Jin Dynasty

Si-ma Yan began the Jin Dynasty; he ruled from 265-289A.D. As an emperor, he was called Wu Di. The Jin managed to reunify China when, in 280 A.D., they conquered the Wu Kingdom, thus ending the period of The Three Kingdoms. Despite this success, they were not a stable empire. After defeating the Wu, there was no longer a serious danger of being invaded. Therefore, the emperor declared the armies should be disbanded, and all the arms returned. However, this did not occur in every region. The princes, most of whom had been given their titles due to their relationship to the emperor, declared they needed personal guards. The discharged soldiers belonged mainly to the state and didn't give up their weapons either. Instead, they sold them, mainly to the Xiong-nu and the Xian-bei. This was a fatal mistake of the Jin government, as it made them virtually powerless, while all their rivals and enemies gained power. 

After the death of Si-ma Yan, there was never again a strong leader. The leaders and princes were often assassinated in the struggle for power. During this time, the Chinese people surrounding the capital suffered due to the fighting and began a migration out from the center of the empire to the more peaceful frontier regions. 

The Jin were eventually defeated by the Huns, who claimed they were descendents of the Han Dynasty because of the Han princesses given to them in marriage. However, they never succeeded in forming a true dynasty and uniting China. Rather, the disunity continued with the Northern and Southern dynasties. The defeated Jin fled and from 317-420 they ruled as the Eastern Jin in Nanking.

List of Jin Dynasty Emperors

Jin Dynasty (265–420) Sovereigns

Posthumous Names

Birth Name           

Years of Reign

Era Name  

Range of years   

Xi (Western) Jin Dynasty 265-317

Wǔ Dì

Sīmǎ Yán

司馬

265-290

Tàishǐ

265-274

Xiánníng

275-280

Tàikāng

280-289

Tàixī

290

Huì Dì

Sīmǎ

Zhōng

司馬

290-306

Yǒngxī

290

Yǒng

pīng

291

Yuán

kāng

291-299

Yǒng

kāng

300-301

Yǒng

níng

301-302

Tàiān

302-303

Yǒngān

304

Jiànwǔ

304

Yǒngān

304

Yǒng

xīng

304-306

Guāngxī

306

Huái Dì

Sīmǎ Chì

司馬

307-311

Yǒngjiā

307-313

Mǐn Dì

Sīmǎ Yè

司馬

313-317

Jiànxīng

313-317

Dong (Eastern) Jin Dynasty 317–420

Yuán Dì

Sīmǎ Ruì

司馬

317-322

Jiànwǔ

317-318

Dàxīng

318-321

Yǒng

chāng

321-322

Míng Dì

Sīmǎ Shào

司馬

322-325

Yǒngchāng    

322-323

Tàiníng

323-325

Chéng Dì

Sīmǎ Yǎn

司馬

325-342

Tàiníng        

325

Xiánhé

326-334

Xiánkāng

335-342

Kāng Dì

Sīmǎ Yuè

司馬

342-344  

Jiànyuán

343-344

Mù Dì

Sima Dān

司馬

345-361

Yǒnghé

345-356

Shēng

píng

357-361

Āi Dì

Sīmǎ Pī

司馬

361-365

Lónghé

362-363

Xīngníng

363-365

Fèi Dì

Sīmǎ Yì

司馬

365-371

Tàihé

365-371

Jiǎnwén Dì

簡文

Sīmǎ Yù

司馬

371-372

Xiánān

371-372

Xiāowǔ Dì

孝武

Sīmǎ Yào

司馬

372-396

Níng

kāng

373-375

Tàiyuán

376-396

Ān Dì

Sīmǎ

Dézōng

司馬德

396-418

Lóngān

397-401

Yuánxīng

402-404

Yìxī

405-418

Gōng Dì

Sīmǎ

Déwén

司馬德

419-420

Yuánxī

419-420


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