in 318 AD, the Han Zhao emperor Liu Can was overthrown by his official Jin Zhun. Jin Zhun at first said he would submit to Emperor Yuan. Emperor Yuan tried to help Jin Zhun by sending an army. But Jin Zhun was defeated by the new Han Zhao emperor Liu Yao and general Shi Le before the army could arrive.
In 319 AD, northern Jin forces fell to Shi Le. Shi Le had declared his own kingdom, Later Zhao. By 321 AD, all Jin rule north of the Yellow River had ended. Only the Xianbei chief Murong Hui in modern Liaoning still considered himself a Jin vassal.
Later Reign and Conflict with Wang Dun
Growing Tensions
By 320 AD, Emperor Yuan's relationship with Wang Dun was very bad. Wang Dun had become more and more powerful and controlled the western provinces. Emperor Yuan was afraid of him. So, he started to gather people around him who also opposed Wang Dun. These included Liu Huai and Diao Xie. These men tried to reduce the Wang family's power, which upset many other people.
In 321 AD, Emperor Yuan gave large forces to Dai Yuan and Liu Huai. He said they were to defend against Later Zhao attacks. But his real plan was for them to defend against a possible attack from Wang Dun. The general Zu Ti was still in charge of defending against Later Zhao. Zu Ti was popular and successfully held off attacks.
However, after Zu Ti died in 321 AD, there was no one strong enough to stop Later Zhao's expansion. Chinese power in the region often shifted between Jin and Zhao. Because of this, Jin gradually lost more territories between the Yellow River and Huai River.
Wang Dun's Rebellion
In spring 322 AD, Wang Dun started his campaign against Emperor Yuan. He claimed that Emperor Yuan was being misled by Liu Huai and Diao Xie. Wang Dun said his only goal was to fix the government. He tried to get other governors to join him, but they resisted.
Wang Dun quickly arrived in Jiankang. He defeated Emperor Yuan's forces and easily entered and looted the city. Liu Huai fled, while Diao Xie, Dai Yuan, and Zhou Yi were killed. Emperor Yuan was forced to give Wang Dun more power in the west. Wang Dun was satisfied and allowed Emperor Yuan to remain on the throne. He then returned to his base in Wuchang. His forces later defeated and killed other resisting governors.
After this defeat, Emperor Yuan became sad and fell ill. He died in January 323 AD. His son, Crown Prince Shao, became the next emperor, known as Emperor Ming.
Era Names
- Jianwu (建武): April 6, 317 – April 26, 318
- Taixing (太興): April 26, 318 – February 3, 322
- Yongchang (永昌): February 3, 322 – April 22, 323
Family
Emperor Yuan had several consorts and children:
- Empress Yuanjing, of the Yu clan (277–312)
- Empress Dowager Jianwenxuan, of the Zheng clan of Xingyang (died 326)
- Sima Huan, Prince Dao of Langxie (317–318), fifth son
- Sima Yu, Emperor Jianwen (320–372), sixth son
- Princess Xunyang (born 323)
- Jieyu, of the Shi clan
- Sima Chong, Prince Ai of Donghai (311–341), third son
- Cairen, of the Wang clan
- Sima Xi, Prince Wei of Wuling (316–381), fourth son
- Lady, of the Xun clan (died 335)
- Sima Shao, Emperor Ming (299–325), first son
- Sima Pou, Prince Xiao of Langxie (300–317), second son
