Emperor Wu of Jin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emperor Wu of Jin 晉武帝
Tang dynasty portrait of Emperor Wu by Yan Liben
Emperor of the Jin Dynasty
Reign	8 February 266 – 16 May 290
Successor	Emperor Hui
King of Jin (晉王)
Tenure	7 September 265 – 8 February 266
Predecessor	Sima Zhao
Regent of Cao Wei
Tenure	7 September 265 – 8 February 266
Predecessor	Sima Zhao
Born	236
Died	16 May 290(290-05-16) (aged 53–54)
Consorts	Empress Wuyuan Empress Wudao Empress Dowager Wuhuai
Issue	Emperor Hui Sima Jian Sima Wei Sima Yun Sima Yan Sima Xia Sima Yi Sima Ying Sima Yan Emperor Huai Princess Changshan Princess Pingyang Princess Xinfeng Princess Yangping Princess Wu'an Princess Fanchang Princess Xiangcheng Princess Xingyang Princess Xingyang Princess Yingchuan Princess Guangping Princess Lingshou
Full name Family name: Sima (Chinese: 司馬; pinyin: sī mǎ) Given name: Yan (Chinese: 炎; pinyin: yán) Posthumous name Wu (Chinese: 武; pinyin: wǔ), literary meaning: "martial" Temple name Shizu (Chinese: 世祖; pinyin: shì zǔ)
Father	Sima Zhao
Mother	Empress Wenming

Emperor Wu of Jin (simplified Chinese: 晋武帝; traditional Chinese: 晉武帝; pinyin: Jìn Wǔ Dì; Wade–Giles: Chin Wu-Ti), whose personal name was Sima Yan (Chinese: 司馬炎; pinyin: Sīmǎ Yán), was a very important ruler in ancient China. He was the grandson of Sima Yi and the son of Sima Zhao. Emperor Wu became the first emperor of the Jin dynasty in 266 AD. He achieved this by taking power from Cao Huan, the last emperor of the state of Cao Wei.

Emperor Wu ruled from 266 to 290 AD. In 280 AD, he successfully conquered the state of Eastern Wu. This amazing victory meant that China was reunified under one rule after a long period of division. However, Emperor Wu was also known for enjoying a very luxurious lifestyle. He was generally seen as kind and generous, but also wasteful. His kindness sometimes meant he was too soft on noble families who were corrupt. This led to problems for the common people.

When Emperor Wu started the Jin Dynasty, he wanted his rule to be strong and last a long time. He believed that the previous state, Cao Wei, failed because its princes (royal family members) did not have enough power. So, he gave a lot of power to his uncles, cousins, and sons. This included giving them control over armies. Sadly, this decision caused big problems after his death. The princes fought among themselves in a terrible conflict called the War of the Eight Princes. This war weakened the Jin Dynasty and led to uprisings from non-Chinese groups. These events almost destroyed the Western Jin Dynasty and forced its successor, the Eastern Jin, to move its capital south.

Life Before Becoming Emperor

Sima Yan was born in 236 AD. His father was Sima Zhao, and his mother was Wang Yuanji. At the time, Sima Zhao was an official in the government of Cao Wei. His family was very important, as his father was the famous general Sima Yi.

After Sima Yi took power in 249 AD, Sima Zhao became more influential. When his father died in 251 AD, Sima Zhao became the main leader of the Wei government.

Sima Yan first appeared in important historical records in 260 AD. His father's forces defeated an attempt by the Wei emperor Cao Mao to regain power. Sima Yan, who was an army general, was asked by his father to bring the new emperor Cao Huan to the capital city of Luoyang.

In 263 AD, Sima Zhao was given the title Duke of Jin. This happened after his army conquered the state of Shu Han. Sima Yan was then named his father's heir. For a while, Sima Zhao wondered if Sima Yan or his brother Sima You would be a better heir. Sima You was considered very talented. However, many important officials supported Sima Yan, and Sima Zhao agreed. In 264 AD, Sima Zhao became the King of Jin, and Sima Yan was made the Crown Prince of Jin. This was the final step before taking imperial power.

On September 6, 265 AD, Sima Zhao died without officially becoming emperor. Sima Yan quickly became the King of Jin the next day. On February 4, 266 AD, he made Cao Huan give up his throne. This ended the state of Cao Wei. Four days later, on February 8, 266 AD, Sima Yan declared himself the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty.

Emperor of Jin: Early Reign

Emperor Wu immediately wanted to fix what he saw as a big weakness of the Cao Wei state: its imperial princes did not have enough power. So, in 265 AD, right after becoming emperor, he made many of his uncles, cousins, brothers, and sons into princes. Each prince was given their own military command and full authority in their areas. This system would cause problems later, but it remained a key part of the Jin Dynasty.

Emperor Wu also wanted to make the laws fairer. He tried to make the justice system more merciful. However, these changes mostly helped the nobles. Nobles who committed crimes often received light punishments, while common people did not see much change. This led to a lot of corruption and luxurious living among the nobles. Meanwhile, the poor people received little help from the government. For example, in 267 AD, some high officials were caught taking public land for themselves. Emperor Wu refused to punish the high officials but punished the county official severely.

Emperor Wu faced two main military challenges early in his rule. First, there were constant attacks from the rival state of Eastern Wu, led by Emperor Sun Hao. Second, there were rebellions by the Xianbei and Qiang groups in the western provinces. Most officials were more worried about these rebellions. They also feared the Xiongnu people, who had settled in modern Shanxi. These officials advised Emperor Wu to deal with the Xianbei and Qiang first, before thinking about conquering Eastern Wu.

However, generals Yang Hu and Wang Jun, along with strategist Zhang Hua, encouraged Emperor Wu to prepare for war against Eastern Wu. They pointed out that Sun Hao was a cruel and ineffective ruler. They argued that it would be easier to conquer Eastern Wu while Sun Hao was still in charge.

Despite these plans, a major rebellion by the Xianbei chief Tufa Shujineng began in 270 AD. Tufa won many battles against Jin generals. In 271 AD, a Xiongnu noble named Liu Meng also rebelled. These events shifted Emperor Wu's focus away from Eastern Wu. In 271 AD, Eastern Wu recaptured Jiao Province, which had been loyal to Jin. In 272 AD, an Eastern Wu general named Bu Chan tried to surrender an important city to Jin. However, Jin forces could not reach him, and Eastern Wu recaptured the city. After these setbacks, General Yang Hu changed his approach. He started to build good relationships with Eastern Wu border residents, making them view Jin more favorably.

When Emperor Wu became emperor in 265 AD, he honored his mother, Wang Yuanji, as empress dowager. He also honored his aunt, Yang Huiyu, as empress dowager. This was to recognize his uncle Sima Shi's help in establishing the Jin Dynasty. In the same year, he made his wife, Yang Yan, empress.

In 267 AD, Emperor Wu chose his oldest living son, Sima Zhong, to be the crown prince. This was based on the tradition that the oldest son of the empress should inherit the throne. However, Crown Prince Zhong seemed to have learning difficulties and struggled with important governing skills. This choice would later cause a lot of political instability. In 272 AD, Emperor Wu made another important decision for Crown Prince Zhong. He chose Jia Nanfeng, the strong-willed daughter of a noble, to be the crown prince's wife. Crown Princess Jia would then have a lot of influence over the crown prince.

Before Empress Yang died in 274 AD, she worried that a new empress might try to replace the crown prince. So, Empress Yang asked Emperor Wu to marry her cousin, Yang Zhi. He agreed to this request.

In 273 AD, Emperor Wu ordered a selection of beautiful women from across the empire. This was a sign of his growing focus on personal enjoyment. He paid special attention to the daughters of high officials. He also ordered that no marriages could take place anywhere in the empire until his selection process was finished.

Emperor of Jin: Unifying China

In 276 AD, Emperor Wu became very ill. This led to worries about who would rule next. Crown Prince Zhong was the official heir, but many officials and people hoped that Emperor Wu's capable brother, Sima You, would become emperor instead. After Emperor Wu recovered, he removed some military commands from officials he thought supported Prince You. However, he did not punish anyone else.

Later that year, Yang Hu reminded Emperor Wu of his plan to conquer Eastern Wu. Most officials were still worried about Tufa's rebellion and opposed the idea. But Yang was supported by Du Yu and Zhang. Emperor Wu thought seriously about their advice but did not act on it yet.

Also in 276 AD, Emperor Wu married his cousin Yang Zhi, as he had promised the late Empress Yang. He made her empress. The new Empress Yang's father, Yang Jun, became a very powerful official in the government and grew extremely arrogant.

In 279 AD, General Ma Long finally put down Tufa's rebellion. With this threat gone, Emperor Wu focused on Eastern Wu. He launched a large attack with six different armies. The main forces were led by Wang Hun and Wang Jun. Each Jin army advanced quickly and captured border cities. Wang Jun's fleet sailed down the Yangtze River, clearing it of Eastern Wu ships. The Eastern Wu chancellor, Zhang Ti, made a final attempt to defeat Wang Hun's army but was defeated and killed. Wang Hun, Wang Jun, and Sima Zhou all headed towards Jianye, the Eastern Wu capital. Emperor Sun Hao was forced to surrender in the spring of 280 AD. Emperor Wu made Sun Hao the Marquess of Guiming, a noble title. Bringing the former Eastern Wu territory into the Jin Dynasty seemed to go smoothly.

After Eastern Wu fell, Emperor Wu made some changes. He ordered that provincial governors should no longer be in charge of military matters. They would become purely civilian governors. He also ordered that regional militias (local armies) be disbanded. Some officials disagreed, but Emperor Wu went ahead with these changes. This decision would later cause problems during the Wu Hu rebellions, as local governors could not quickly raise armies to defend themselves. He also ignored advice to move non-Chinese people gradually outside the empire's borders.

Emperor of Jin: Later Reign and Challenges

In 281 AD, Emperor Wu brought 5,000 women from Sun Hao's palace into his own. After this, he spent even more time feasting and enjoying himself, rather than focusing on important government matters. Empress Yang's father, Yang Jun, and her uncles, Yang Yao and Yang Ji, became the real powers in the government.

Emperor Wu also became more worried that his brother, Prince You, might try to take the throne if he died. In 282 AD, he sent Prince You away to his own territory, even though there was no proof that Prince You had such plans. Some princesses begged Emperor Wu to change his order, but he became angry and punished one of the princesses' husbands. Prince You, feeling angry, became ill and died in 283 AD.

Following earlier visits from Rome in 166 and 226 AD, Chinese historical records mention another embassy from "Da Qin" (the Roman Empire) arriving in China during Emperor Wu's reign. These records state that it arrived in 284 AD and presented gifts to the emperor.

As Emperor Wu became ill in 289 AD, he thought about who should rule as regent (someone who governs for a young or sick ruler). He considered both Yang Jun and his uncle Sima Liang, who was the most respected of the imperial princes. Yang Jun feared Sima Liang and had him sent away to a distant city. Several other imperial princes were also sent to other important cities. By 290 AD, Emperor Wu decided that both Yang Jun and Sima Liang should be regents. However, after he wrote his will, Yang Jun took it. Yang Jun then announced a different will, which said that only he would be the regent. Emperor Wu died soon after. He left the empire to a son who struggled with governing and to nobles who were ready to fight each other for power. Emperor Wu did not see the terrible results himself, but the problems would soon begin.

Era Names

• Taishi (Chinese: 泰始; pinyin: tài shǐ) 265–274
• Xianning (Chinese: 咸寧; pinyin: xián níng) 275–280
• Taikang (Chinese: 太康; pinyin: tài kāng) 280–289
• Taixi (Chinese: 太熙; pinyin: tài xī) 28 January 290 – 16 May 290

Family

Emperor Wu had many family members. Here are some of the most important ones:

• His main wives were Empress Wuyuan and Empress Wudao.
• His most important son was Sima Zhong, who became the next emperor.
• Another important son was Sima Chi, who became emperor later.
• He also had many other sons and daughters, including princes and princesses.