The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a
dynastic state ruled by the
Xianbei during the era of
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by ...
in China.
Initially,
Murong Huang
Murong Huang (; 297–348), courtesy name Yuanzhen (元真), formally Prince Wenming of (Former) Yan ((前)燕文明王) was the founding monarch of the Xianbei-led Former Yan dynasty of China. When he first succeeded his father Murong Hui i ...
and his son
Murong Jun claimed the
Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, after seizing most of the former
Later Zhao territory,
Murong Jun would declare himself emperor, and after that point, the rulers of the Former Yan declared themselves "
emperors
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...
".
History
During the winter of 342, the
Xianbei of Former Yan, ruled by the
Murong
Murong (; LHC: *''mɑC-joŋ''; EMC: *''mɔh-juawŋ'') or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (reigned 156–181). Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the MongolsТаск ...
clan, attacked and destroyed
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...
's capital, Hwando, capturing 50,000 Goguryeo men and women to use as slave labor in addition to taking the queen mother and queen prisoner, and forced
King Gogukwon to flee for a while. The Xianbei also devastated Buyeo in 346, accelerating Buyeo migration to the Korean peninsula.
Their capital was Yan (
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
) in 350, then Yecheng in 357, and finally
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyan ...
in 364.
Rulers of the Former Yan
See also
*
Xianbei
*
List of past Chinese ethnic groups
*
Wu Hu
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan
Tuyuhun
History of Mongolia
337 establishments
370 disestablishments
4th century in China
Dynasties in Chinese history
Former countries in Chinese history
4th-century establishments in China
Former monarchies