Jin dynasty (266–420)

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Jin

8 February 266–10 July 420

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DYNASTY

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WESTERN

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SASANIAN
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◁▷

The Jin dynasty and contemporary polities c. 300

The Jin dynasty (yellow) at its greatest extent, c. 280,

Chang'an (312–316)

Jiankang (317–420)

Common Middle Chinese

Religion Buddhism, Daoism, Chinese

Government Monarchy

Emperor

• 266–290 (first of Emperor Wu of Jin

• 318–323 (first of Emperor Yuan of Jin

• 419–420 (last) Emperor Gong of Jin

Chancellor

History

• Establishment 8 February 266

• Jin evacuates 317

• Abdication to 10 July 420

Area

280 (Western Jin 2

347 (Eastern Jin 2

Currency Chinese coin, Cash

Prece Succee
ded ded by
by

C Six
a tee
o n
W Ki
e ng
i do
ms

E
a
s
 t
e
Liu
r
So
n
ng
W
u

Today part of China

Mongolia

North Korea

Vietnam

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The Jin dynasty ([tɕîn]; Chinese: 晉朝; pinyin: Jìn Cháo) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the Sima
Jin (司馬晉) or the Two Jins (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by
Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had previously been declared the King of Jin. The Jin
dynasty was preceded by the Three Kingdoms period, and was succeeded by the Sixteen Kingdoms in northern
China and the Liu Song dynasty in southern China.

There are two main divisions in the history of the dynasty. The Western Jin (266–316) was established as the
successor to Cao Wei after Sima Yan usurped the throne from Cao Huan. The capital of the Western Jin was initially
in Luoyang, though it later moved to Chang'an (modern Xi'an, Shaanxi province). In 280, after conquering Eastern
Wu, the Western Jin reunited China proper for the first time since the end of the Han dynasty, ending the Three
Kingdoms era. However, 11 years later, a series of civil wars known as the War of the Eight Princes erupted in the
dynasty, which weakened it considerably. Subsequently, in 304, the dynasty experienced a wave of rebellions and
invasions by non-Han ethnicities termed the Five Barbarians, who went on to establish several short-lived dynastic
states in northern China. This inaugurated the chaotic and bloody Sixteen Kingdoms era of Chinese history, in which
states in the north rose and fell in rapid succession, constantly fighting both one another and the Jin. Han Zhao, one
of the northern states established during the disorder, sacked Luoyang in 311, captured Chang'an in 316, and
executed Emperor Min of Jin in 318, ending the Western Jin era. Sima Rui, who succeeded Emperor Min, then
reestablished the Jin dynasty with its capital in Jiankang (modern Nanjing), inaugurating the Eastern Jin (317–420).
The Eastern Jin dynasty remained in near-constant conflict with the northern states for most of its existence, and it
launched several invasions of the north with the aim of recovering its lost territories. Notably, in 383, the Eastern Jin
inflicted a devastating defeat on the Former Qin, a Di-ruled state that had briefly unified northern China. In the
aftermath of that battle, the Former Qin state splintered, and Jin armies recaptured the lands south of the Yellow
River. The Eastern Jin was eventually usurped by General Liu Yu in 420 and replaced with the Liu Song dynasty. The
Eastern Jin dynasty is considered the second of the Six Dynasties.

History[edit]
Main article: History of the Jin dynasty (266–420)

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

Background[edit]

See also: Three Kingdoms, Incident at Gaoping Tombs, and Conquest of Shu Han by Cao Wei

During the Three Kingdoms period, the Sima clan—with its most accomplished individual being Sima Yi—rose to
prominence within the kingdom of Cao Wei, which dominated northern China and was ruled by the Cao clan. Sima Yi
was the regent of Cao Wei, and after he instigated a 249 coup d'état known as the Incident at 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, on the territory of the Zhou-era marchland and duchy named Jin, which was centered on Shaanxi's Jin River.
Sima Zhao's ambitions for the throne were visible (proverbial in Chinese), 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)[edit]

See also: Conquest of Eastern Wu by Jin

Western Jin porcelain female figurine.

The Jin dynasty was founded by Sima Yan, who was known posthumously as Emperor Wu (the "Martial Emperor of
Jin"). After succeeding his father as the King of Jin and regent of Cao Wei in 265, Sima Yan declared himself emperor
of the Jin dynasty in 266 and forced Cao Huan (the last ruler of Cao Wei) to abdicate. Emperor Wu (Sima Yan)
permitted Cao Huan to live with honor 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 (the
"Benevolent Emperor of Jin"), was developmentally disabled.

Decline[edit]

Main articles: War of the Eight Princes, Uprising of the Five Barbarians, and 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 Uprising of the
Five Barbarians began in 304. During this unrest, the Jin capital Luoyang was sacked by Han Zhao ruler Liu Cong in
311, and Jin emperor Sima Chi, posthumously known as Emperor Huai (the "Missing Emperor of Jin"), was captured
and later executed. Emperor Huai's successor Sima Ye, posthumously known as Emperor Min (the "Suffering
Emperor of Jin"), was then also captured and executed by Han Zhao forces when they seized Chang'an (present-day
[2]
Xi'an) in 316. This event marked the end of the Western Jin. 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 its name
when they settled in its valley in Fujian.

Material culture[edit]

The Jin dynasty is well known for the quality of its greenish celadon porcelain wares, which immediately followed the
[3]
development of proto-celadon. Jar designs often incorporated animal, as well as Buddhist, figures. Examples of

[4]
Yue ware are also known from the Jin dynasty.

●
Yue ware with motif, 3rd century CE, Western Jin, Zhejiang.
●

Pottery tower, Western Jin, 265–317 CE.

Celadon lion-shaped bixie, Western Jin, 265–317 CE.

Celadon lian bowl with Buddhist figures, Western Jin, 265–317 CE.
 ●

Hunping jar of the Western Jin, with Buddhist figures.

Eastern Jin (317–420)[edit]

Lacquer screen, from the tomb of Sima Jinlong, 484 CE. Untypical of Northern Wei styles, it was probably
[5]
brought from the court of the Jin dynasty by Sima Jinlong's father. Alternatively, it could be a Northern Wei
[6]
work strongly influenced by Jin artistic styles, such as the work of Gu Kaizhi.

Establishment[edit]

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,
was enthroned as Jin emperor in 318. He reestablished the Jin government at Jiankang (present-day Nanjing), which
[2]
became the dynasty's new capital. This marked the start of the Eastern Jin period. One of Sima Rui's titles was the

prince of Langya, so the recently established 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 (門閥, "gentry clans") politics. The authority of the emperors
was limited, while national affairs were controlled by powerful immigrant elite clans like the Wang (王) clans of Langya
and Taiyuan, the Xie (謝) clan of Chenliu, the Huan (桓) clan of Qiao Commandery, and the Yu (庾) clan of
Yingchuan. Among the people, a common remark was that "Wang Dao and Sima Rui, they dominate the nation
[7]
together" (王與馬，共天下). It was said that when Emperor Yuan was holding court, he even invited Wang Dao to sit

[8]
by his side so they could jointly accept congratulations from ministers, but Wang Dao declined the offer.

Wars with the north[edit]

See also: Battle of Fei River, Liu Yu's Northern Expeditions, and 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 expeditions led by Huan Wen from 354–369. 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 Liu Yu defeated the northern states in 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 (方鎮, "military
command") revolts—plagued the Eastern Jin throughout its 104 year existence.

Mass migration to the south[edit]

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 (周) clan of Yixing and the Shen (沈) clan of 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
[9]
Chinese who moved south during the Eastern Jin. The southern Chinese aristocracy was formed from the offspring

[10]
of these migrants. Particularly in the Jiangnan region, Celestial Masters and the nobility of northern China

[11]
subdued the nobility of southern China during the Jin dynasty. Southern China overtook the north in population
 [12][13]
due to depopulation of the north and the migration of northern Chinese to southern China. Different waves of

migration of aristocratic Chinese from northern China to the south at different times resulted in distinct groups of
[14]
aristocratic lineages.