Emperor Wu of Jìn
Encyclopedia
Emperor Wu of Jin, personal name Sima Yan , style name
Chinese style name
A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...

 Anshi (安世), was the grandson of Sima Yi
Sima Yi
Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...

 and son of Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

. He became the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty (265-420)
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...

 after forcing Cao Huan
Cáo Huàn
Cao Huan , formally known as Emperor Yuan of Wei, was the fifth and last emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history....

, last ruler of the state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...

, to abdicate to him. He reigned from 265 to 290, and after conquering the state of Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...

 in 280, was the emperor of a unified China. Emperor Wu was known for his extravagance and sensuality, especially after the unification of China; legends boasted of his incredible potency among ten thousand concubines.

Emperor Wu was commonly viewed as a generous and kind, but also wasteful, ruler. His generosity and kindness undermined his rule, as he became overly tolerant of the noble families' corruption and wastefulness, which drained the people's resources. Further, when Emperor Wu established the Jin Dynasty, he was concerned about his regime's stability, and, believing that the predecessor state, Cao Wei, had been doomed by its failures to empower the princes of the imperial clan, he greatly empowered his uncles, his cousins, and his sons with authority including high military ranking. This ironically led to the destabilization of the Jin Dynasty, as the princes engaged in an internecine struggle known as the War of the Eight Princes
War of the Eight Princes
The War of the Eight Princes or Rebellion of the Eight Kings or Rebellion of the Eight Princes was a civil war for power among princes and dukes of the Chinese Jin Dynasty from AD 291 to AD 306. It was fought mostly in northern China and devastated the country, later triggering the Wu Hu ravaging...

 soon after his death, and then the Wu Hu
Wu Hu
Wu Hu was a Chinese term for the northern non-Chinese nomadic tribes which caused the Wu Hu uprising, and established the Sixteen Kingdoms from 304 to 439 AD.-Definition:...

 uprisings that nearly destroyed the Jin Dynasty and forced its relocation to the region south of the Huai River
Huai River
The Huai River is a major river in China. The Huai River is located about mid-way between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two largest rivers in China, and like them runs from west to east...

.

Life before establishment of the Jin Dynasty

Sima Yan was born to Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

 and his wife Wang Yuanji, daughter of the Confucian scholar Wang Su (王肅), in 236, as their oldest son. At that time, Sima Zhao was a mid-level official in the government of Cao Wei and a member of a privileged clan, as the son of the general Sima Yi
Sima Yi
Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...

. After Sima Yi seized power from the regent Cao Shuang
Cao Shuang
Cao Shuang , style name Zhaobo , was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the son of Cao Zhen...

 in 249 in the Incident at Gaoping Tombs
Incident at Gaoping Tombs
The Incident at Gaoping Tombs in 249 was a coup d'etat that occurred in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The parties involved were Cao Shuang and Sima Yi. Sima Yi seized power during the coup and had Cao Shuang killed...

, Sima Zhao became more influential in the state. After his father's death in 251, Sima Zhao became the assistant to his brother, the new regent Sima Shi
Sima Shi
Sima Shi , style name Ziyuan , was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, allowing the Sima family to become paramount authority in the state, and he...

. After Sima Shi died in 255, Sima Zhao became regent and the paramount authority in the Wei government.

Sima Yan's first important appearance in history was in 260, when forces loyal to his father, led by Jia Chong
Jia Chong
Jia Chong , style name Gonglü , formally known as Duke Wu of Lu , was an official of the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history...

, defeated an attempt by the Wei emperor Cao Mao
Cao Mao
Cao Mao , formally known as the Duke of Gaogui, was the fourth emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was a grandson of Cao Wei's first emperor Cao Pi. Described as intelligent and studious, Cao Mao made repeated attempts to seize back state power...

 to take back power and killed Cao Mao. At that time, as a mid-level army general, he was commissioned by his father to escort the new emperor Cao Huan
Cáo Huàn
Cao Huan , formally known as Emperor Yuan of Wei, was the fifth and last emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history....

 from his dukedom to the capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...

. After his father was created the Duke of Jin in 263 in light of the army's conquest of Shu Han
Shu Han
Shu Han was one of the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty. The state was based on areas around Sichuan, which was then known as Shu...

, he was named heir. However, at times Sima Zhao hesitated as to whether Sima Yan or his brother Sima You
Sima You
Sima You , style name Taiyou , was the second son of the Cao Wei regent Sima Zhao during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sima You became the heir to his uncle, Sima Shi, who at the time was childless...

 would be the more appropriate heir — as Sima You was considered talented and had also been adopted by Sima Shi, who had no biological sons of his own, and Sima Zhao, remembering his brother's role in the Simas' takeover of power, thought it might be appropriate to return power to his branch of the clan. However, a number of high level officials favored Sima Yan, and Sima Zhao agreed. After he was created the Prince of Jin in 264 (thus reaching the ultimate step before usurpation), Sima Yan was created the crown prince of Jin.

In 265, Sima Zhao died without having formally taken imperial authority. Sima Yan became the Prince of Jin. Later that year, he forced Cao Huan to abdicate, ending the state of Cao Wei and starting the Jin Dynasty.

Early reign: establishment of the Jin political system

Emperor Wu immediately sought to avoid what he saw as Cao Wei's fatal weakness—lack of power among the imperial princes. In 265, immediately after taking the throne, he made princes of many of his uncles, cousins, brothers, and sons, each with independent military commands and full authority within their principalities. This system, while it would be scaled back after the War of the Eight Princes
War of the Eight Princes
The War of the Eight Princes or Rebellion of the Eight Kings or Rebellion of the Eight Princes was a civil war for power among princes and dukes of the Chinese Jin Dynasty from AD 291 to AD 306. It was fought mostly in northern China and devastated the country, later triggering the Wu Hu ravaging...

 and the loss of northern China, would remain in place as a Jin institution for the duration of the dynasty's existence, and would be adopted by the succeeding Southern dynasties
Southern dynasties
The Southern dynasties comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their...

 as well.

Another problem that Emperor Wu saw with Cao Wei's political system was its harshness in penal law, and he sought to reform the penal system to make it more merciful — but the key beneficiaries of his changes turned out to be the nobles, as it quickly became clear that the mercy was being dealt out in an unequal manner. Nobles who committed crimes often received simple rebukes, while there were no meaningful reductions in penalties for commoners. This led to massive corruption and extravagant living by the nobles, while the poor went without government assistance. For example, in 267, when several high level officials were found to have worked in conjunction with a county magistrate to seize public land for themselves, Emperor Wu refused to punish the high level officials while punishing the county magistrate harshly.

Emperor Wu faced two major military issues almost immediately — incessant harassment from the rival Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...

's forces, under emperor Sun Hao
Sun Hao
Sun Hao , style name Yuanzong , originally named Sun Pengzu with the style name Yuanzong , was the fourth and last emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. He was the son of Sun He, a one-time crown prince of the founding emperor Sun Quan...

, and Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...

 and Qiang rebellions in Qin (秦) and Liang (涼) provinces (modern Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...

). Most officials were more concerned about the Xianbei and Qiang rebellions and also with another non-Han people — the Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...

, who had settled down in modern Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

 after the dissolution of their state by Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...

 in 216 under the watchful eyes of Chinese officials, and were feared for their military abilities. These officials advised Emperor Wu to try to suppress the Xianbei and the Qiang before considering conquests of Eastern Wu. Under the encouragement of the generals Yang Hu
Yang Hu
Not to be confused with Yang Hu :zh:阳虎/陽虎, the Spring and Autumn retainer-usurper in the state of Lu.Yang Hu , style name Shuzi , was a military general during the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history...

 and Wang Jun
Wang Jun (Three Kingdoms)
Wang Jun , style name Shizhi , was a military general during the late Three Kingdoms and Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was appointed Imperial Protector of Yi Province and Prancing Dragon General...

 and the strategist Zhang Hua
Zhang Hua
Zhang Hua , style name Maoxian , was a Jin Dynasty official and poet. He was a native of Fangcheng County, Zhili.-Background:...

, however, Emperor Wu, while sending a number of generals to combat the Xianbei and the Qiang, prepared the southern and eastern border regions for war against Eastern Wu throughout this part of his reign. He was particularly encouraged by reports of Sun Hao's cruelty and ineptitude in governing Eastern Wu; indeed, the officials in favor of war against Eastern Wu often cited this as reason to act quickly, as they argued that Eastern Wu would be harder to conquer if and when Sun Hao was replaced. However, after a major revolt by the Xianbei chief Tufa Shujineng (禿髮樹機能) started in 270 in Qin Province, Emperor Wu's attention became concentrated on Tufa, as Tufa was able to win victory after victory over Jin generals. In 271, the Xiongnu noble Liu Meng (劉猛) rebelled as well, and while his rebellion did not last long, this took Emperor Wu's attention away from Eastern Wu. In 271, Jiao Province (交州, modern northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

), which had paid allegiance to Jin ever since the start of his reign, was recaptured by Eastern Wu. In 272, the Eastern Wu general Bu Chan (步闡), in fear that Sun Hao was going to punish him on the basis of false reports against him, tried to surrender the important city of Xiling (西陵, in modern Yichang
Yichang
Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.-History:In ancient times Yichang...

, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

) to Jin, but Jin relief forces were stopped by the Eastern Wu general Lu Kang
Lu Kang
Lu Kang , style name Youjie , was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the son of Lu Xun and a maternal grandson of Sun Ce. He was praised for his talent and wisdom....

, who then recaptured Xiling and killed Bu. In light of these failures, Yang took another tack — he started a détente
Détente
Détente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...

 with Lu and treated the Eastern Wu border residents well, causing them to view Jin favorably.

When Emperor Wu ascended the throne in 265, he honored his mother Wang Yuanji as empress dowager. In 266, he also honored his aunt Yang Huiyu (Sima Shi
Sima Shi
Sima Shi , style name Ziyuan , was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, allowing the Sima family to become paramount authority in the state, and he...

's wife) an empress dowager, in recognition of his uncle's contributions to the establishment of the Jìn Dynasty. He made his wife Yang Yan
Empress Yang Yan
Empress Yang Yan , courtesy name Qiongzhi , formally Empress Wuyuan was an empress of Jin Dynasty . She was the first wife of Emperor Wu....

 empress the same year. In 267, he made her oldest living son, Sima Zhong
Emperor Hui of Jin
Emperor Hui of Jin, sim. ch. 晋惠帝, trad. ch. 晉惠帝, py. jìn huì dì, wg. Chin Hui-ti , personal name Sima Zhong , courtesy name Zhengdu , was the second emperor of the Jin Dynasty...

 crown prince — based on the Confucian principle that the oldest son by an emperor's wife should inherit the throne — a selection that would, however, eventually contribute greatly to political instability and the Jin Dynasty's decline, as Crown Prince Zhong appeared to be developmentally disabled and unable to learn the important skills necessary to govern. Emperor Wu further made perhaps a particularly fateful choice on Crown Prince Zhong's behalf — in 272, he selected Jia Nanfeng
Empress Jia Nanfeng
Empress Jia Nanfeng , nickname Shi , of the Jin Dynasty was the daughter of Jia Chong and first wife of Emperor Hui...

, the strong-willed daughter of the noble Jia Chong
Jia Chong
Jia Chong , style name Gonglü , formally known as Duke Wu of Lu , was an official of the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history...

, to be Crown Prince Zhong's princess. Crown Princess Jia would, from that point on, have the crown prince under her tight control. Before Empress Yang died in 274, she was concerned that whoever the new empress would be would have ambitions to replace the crown prince, and therefore asked Emperor Wu to marry her cousin Yang Zhi
Empress Yang Zhi
Empress Yang Zhi , courtesy name Jilan , nickname Nanyin , formally Empress Wudao was an empress of Jin Dynasty...

. He agreed.

In 273, Emperor Wu would undertake a selection of beautiful women from throughout the empire — a warning sign of what would eventually come. He looked most attentively among the daughters of officials, but he also ordered that no marriages take place in the empire until the selection process was done.

Middle reign: unification of the Chinese empire

In 276, Emperor Wu suffered a major illness — which led to a succession crisis. Crown Prince Zhong would be the legitimate heir, but both the officials and the people hoped that Emperor Wu's capable brother, Sima You, the Prince of Qi, would inherit the throne instead. After Emperor Wu became well, he divested some military commands from officials that he thought favored Prince You, but otherwise took no other punitive actions against anyone.

Later that year, Yang Hu reminded Emperor Wu of his plan to conquer Eastern Wu. Most of the officials, still concerned with Tufa's rebellion, were opposed, but Yang was supported by Du Yu
Du Yu
Du Yu , style name Yuankai , was a military general of Cao Wei during the late Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He served the Jin Dynasty after the end of the Three Kingdoms period. Also a prolific author, it is said that Du Yu read the Zuozhuan so often that he was addicted to the book...

 and Zhang. Emperor Wu considered their counsel seriously but did not implement it at this time.

Also in 276, pursuant to his promise to the deceased Empress Yang, Emperor Wu married her cousin Yang Zhi and made her empress. The new Empress Yang's father, Yang Jun, became a key official in the administration and became exceeding arrogant.

In 279, with the general Ma Long (馬隆) having finally put down Tufa's rebellion, Emperor Wu concentrated his efforts on Eastern Wu, and commissioned a six-pronged attack led by his uncle Sima Zhou
Sima Zhou
Sima Zhou was an official of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the sixth son of Sima Yi. Sima Zhou was known in Cao Wei as the "Fire General"...

, Wang Hun (王渾), Wang Rong, Hu Fen (胡奮), Du Yu, and Wang Jun, with the largest forces under Wang Hun and Wang Jun. Each of the Jin forces advanced quickly and captured the border cities that they were targeting, with Wang Jun's fleet heading east down the Yangtze and clearing the river of Eastern Wu fleets. The Eastern Wu chancellor Zhang Ti (張悌) made a last ditch attempt to defeat Wang Hun's force, but was defeated and killed. Wang Hun, Wang Jun, and Sima Zhou each headed for Jianye, and Sun Hao was forced to surrender in spring 280. Emperor Wǔ made Sun Hao the Marquess of Guiming. The integration of former Eastern Wu territory into Jin appeared to be a relatively smooth process.

After the fall of Eastern Wu, Emperor Wu ordered that provincial governors no longer be in charge of military matters and become purely civilian governors, and that regional militias be disbanded, despite opposition by the general Tao Huang (陶璜) and the key official Shan Tao
Shan Tao (Taoist)
Shan Tao is one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove....

. This would also eventually prove to create problems later on during the Wu Hu rebellions, as the regional governors were not able to raise troops to resist quickly enough. He also rejected advice to have the non-Han gradually moved outside of the empire proper.

Late reign: setting the stage for disasters

In 281, Emperor Wu took 5,000 women from Sun Hao's palace into his own, and thereafter became even more concentrated on feasting and enjoying the women, rather than on important matters of state. It was said that there were so many beautiful women in the palace that he did not know whom he should have sexual relations with; he therefore rode on a small cart drawn by goats, and wherever the goats would stop, he would stop there, as well. Because of this, many of the women planted bamboo leaves and salt outside their bedrooms — both items said to be favored by goats. Empress Yang's father Yang Jun and uncles Yang Yao (楊珧) and Yang Ji (楊濟) became effectively in power.

Emperor Wu also became more concerned about whether his brother Prince You would seize the throne if he died. In 282, he sent Prince You to his principality, even though there was no evidence that Prince You had such ambitions. Prince You, in anger, grew ill and died in 283.

As Emperor Wu grew ill in 289, he considered whom to make regent. He considered both Yang Jun and his uncle Sima Liang
Sima Liang
Sima Liang , courtesy name Ziyi , formally Prince Wencheng of Ru'nan , was briefly a regent during the reign of Emperor Hui during Jin Dynasty . He was the first of the eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes.-Biography:Sima Liang was the fourth son of Sima Yi, by his...

 the Prince of Ru'nan, the most respected of the imperial princes. As a result, Yang Jun became fearful of Sima Liang and had him posted to the key city of Xuchang
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....

. Several other imperial princes were also posted to other key cities in the empire. By 290, Emperor Wu resolved to let Yang and Sima Liang both be regents, but after he wrote his will, the will was seized by Yang Jun, who instead had another will promulgated in which Yang alone was named regent. Emperor Wu died soon thereafter, leaving the empire in the hands of a developmentally disabled son and nobles intent on shedding each other's blood for power, and while he would not see the disastrous consequences himself, the consequences would soon come.

Era names

  • Taishi 265–274
  • Xianning 275–280
  • Taikang 280–289
  • Taixi January 28, 290 – May 17, 290

Personal information

  • Father
    • Sima Zhao
      Sima Zhao
      Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

      , Prince Wen of Jin, posthumously honored as Emperor Wen of Jin, son of Sima Yi
      Sima Yi
      Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...

  • Mother
    • Princess Wang Yuanji
      Empress Dowager Wang Yuanji
      Wang Yuanji , formally Empress Wenming was an empress dowager during the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history. She was the wife of Sima Zhao, regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period...

       (王元姬)
  • Wives
    • Empress Yang Yan
      Empress Yang Yan
      Empress Yang Yan , courtesy name Qiongzhi , formally Empress Wuyuan was an empress of Jin Dynasty . She was the first wife of Emperor Wu....

       (created 266, d. 274), mother of Prince Gui, Emperor Hui, and Prince Jian, and Princesses Pingyang, Xinfeng, and Yangping
    • Empress Yang Zhi
      Empress Yang Zhi
      Empress Yang Zhi , courtesy name Jilan , nickname Nanyin , formally Empress Wudao was an empress of Jin Dynasty...

       (created 276, d. 290), cousin of Empress Yang Yan, mother of Prince Hui
  • Major Concubines
    • Consort Zuo Fen
      Zuo Fen
      -Life:She was born in Linzi prefecture to a family of Confucian scholars. Her mother died young, but her father, Zuo Yong, became an imperial official in charge of the imperial archives. She got a good literary education and often played word games with her brother, Zuo Si, who would become a...

       (左芬), poet
    • Consort Hu (胡芳), daughter of Hu Fen (胡奮), mother of Princess Wu'an
    • Consort Zhuge Wan (諸葛婉)
    • Consort Shen, mother of Princes Jing, Wei and Ai
    • Consort Xu, mother of Prince Xian
    • Consort Gui, mother of Prince Zhi
    • Consort Zhao, mother of Prince Yu
    • Consort Zhao, mother of Prince Yǎn
    • Consort Li, mother of Princes Yun and Yàn
    • Consort Yan, mother of Prince Gai
    • Consort Chen, mother of Prince Xia
    • Consort Zhu, mother of Prince Mo
    • Consort Cheng, mother of Prince Ying
    • Consort Wang Yuanji (王媛姬), mother of Emperor Huai
    • Consort Xie Jiu (謝玖), later concubine of Emperor Hui
    • Consort Zhao Can (趙粲)
  • Children
    • Sima Gui (司馬軌), died early, posthumously created Prince Dao of Piling (289)
    • Sima Zhong (司馬衷), the Crown Prince (created 267), later Emperor Hui of Jin
      Emperor Hui of Jin
      Emperor Hui of Jin, sim. ch. 晋惠帝, trad. ch. 晉惠帝, py. jìn huì dì, wg. Chin Hui-ti , personal name Sima Zhong , courtesy name Zhengdu , was the second emperor of the Jin Dynasty...

    • Sima Jian (司馬柬) (b. 262), initially the Prince of Ru'nan (created 270), later the Prince of Nanyang (created c. 276), later Prince Xian of Qin (created 289, d. 291)
    • Sima Jing (司馬景), Prince Huai of Chengyang (created 269, d. 270)
    • Sima Wei
      Sima Wei
      Sima Wei , courtesy name Yandu , formally Prince Yin of Chu , was an imperial prince during Jin Dynasty and was the second of the eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes.-Biography:...

       (司馬瑋) (b. 271), initially created the Prince of Shiping, later Prince Yin of Chu (created c. 289, executed by Empress Jia Nanfeng
      Empress Jia Nanfeng
      Empress Jia Nanfeng , nickname Shi , of the Jin Dynasty was the daughter of Jia Chong and first wife of Emperor Hui...

       291)
    • Sima Xian (司馬憲), Prince Shang of Chengyang (created 270?, d. 273?)
    • Sima Zhi (司馬祉) (b. 271), Prince Chong of Donghai (created and d. 273)
    • Sima Yu (司馬裕) (b. 271), Prince Ai of Shiping (created and d. 277)
    • Sima Yǎn (司馬演) (note different tone than his father and brother), Prince Ai of Dai (created 289)
    • Sima Yun (司馬允) (b. 272), initially Prince of Puyang (created 277), later Prince Zhongzhuang of Huainan (created 289, killed by Sima Lun
      Sima Lun
      Sima Lun , courtesy name Ziyi , was titled the Prince of Zhao and the usurper of the Jin Dynasty from February 3 to May 30, 301...

       300)
    • Sima Gai (司馬該) (b. 272), Prince Huai of Xindu (created 277, d. 283)
    • Sima Xia (司馬遐) (b. 273), Prince Kang of Qinghe (created 289, d. 300)
    • Sima Mo (司馬謨) (b. 276), Prince Ai of Ruyin (d. 286)
    • Sima Ai
      Sima Ai
      Sima Ai or Sima Yi , courtesy name Shidu , formally Prince Li of Changsha , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince who briefly served as regent for his brother Emperor Hui. He was the fifth of the eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes...

       (司馬乂) (b. 277), Prince Li of Changsha (created 289, demoted to Prince of Changshan 291, restored 301, killed by Sima Yong
      Sima Yong
      Sima Yong , courtesy name Wenzai , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince and briefly a regent for Emperor Hui. He was the seventh of eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes...

       304)
    • Sima Ying
      Sima Ying
      Sima Ying , courtesy name Zhangdu , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince who served briefly as his brother Emperor Hui's regent and crown prince. He was the sixth of eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes...

       (司馬穎) (b. 279), initially the Prince of Chengdu (created c. 289), later the Crown Prince (created 304), later demoted back to Prince of Chengdu (304, forced to commit suicide 306)
    • Sima Yàn (司馬晏) (b. 283) (note different tone than his father and brother), Prince Xiao of Wu (initially created 289, demoted to Prince of Bingtu 300, later created Prince of Dai, restored to Prince of Wu in 301, killed by Han Zhao
      Han Zhao
      The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...

       forces 313)
    • Sima Chi (司馬熾), initially the Prince of Yuzhang (created 290), later the Crown Prince (created 304), later Emperor Huai of Jin
      Emperor Huai of Jin
      Emperor Huai of Jin, sim. ch. 晋怀帝, trad. ch. 晉懷帝, py. Jìn Huáidì, wg. Chin Huai-ti , personal name Sima Chi , courtesy name Fengdu , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty ....

    • Sima Hui (司馬恢) (b. 283, d. 284), posthumously created Prince Shang of Bohai
    • Eight other sons who died early without being created princes
    • Princess Changshan
    • Princess Changguang
    • Princess Pingyang
    • Princess Xinfeng
    • Princess Yangping
    • Princess Wannian
    • Princess Xiangcheng
    • Princess Wu'an
    • Princess Yingyang
    • Princess Rongyang
    • Princess Fanchang

Ancestry

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