Ma Teng (156 - 212) was a warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and
Three KingdomsThe Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the...
era of
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. He controlled the Liangzhou (涼州) region together with his sworn brother
Han SuiHan Sui was a warrior and military leader in the waning years of the Han Dynasty and during the Three Kingdoms era of China. For most of his life he was active in Liangzhou and was involved in several rebellions against the Han Dynasty and against the warlord, Cao Cao.-Life:With the backing of...
. Ma Teng and Han Sui were involved in efforts to gain autonomy from the central Han government. Ma Teng was the father of
Ma ChaoMa Chao was the eldest son of Ma Teng and a military general during the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. In Luo Guanzhong's 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms he received the nickname "Ma Chao the Splendid" due to his elaborate armour and...
and the uncle of
Ma DaiMa Dai was a general of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He was a former officer under his uncle, Ma Teng, and later Ma Chao, the eldest son of Ma Teng and, finally, Liu Bei, founder of the Kingdom of Shu....
, who would later serve the
Kingdom of ShuShu Han , sometimes known as the Kingdom of Shu was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty, based on areas around Sichuan which was then known as Shu. Some historians argue it is the last Han dynasty because Liu Bei is directly related to the Han...
.
Ma Teng was from the Maoling (茂陵) region of Fufeng Province (扶風郡).
Ma Teng (156 - 212) was a warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and
Three KingdomsThe Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the...
era of
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. He controlled the Liangzhou (涼州) region together with his sworn brother
Han SuiHan Sui was a warrior and military leader in the waning years of the Han Dynasty and during the Three Kingdoms era of China. For most of his life he was active in Liangzhou and was involved in several rebellions against the Han Dynasty and against the warlord, Cao Cao.-Life:With the backing of...
. Ma Teng and Han Sui were involved in efforts to gain autonomy from the central Han government. Ma Teng was the father of
Ma ChaoMa Chao was the eldest son of Ma Teng and a military general during the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. In Luo Guanzhong's 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms he received the nickname "Ma Chao the Splendid" due to his elaborate armour and...
and the uncle of
Ma DaiMa Dai was a general of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He was a former officer under his uncle, Ma Teng, and later Ma Chao, the eldest son of Ma Teng and, finally, Liu Bei, founder of the Kingdom of Shu....
, who would later serve the
Kingdom of ShuShu Han , sometimes known as the Kingdom of Shu was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty, based on areas around Sichuan which was then known as Shu. Some historians argue it is the last Han dynasty because Liu Bei is directly related to the Han...
.
Life
Ma Teng was from the Maoling (茂陵) region of Fufeng Province (扶風郡). His father, Ma Ping, was a minor official in
TianshuiTianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west...
, but because of some dispute he was dismissed from his post, and went to live among the Qiang people. He married a Qiang woman, who gave birth to Ma Chao.
When Ma Teng was young, he lived in extreme poverty and it is said that he collected firewood in the mountains and sold it to make money. When he grew up, his height was said to have been over 8
Chinese feetChinese units of measurement are the customary and traditional units of measure used in the China. In People's Republic of China, the units were re-standardised during the late twentieth century to make them approximate SI units. Many of the units were formerly based on the number 16 instead of 10...
tall, (roughly 1.84 meters). It is also said that although he was fierce in appearance, he was kind to others and wise, and was respected by many.
In 184, during the final years of Emperor Ling of Han's reign, the Qiang people in Liangzhou rose up against the local government. They were joined by warlords Han Sui, Bian Zhong (边章), Beigong Yu (北宫玉), and Liwen Hou (李文侯). The official Han governor of Liangzhou, Geng Bi (耿鄙), gathered forces to put down the rebellion, and Ma Teng volunteered as a foot soldier. His skills in battle against the rebels were recognized, and he rose through the ranks of the soldiery. However, when Geng Bi was killed in battle by the rebel army, Ma Teng switched sides and joined Han Sui. The rebellion would eventually be put down by the Han general
Huangfu SongHuangfu Song was a general during the late Han Dynasty, best remembered for helping put down the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He was one of three imperial commanders when the rebellion broke out, along with Zhu Jun and Lu Zhi...
, but Ma Teng escaped along with the rebel warlords. Eventually, he and others involved in the rebellion would be given military titles by the central government.
When
Li JueLi Jue was a military general under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He took command of Dong Zhuo's army after the latter was assassinated by Lü Bu, and with the help of Fan Chou, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji he managed to take control over Chang'an, and secure power within...
and
Guo SiGuō Sì was formerly an officer under Niu Fu, who was a general serving under Dong Zhuo. After the death of his Lord, Guo Si occupied the capital of Chang'an with other former Dong Zhuo generals, Fan Chou and Li Jue, on the advice of Jia Xu...
seized power over
Chang'anChang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in the year 23 AD, the old name was restored...
after
Dong ZhuoDong Zhuo was a powerful warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He seized control of Luoyang in 189 after the capital fell into chaos following the death of Emperor Ling and a bloody clash between the powerful eunuch faction and the court officials...
's assassination, Ma Teng and Han Sui at first pledged allegiance to them, and were given the titles of
General who Suppresses the East (征東将軍) and
General who Guards the West (鎮西将軍) respectively. However, the relationship between the two sides quickly soured, and Ma Teng and Han Sui led their armies in an attempt to seize Chang'an. They allied themselves with the warlord
Liu YanLiu Yan was a member of the Han Dynasty's imperial family and a warlord during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. For most of his career he was Governor of Yizhou , which he developed into an independent power base...
, but they suffered defeats, and short on supplies they retreated back to Liangzhou.
Although Ma Teng was the sworn brother of Han Sui, the two went to war against each other over control of Liangzhou. The fighting escalated to a point where they were killing each other's wives and children.
Cao CaoCáo Cāo was a warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during its final years in ancient China. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become Cao Wei and was posthumously titled Emperor Wu...
, who at this point had decisively defeated
Yuan ShaoYuan Shao was a powerful warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He occupied the northern territories of ancient China during the massive civil war towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
at the
Battle of GuanduThe Battle of Guandu was a battle during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history that took place at the Yellow River in 200....
, brokered peace between Ma Teng and Han Sui, who then pledged allegiance to Cao Cao. After this, Ma Teng was summoned to
YeYe was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan.Ye was first built in the Spring and Autumn Period by Lord Huan of Qi, and by the time of the Warring States Period the city belonged to the state of Wei.Ye was a political and...
with most of his family, where his military positions were taken away. He was made captain of the city guard. His eldest surviving son Ma Chao remained behind in Liangzhou with Han Sui. When Ma Chao and Han Sui defied Cao Cao and took up arms against him, Ma Teng, along with every member of his family that accompanied him, was executed.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the historical novel
Romance of the Three KingdomsRomance of the Three Kingdoms , written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of China, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280.It is...
, Ma Teng is portrayed as a character who is loyal to the fading Han Dynasty. He joins a plot with
Liu BeiLiu Bei , styled Xuándé , was a general, warlord, and later the founding emperor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of China...
and
Dong ChengDong Cheng was a Brigadier General of the White Wave Bandits of the Later Han. He is also Liu Xie's father-in-law. When Emperor Xian left Chang'an and left for Luoyang, he defeated Dong Zhuo's loyalsists that attacked and protected Xian. Later, he received a jeweled leather belt from Emperor...
to assassinate Cao Cao, but the plot is not successful and he returns to Liangzhou.
When he was later recalled to
XuchangXuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, People's Republic of 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.-Administration:The prefecture-level...
by Cao Cao, he decided to again join an assassination plot, this time with Huang Kui (黄奎). However, the plot was discovered and he is executed along with his sons
Ma XiuMa Xiu was the son of the minor warlord Ma Teng and the younger brother of Ma Chao and older brother of Ma Tie. While serving the imperial army, Ma Xiu was made Chief Commandant of the Charioteers...
and
Ma TieMa Tie was the son of the minor warlord Ma Teng and the younger brother of Ma Chao and Ma Xiu. While serving the imperial army, Ma Tie was made Colonel of the Cavalry...
. Upon hearing of his father and brothers' demise, Ma Chao becomes filled with rage and goes to war against Cao Cao to avenge their deaths. In the novel, the order of the executions and Ma Chao's rebellion are opposite of that recorded in
Records of Three Kingdoms.
Family
- Ma Yuan (Ancestor)
- Ma Ping (马平) (Father)
- Ma Chao
Ma Chao was the eldest son of Ma Teng and a military general during the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. In Luo Guanzhong's 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms he received the nickname "Ma Chao the Splendid" due to his elaborate armour and...
(Son)
- Ma Tie
Ma Tie was the son of the minor warlord Ma Teng and the younger brother of Ma Chao and Ma Xiu. While serving the imperial army, Ma Tie was made Colonel of the Cavalry...
(Son)
- Ma Xiu
Ma Xiu was the son of the minor warlord Ma Teng and the younger brother of Ma Chao and older brother of Ma Tie. While serving the imperial army, Ma Xiu was made Chief Commandant of the Charioteers...
(Son)
- Ma Dai
Ma Dai was a general of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He was a former officer under his uncle, Ma Teng, and later Ma Chao, the eldest son of Ma Teng and, finally, Liu Bei, founder of the Kingdom of Shu....
(Nephew)
See also
- Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the...
- Personages of the Three Kingdoms
The following is a list of personages significant to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. They provided the basis of what is often termed "Matter of the Three Kingdoms", a favourite subject for Chinese folklore...
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms , written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of China, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280.It is...
- Records of Three Kingdoms
The Records of Three Kingdoms , is the official and authoritative historical text on the period of Three Kingdoms covering from 189 to 280, that was written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century...