Editing Jin dynasty (266–420) (section)

== History ==
{{main|History of the Jin dynasty (266–420)}}

{{See also|Timeline of the Jin dynasty (266–420) and the Sixteen Kingdoms (304–439)|Military history of the Jin dynasty and the Sixteen Kingdoms}}

=== Background ===
{{See also|Three Kingdoms|Incident at the Gaoping Tombs|Conquest of Shu by Wei}}
During the [[Three Kingdoms]] period, the [[Sima (Chinese surname)|Sima]] clan—with its most accomplished individual being [[Sima Yi]]—rose to prominence within the kingdom of [[Cao Wei]] that dominated northern China. Sima Yi was the [[regent]] of Cao Wei, and in 249 he instigated a coup d'état known as the [[Incident at the Gaoping Tombs]], the Sima clan began to surpass the Cao clan's power in the kingdom. After Sima Yi's death in 251, Sima Yi's eldest son [[Sima Shi]] succeeded his father as regent of Cao Wei, maintaining the Sima clan's tight grip on the Cao Wei political scene. After Sima Shi's death in 255, Sima Shi's younger brother [[Sima Zhao]] became the regent of Cao Wei. Sima Zhao further assisted his clans' interests by suppressing rebellions and dissent.

In 263, he directed Cao Wei forces in conquering [[Shu Han]] and capturing [[Liu Shan]] (the son of [[Liu Bei]]), marking the first demise of one of the Three Kingdoms. Sima Zhao's actions awarded him the title of King of Jin, the last achievable rank beneath that of emperor. He was granted the title because his ancestral home was located in [[Wen County, Henan|Wen County]], on the territory of the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]]-era [[Jin (Chinese state)|state of Jin]], which was centered on the Jin River in [[Shaanxi]]. Sima Zhao's ambitions for the throne were visible, but he died in 265 before any usurpation attempt could be made, passing the opportunity to his ambitious son [[Sima Yan]].

=== Western Jin (266–316) ===

==== Founding ====
{{See also|Conquest of Wu by Jin}}
[[File:Western Jin Porcelain Female Figure (9832737224).jpg|thumb|Western Jin-era porcelain figurine]]
The Jin dynasty was founded by Sima Yan, who was known posthumously as [[Emperor Wu of Jin|Emperor Wu]] (the "Martial Emperor of Jin"). After succeeding [[Sima Zhao|his father]] as the King of Jin and regent of [[Cao Wei]] in 265, Sima Yan declared himself emperor of the Jin dynasty in February 266 and forced the final Wei ruler [[Cao Huan]] to abdicate. Emperor Wu permitted Cao Huan to live with honour as the Prince of Chenliu, and buried him with imperial ceremony. Under Emperor Wu, the Jin dynasty conquered [[Eastern Wu]] in 280 and united China proper, thus ending the Three Kingdoms period. The period of unity was relatively short-lived, as the Jin state was soon weakened by corruption, political turmoil, and internal conflicts. Emperor Wu's son Zhong, posthumously known as [[Emperor Hui of Jin|Emperor Hui]], was [[Developmental disability|developmentally disabled]].

==== Decline ====
{{main|War of the Eight Princes|Upheaval of the Five Barbarians|Disaster of Yongjia}}
Emperor Wu died in 290, and in 291 conflict over his succession caused the devastating [[War of the Eight Princes]]. The dynasty was greatly weakened by this civil conflict, and it soon faced more upheaval when the [[Upheaval of the Five Barbarians]] began in 304. During this unrest, the Jin capital [[Luoyang]] was [[Disaster of Yongjia|sacked]] by [[Han-Zhao]] ruler [[Liu Cong (Han Zhao)|Liu Cong]] in 311, and Jin emperor Sima Chi, posthumously known as [[Emperor Huai of Jin|Emperor Huai]], was captured and later executed. Emperor Huai's successor Sima Ye, posthumously known as [[Emperor Min of Jin|Emperor Min]], was then also captured and executed by Han-Zhao forces when they seized [[Chang'an]] (present-day [[Xi'an]]) in 316. This event marked the end of the Western Jin.<ref name="Rene" /> The surviving members of the Jin imperial family, as well as large numbers of Han Chinese from the [[North China Plain]], subsequently fled to southern China. These refugees had a large impact on the lands they moved to—for example, they gave [[Quanzhou]]'s [[Jin River (Fujian)|Jin River]] its name upon their settlement there.

=== Eastern Jin (317–420) ===
[[File:Funerary panels, from the tomb of Sima Jinlong, 484 CE. Datong, Shanxi Province.jpg|thumb|Lacquer screen, from the tomb of [[Sima Jinlong]], 484 CE. Untypical of the [[Northern Wei]] style, it was probably brought from the court of the Jin dynasty by Sima Jinlong's father.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dien |first1=Albert E. |title=Six Dynasties Civilization |year=2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-07404-8 |pages=295–296 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zp6iMZoqt0C&pg=PA295 |language=en}}</ref> Alternatively, it could be a Northern Wei work strongly influenced by Jin artistic styles, such as the work of [[Gu Kaizhi]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Watt |first1=James C. Y. |title=China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200–750 AD |date=2004 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-126-1 |page=159 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JbdS-R3y72MC&pg=PA159 |language=en}}</ref>]]
[[File:Western Jin Celadon Figures (10111627465).jpg|thumb|Western Jin celadon figures]]

==== Establishment ====
{{See also|Sixteen Kingdoms}}
After the fall of [[Chang'an]] and the execution of [[Emperor Min of Jin]], Sima Rui, posthumously known as [[Emperor Yuan of Jin|Emperor Yuan]], was enthroned as Jin emperor in 318. He reestablished the Jin government at [[Jiankang]] (present-day [[Nanjing]]), which became the dynasty's new capital. This marked the start of the Eastern Jin period.<ref name="Rene">{{Cite book |last=Grousset |first=Rene |title=The Empire of the Steppes |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=1970 |isbn=978-0-8135-1304-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/empireofsteppesh00prof/page/56 56–57] |url=https://archive.org/details/empireofsteppesh00prof/page/56 }}</ref> One of Sima Rui's titles was the prince of [[Langya Commandery|Langya]], so the recently established [[Sixteen Kingdoms|northern states]], who denied the legitimacy of his succession, occasionally referred to his empire as "Langya".

The Eastern Jin period witnessed the pinnacle of ''menfa'' ({{lang|zh-hant|門閥}} 'gentry clan') politics. The authority of the emperors was limited, while national affairs were controlled by powerful immigrant elite clans like the Wang ({{lang|zh-hant|王}}) clans of [[Langya Commandery|Langya]] and [[Taiyuan Commandery|Taiyuan]], the Xie ({{lang|zh-hant|謝}}) clan of [[Chenliu Commandery|Chenliu]], the Huan ({{lang|zh-hant|桓}}) clan of [[Qiao Commandery]], and the Yu ({{lang|zh-hant|庾}}) clan of [[Yingchuan Commandery|Yingchuan]]. Among the people, a common remark was that "[[Wang Dao]] and [[Emperor Yuan of Jin|Sima Rui]], they dominate the nation together" ({{lang|zh-hant|王與馬，共天下}}).<ref>{{Cite book| title= Book of Jin | title-link= Book of Jin
| editor= Fang Xuanling
| editor-link= Fang Xuanling
| display-editors=etal
| orig-date= 648 | date= 1974
| publisher= Zhonghua Shuju| place= Beijing
| script-title= zh:晉書
<!-- | ref={{sfnref|Book of Jin|648}} -->
| at = vol. 98, [[:zh:s:晉書/卷098#王敦|biography of Wang Dun]]
|quote=帝初鎮江東，威名未著，敦與從弟導等同心翼戴，以隆中興，時人為之語曰：「王與馬，共天下。」}}</ref> It was said that when Emperor Yuan was holding court, he even invited Wang Dao to sit by his side so they could jointly accept congratulations from ministers, but Wang Dao declined the offer.<ref>{{Cite web | url= http://www.jssdfz.gov.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=133&id=4623 | script-title= zh:司马睿 | title= Sima Rui | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170202063531/http://www.jssdfz.gov.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=133&id=4623 | archive-date= 2 February 2017 | date= 2014 | publisher= Office of the Committee for Local Records, Jiangsu Province | url-status= dead | access-date= 28 January 2017 }}</ref>

==== Wars with the north ====
{{See also|Battle of Fei River|Liu Yu's Northern Expeditions|Huan Wen's Northern Expeditions}}
In order to recover the lands lost during the fall of the Western Jin, the Eastern Jin dynasty launched several military campaigns against the northern states, such as the [[Huan Wen's Northern Expeditions|expeditions led by Huan Wen]] from 354 to 369. Most notably, in 383, a heavily outnumbered Eastern Jin force inflicted a devastating defeat on the state of Former Qin at the [[Battle of Fei River]]. After this battle, the Former Qin—which had recently unified northern China—began to collapse, and the Jin dynasty recovered the lands south of the [[Yellow River]]. Some of these lands were later lost, but the Jin regained them once more when [[Emperor Wu of Song|Liu Yu]] defeated the northern states in [[Liu Yu's Northern Expeditions|his northern expeditions]] of 409–416.

Despite successes against the northern states like the Battle of Fei River, paranoia in the royal family and a constant disruptions to the throne often caused loss of support for northern campaigns. For example, lack of support by the Jin court was a major cause of Huan Wen's failure to recover the north in his expeditions. Additionally, internal military crises—including the rebellions of generals [[Wang Dun]] and [[Su Jun]], but also lesser ''fangzhen'' ({{lang|zh|方鎮}} 'military command') revolts—plagued the Eastern Jin throughout its 104-year existence.

==== Mass migration to the south ====
The local aristocrat clans of the south were often at odds with the immigrants from the north. As such, tensions increased, and rivalry between the immigrants and southern locals loomed large in the domestic politics of the Jin. Two of the most prominent local clans, the Zhou ({{lang|zh-hant|周}}) clan of [[Yixing]] and the Shen ({{lang|zh-hant|沈}}) clan of [[Huzhou|Wuxing]], were dealt a bitter blow from which they never quite recovered. There was also conflict between the various northern immigrant clans. This led to a virtual balance of power, which somewhat benefited the emperor's rule.

Special "commanderies of immigrants" and "white registers" were created for the massive amounts of northern Han Chinese who moved south during the Eastern Jin.{{sfnb|Gernet|1996| p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=jqb7L-pKCV8C&dq=Yellow+registers+white+chin&pg=PA182 182]}} The southern Chinese aristocracy was formed from the offspring of these migrants.<ref>{{cite thesis | date= 2006 | publisher=Columbia University|degree=PhD|first= Nicolas Olivier | last=Tackett | url=http://history.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/slides/Dissertation.pdf | title=The Transformation of Medieval Chinese Elites (850–1000 C.E.)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220551/http://history.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/slides/Dissertation.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|page= 81}}</ref> Particularly in the [[Jiangnan]] region, [[Celestial Masters]] and the nobility of northern China subdued the nobility of southern China during the Jin dynasty.<ref name="LagerweyLü2009 34">{{cite book |editor1=John Lagerwey |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2nWdWbN3MQC&pg=PA831 |title=Early Chinese Religion: The Period of Division (220–589 AD) |editor2=Lü Pengzhi |date=2009 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-17585-3 |page=831 | chapter= The Revelation and Classification of Daoist Scriptures | author= Wang Chengwen | volume= 2 | doi= 10.1163/ej.9789004175853.i-1564.98}}</ref> Southern China overtook the north in population due to depopulation of the north and the migration of northern Chinese to southern China.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SOzKGAAACAAJ |title=Historical Atlas of the Classical World, 500 BC–AD 600 |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7607-1973-2 |page=2.25 |last= Haywood | first= John}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Haywood |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQMUNgAACAAJ |title=Historical Atlas of the Medieval World, AD 600–1492 |last2=Jotischky |first2=Andrew |last3=McGlynn |first3=Sean |publisher=Barnes & Noble |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7607-1976-3 |page=3.21}}</ref> Different waves of migration of aristocratic Chinese from northern China to the south at different times resulted in distinct groups of aristocratic lineages.<ref name="Clark2007">{{cite book |author=Hugh R. Clark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=126EsR8rpC8C&pg=PA37 |title=Portrait of a Community: Society, Culture, and the Structures of Kinship in the Mulan River Valley (Fujian) from the Late Tang Through the Song |publisher=Chinese University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-962-996-227-2 |pages=37–38}}</ref>

[[File:Celadon jar Eastern Jin 317 420 CE.jpg|thumb|Eastern Jin celadon jar]]

=== Demise ===
In 403, [[Huan Xuan]], the son of esteemed general [[Huan Wen]], usurped the Jin throne and declared the dynasty of [[Huan Chu]]. Huan Xuan was soon toppled by [[Emperor Wu of Liu Song|Liu Yu]], who reinstated Jin rule by installing Sima Dezong on the throne, posthumously known as [[Emperor An of Jin|Emperor An]]. Meanwhile, the civilian administration suffered, as there were further revolts led by Sun En and Lu Xun, and [[Western Shu]] became an independent kingdom under [[Qiao Zong]]. In 419, Liu Yu had Sima Dezong strangled and replaced by his brother Sima Dewen, posthumously known as [[Emperor Gong of Jin|Emperor Gong]]. Finally, in 420, Sima Dewen abdicated in favour of Liu Yu, who declared himself the ruler of the new [[Liu Song dynasty|Song dynasty]] (which is referred to as the Liu Song dynasty by historians in order to prevent confusion with the [[Song dynasty]] established in 960). Sima Dewen was then asphyxiated with a blanket in the following year. In the north, [[Northern Liang]], the last of the [[Sixteen Kingdoms]], was conquered by [[Northern Wei dynasty|Northern Wei]] in 439, ushering in the [[Northern dynasties]] period.

The Xianbei [[Northern Wei]] accepted the Jin refugees {{ill|Sima Fei|zh|司馬朏}} ({{lang|zh|司馬朏}}) and {{ill|Sima Chuzhi|zh|司馬楚之}} ({{lang|zh|司馬楚之}}). They both married Xianbei princesses. Sima Fei's wife was named Huayang ({{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|華|陽|公主}}}}), who was a daughter of [[Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei|Emperor Xiaowen]]; Sima Chuzhi's son was [[Sima Jinlong]], who married a [[Northern Liang]] princess who was a daughter of the [[Lushuihu]] king [[Juqu Mujian]].<ref>{{citation |title=China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200–750 AD |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JbdS-R3y72MC&pg=PA18 |year=2004 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-126-1 |page=18 ff | last= Watt | first= James C.Y.| mode=cs1}}</ref> More than fifty percent of Tuoba Xianbei princesses of the Northern Wei were married to southern Han Chinese men from the imperial families and aristocrats from southern China of the [[Southern dynasties]] who defected and moved north to join the Northern Wei.<ref>{{cite thesis|url=https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/33493331/TANG-DISSERTATION-2016.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y |title= Divorce and the Divorced Woman in Early Medieval China (First through Sixth Century) |pages=151–153 |last=Tang |first=Qiaomei |date=May 2016 |degree = PhD |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=Harvard University}}</ref> Much later, [[Sima Guang]] (1019–1086), who served as [[chancellor (China)|chancellor]] for the [[Song dynasty|Song]] and created the comprehensive history ''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]'', claimed descent from the Jin dynasty (specifically, [[Sima Fu]], brother of [[Sima Yi]]).