Editing Jin dynasty (266–420) (section)

=== 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]].