Emperor Hui of Jin (; 260 - January 8, 307), personal name Sima Zhong (司馬衷),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Zhengdu (正度), was the second emperor of the

Jin dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (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 pr ...

. Emperor Hui was a developmentally disabled ruler, and throughout his reign, there was constant internecine fighting between

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

s, imperial princes (his uncles and cousins), and his wife

Empress Jia Nanfeng Jia Nanfeng (257 – 13 May 300), nicknamed Shi (峕), was a Chinese empress consort. She was the daughter of Jia Chong and first wife of Emperor Hui of the Jin dynasty and also the granddaughter of Jia Kui. She is commonly seen as a villain ...

for the right to control him (and therefore the imperial administration), causing great suffering for the people and greatly undermining the stability of the Western Jin dynasty, eventually leading to rebellions of the

Five Barbarians The Five Barbarians, or Wu Hu (), is a Chinese historical exonym for five ancient non- Han peoples who immigrated to northern China in the Eastern Han dynasty, and then overthrew the Western Jin dynasty and established their own kingdoms in th ...

that led to Jin's loss of northern and central China and the establishment of the competing Sixteen Kingdoms. He was briefly deposed by his granduncle

Sima Lun Sima Lun ( sim. ch. 司马伦, trad. ch. 司馬倫, py. Sīmǎ Lún, wg. Ssu-ma Lun) (before 250 - poisoned June 5, 301), courtesy name Ziyi (子彛), was titled the Prince of Zhao (pinyin: zhào wáng, simplified Chinese: 赵王, tradition ...

, who usurped the throne himself, in 301, but later that year was restored to the throne and continued to be the emperor until 307, when he was poisoned, likely by the regent

Sima Yue Sima Yue (司馬越) (died 23 April 311According to Sima Chi's biography in the ''Book of Jin'', Sima Yue died on the ''bingzi'' day in the 3rd month of the 5th year of the ''Yongjia'' era of Emperor Huai's reign. This corresponds to 23 Apr 311 ...

Life prior to ascension

Sima Zhong was born to Sima Yan and his wife Yang Yan in 259 AD, while Sima Yan was still the assistant to his father, the

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Sima Zhao. He was their second son, but after the early death of his older brother Sima Gui (司馬軌), he became the oldest surviving son. It is not known when his developmental disabilities became apparent, but, in any case, after Sima Zhao died in September 265, and Sima Yan subsequently forced the Cao Wei emperor Cao Huan to abdicate to him in February 266 (which ended Cao Wei's reign and started Jin's as Emperor Wu), he made the seven-year-old Prince Zhong

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

in 267 AD. As Crown Prince Zhong grew in age, his developmental disabilities became clear to his parents and the imperial officials alike. He learned how to write and speak, but appeared to be unable to make logical decisions on his own at all. Once, when he heard frogs croaking, he asked, in all seriousness, "Do they croak because they want to, or because the government ordered them to?" Several times, officials reminded Emperor Wu of this, but Emperor Wu, not realizing the extent of Crown Prince Zhong's disability, resisted the implicit calls for him to be replaced. Indeed, because Emperor Wu was concerned that many officials were impressed with his talented younger brother, Sima You the Prince of Qi and might want Prince You to replace him instead, he eventually had Prince You sent to his principality, and Prince You died in anger in 283. In 272, at age 12, Crown Prince Zhong married Jia Chong's daughter Jia Nanfeng, who at 14 was two years older. Crown Princess Jia was violent and jealous, but had her methods of controlling Crown Prince Zhong so that he both loved and feared her. They had four daughters during their marriage, but she would not bear his only son Sima Yu – whose mother Consort Xie Jiu was originally a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

of Emperor Wu, but had been given to Crown Prince Zhong prior to his marriage to Crown Princess Jia, so that Consort Xie could teach him how to have sexual relations. Consort Xie became pregnant and bore Sima Yu, who was much favored by his grandfather Emperor Wu. Emperor Wu considered Prince Yu intelligent and very much like his own grandfather Sima Yi, and this played into his decision not to replace Crown Prince Zhong. However, other than Consort Xie, no other concubine would bear Crown Prince Zhong a child—as several had been pregnant but each was murdered by Crown Princess Jia, in fits of jealousy. (Emperor Wu, in anger, considered deposing Crown Princess Jia, but with the intercession of his second wife Empress Yang Zhi, he recalled Jia Chong's contributions to the establishment of Jin Dynasty, and decided to leave her in place.) In 289, as Emperor Wu neared death, he considered whom to make the regent for Crown Prince Zhong. He considered both Empress Yang's father Yang Jun and his uncle

Sima Liang Sima Liang (司馬亮) (before 227- 25 July 291), courtesy name Ziyi (子翼), formally Prince Wencheng of Ru'nan (汝南文成王), was briefly a regent during the reign of Emperor Hui during Jin Dynasty (266–420). He was the first of the ei ...

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 (許昌, in modern

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) 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 Pi ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

). 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, and Crown Prince Zhong ascended the throne as Emperor Hui. Crown Princess Jia became empress, and Prince Yu became crown prince.

Reign

During his 17-year reign, Emperor Hui would come under the control of a number of regents, never being able to assert authority on his own. The rough succession order of the regents were: * Yang Jun: 290–291 *

Wei Guan Wei Guan (220 – 25 July 291Although the exact day of Wei Guan's death was not recorded, Sima Zhong's biography in ''Book of Jin'' recorded that he was killed together with Sima Liang, who died on 25 July 291. 永平元年)六月，贾后矫 ...

: 291 *

: 291–300 *

: 300–301 *

Sima Jiong Sima Jiong (司馬冏) (before 283 - 27 Jan 303According to the ''Book of Jin'', Sima Jiong was defeated on the ''wuchen'' day in the 12th month of the year after the 1st year of the ''Yongning'' era of Emperor Hui's reign. This corresponds to 27 ...

: 301–302 *

Sima Ai Sima Ai or Sima Yi (司馬乂) (277 – 19/20 March 304), courtesy name Shidu (士度), formally Prince Li of Changsha (長沙厲王), was a Jin Dynasty (266–420) imperial prince who briefly served as regent for his brother Emperor Hui. He wa ...

: 302–304 * Sima Ying: 304 *

Sima Yong Sima Yong (司馬顒) (before 274 - late January 307), courtesy name Wenzai (文載), 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 Pr ...

: 304–306 *

: 306–307

Regency of Yang Jun

Yang Jun quickly showed himself to be autocratic and incompetent, drawing the ire of many other nobles and officials. He tried to appease them by making many bestowments of titles and honors among them, but this only brought further contempt for his actions. He knew Emperor Hui's empress Jia Nanfeng to be strong-willed and treacherous, so he tried to put people loyal to him in charge of all the defense forces of the capital

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, Nanyang ...

, and also ordered that all edicts not only be signed by the emperor but also by Empress Dowager Yang before they could be promulgated. Empress Jia, however, wanted to be involved in the government, and was angry that she was constantly rebuffed by Empress Dowager Yang and Yang Jun. She therefore conspired with the

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...

Dong Meng (董猛) and the generals Meng Guan (孟觀) and Li Zhao (李肇) against the Yangs. She tried to include Sima Liang into the conspiracy, but Sima Liang declined; instead, she persuaded Emperor Hui's brother,

Sima Wei Sima Wei (司馬瑋) (271 – 26 July 291), courtesy name Yandu (彥度), formally Prince Yin of Chu (楚隱王), was an imperial prince during Jin Dynasty (266–420) and was the second of the eight princes commonly associated with the War of ...

the Prince of Chu, to join her plan. In 291, after Sima Wei returned to Luoyang from his defense post (Jing Province (荊州, modern

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

and

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

)) with his troops, a coup went into progress. Empress Jia, who had her husband easily under her control, had him issue an edict declaring that Yang Jun had committed crimes and should be removed from his posts. It also ordered Sima Wei and Sima Yao (司馬繇) the Duke of Dong'an to attack Yang's forces and defend against counterattacks. Quickly, it became clear that Yang was in trouble. Empress Dowager Yang, trapped in the palace herself, wrote an edict ordering assistance for Yang Jun and put it on arrows, shooting it out of the palace. Empress Jia then made the bold declaration that Empress Dowager Yang was committing treason. Yang Jun was quickly defeated, and his clan was massacred. Empress Dowager Yang was deposed and imprisoned (and would die in 292 in imprisonment). Sima Liang was recalled to serve as regent, along with the senior official

Regency of Sima Liang and Wei Guan

To appease those who might have been angry and had overthrown Yang Jun, Sima Liang also widely promoted those who participated in the plot, and more than a thousand men were created marquesses. He and Wei, however, did try to get the government on track, but Empress Jia continued to interfere with governmental matters. They also became concerned about the violent temper of Sima Wei and therefore tried to strip him of his military command, but Sima Wei persuaded Empress Jia to let him keep his military command. Sima Wei's assistants Qi Sheng (岐盛) and Gongsun Hong (公孫宏) thereafter falsely told Empress Jia that Sima Liang and Wei planned to depose the emperor. Empress Jia, who had already resented Wei for having suggested that the heir selection be changed during Emperor Wu's reign, desired more direct control over the government, and therefore resolved to initiate a second coup d'état. In summer 291, Empress Jia had Emperor Hui personally write an edict to Sima Wei, ordering him to have Sima Liang and Wei removed from their offices. His forces thereby surrounded Sima Liang and Wei's mansions, and while both men's subordinates recommended resistance, they each declined and were easily captured. Contrary to the edict's terms, both were killed—Sima Liang with his heir Sima Ju (司馬矩) and Wei with nine of his sons and grandsons. Qi then suggested to Sima Wei to take the opportunity to massacre Empress Jia's relatives and take over the government himself, but Sima Wei hesitated— at the same time, Empress Jia came to the realization that if the murders of Sima Liang and Wei could be traced to her instigation, that would bring a political firestorm' also that Sima Wei could not be easily controlled. She therefore publicly declared that Sima Wei had falsely issued the edict. Sima Wei's troops abandoned him, and he was captured and executed. Sima Liang and Wei were posthumously honored. From this point on, Empress Jia became the undisputed power behind the throne for several years.

Regency of Empress Jia

Empress Jia was now in control in close association with several advisors that she trusted—the capable official Zhang Hua, her cousins Pei Wei and Jia Mo (賈模), and her nephew Jia Mi (originally named Han Mi but posthumously adopted into the line of Jia Chong's son Jia Limin (賈黎民)). She also closely associated with her distant cousin-once-removed Guo Zhang (郭彰), her sister Jia Wu (賈午), and Emperor Wu's concubine Zhao Chan (趙粲). She lacked self-control, and was violent and capricious in her ways, but Zhang, Pei, and Jia Mo were honest men who generally kept the government in order. However, as she grew increasingly unbridled in her behavior (including committing adultery with many men and later murdering them to silence them), Zhang, Pei, and Jia Mo considered deposing her and replacing her with Crown Prince Yu's mother Consort Xie, but they hesitated and never took actual action. After Jia Mo died in 299, it became even harder to control her actions. In 296, the Di and Qiang of Qin (秦州, modern eastern Gansu) and Yong (雍州, modern central and northern

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

) started a major rebellion against Jin Dynasty, and they supported the Di chieftain Qi Wannian to be emperor. In 297, the Jin general Zhou Chu (周處), without support from the central government, was easily defeated by Qi. A large group of refugees, most of Di ancestry, stricken by the famine that resulted from the warfare, fled south into

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(modern

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

and Chongqing), led by Li Te. (Several years later, they would eventually be forced into rebellion and peel away from Jin rule.) In 299, Meng Guan was able to defeat Qi, but Qi foreshadowed much more serious non-Han rebellions of the future. Later in 299, the mid-level official Jiang Tong (江統) would petition Empress Jia to have the five non-Han ethnicities (the Wu Hu) removed from the empire proper and relocated to regions outside the empire, but Empress Jia did not accept his suggestions. The relationship between Empress Jia and Crown Prince Yu had always been an uneasy one. Empress Jia's mother

Guo Huai Guo Huai (died 23 February 255), courtesy name Boji, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei (or Wei) during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty under the warlord Cao Cao ...

had constantly advised Empress Jia to treat Crown Prince Yu well, as her own son, and she advocated marrying Jia Mi's sister to Crown Prince Yu. However, Empress Jia and Jia Wu opposed this, and instead married a daughter of the official Wang Yan to Crown Prince Yu. (Wang had two daughters, but Empress Jia had Crown Prince Yu marry the less beautiful one and had Jia Mi marry the more beautiful one.) After Lady Guo's death, the relationship between Empress Jia and Crown Prince Yu quickly deteriorated, as Jia Wu and Consort Zhao provoked difficulties between them. Further, Crown Prince Yu and Jia Mi never liked each other, and Jia Mi, as a result, also advised Empress Jia to depose Crown Prince Yu. In 299, Empress Jia agreed and took action. When Crown Prince Yu was in the palace to make an official petition to have his ill son Sima Bin (司馬彬) created a prince, Empress Jia forced him to drink a large amount of wine and, once he was drunk, had him write out a statement in which he declared intention to murder the emperor and the empress and to take over as emperor. Empress Jia presented the writing to the officials and initially wanted Crown Prince Yu executed—but after some resistance, she only had him deposed and reduced to the status of a commoner. Crown Prince Yu's mother Consort Xie was executed, as was his favorite concubine Consort Jiang Jun (蔣俊). In 300, under the advice of a prince she favored—

the Prince of Zhao, Emperor Wu's uncle—Empress Jia decided to eliminate Crown Prince Yu as a threat. She sent assassins and had Crown Prince Yu assassinated. Sima Lun, however, had other plans—he wanted to have Empress Jia murder the crown prince so that he could use the murder as an excuse to overthrow her, and he started a coup later that year, killing Jia Mi, Zhang, Pei, and other associates of Empress Jia. Empress Jia was deposed and later forced to commit suicide. Sima Lun and his strategist

Sun Xiu Sun Xiu (235 – 3 September 264), courtesy name Zilie, formally known as Emperor Jing of Wu, was the third emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Early life Sun Xiu was born in 235 to Wu's founding emper ...

became the paramount authority.

Regency of and usurpation by Sima Lun

Sima Lun restored the late Crown Prince Yu's reputation and had his son, Sima Zang (司馬臧), created crown prince. However, Sima Lun himself had designs on the throne, and he and Sun Xiu became partial to placing those who favored them in power. Emperor Hui's brother, Sima Yun (司馬允) the Prince of Huai'nan, correctly determined what Sima Lun's ambitions were, and as a result, Sima Lun and Sun tried to strip Sima Yun's military command. When Sima Yun read the edict ordering him to turn over the troops, he saw that it was Sun Xiu's handwriting—and became enraged and started a rebellion with his troops. Initially, he had successes against Sima Lun's troops and was almost able to capture Sima Lun's mansion, during the course of one day. Late in the day, Chen Zhun (陳準), who secretly supported Sima Yun, persuaded Emperor Hui to give him a banner that showed imperial support and was able to deliver it to Sima Yun, but his messenger, a friend of Sima Lun's son Sima Qian (司馬虔), instead tricked Sima Yun into receiving the banner and, as he did, cut off his head. His troops disbanded after his death. After defeating Sima Yun, Sima Lun became ever more intent on usurping the throne. Late in 300, after Sun Xiu's suggestion, Sima Lun was granted the

nine bestowments The nine bestowments () were awards given by Chinese emperors to officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. While the nature of the bestowments was probably established during the Zhou Dynasty, there was no record of anyone r ...

. However, Sima Lun and his sons were themselves foolish and unintelligent, and Sun was the actual person in charge of the government. In the winter, Sun had the granddaughter of his distant relative and friend Sun Qi (孫旂),

Yang Xianrong Yang Xianrong (羊獻容) (died 13 May 322), posthumous name (as honored by Han Zhao) Empress Xianwen (獻文皇后, literally "the wise and civil empress"), was an empress—uniquely in the history of China, for two different dynastic empires a ...

, married to Emperor Hui to be his empress. Also in winter 300, the governor of Yi Province, Zhao Xin (趙廞), a relative of Empress Jia, rebelled and tried to occupy Yi Province to be his own domain. He associated with Li Te and his brother Li Xiang (李庠), and they soon were able to take over Yi Province. However, he then became suspicious of the Li brothers' abilities, and he killed Li Xiang after Li Xiang suggested that he declare himself emperor. Li Te, in anger, took his troops and killed Zhao. Li then welcomed the new Jin governor

Luo Shang Luo Shang (died 310), courtesy name Jingzhi, also called Luo Zhong, courtesy name Jingzhen, was a military general of the Jin dynasty (266–420). In 300, the Jin court appointed him the Inspector of Yizhou and sent him to quell the rebellion ...

to the provincial capital Chengdu (成都, in modern

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...

), but maintained an uneasy relationship with Luo and Luo's main strategist, Xin Ran (辛冉), a former friend of his who deeply suspected his intentions. In spring 301, Sima Lun had Emperor Hui yield the throne to him, and gave Emperor Hui the honorific title of

retired emperor Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used by the monarchical regimes in the Sinosphere for former emperors who had (at least in name) abdicated voluntarily to another member of the same clan, usually their s ...

(太上皇). In order to appease those who might be angry at his usurpation, he rewarded many people with honors. Sun, in particular, was issuing edicts based on his own whims. Suspecting three key princes –

the Prince of Qi (Emperor Hui's cousin and the son of Emperor Hui's uncle, Prince You of Qi), Sima Ying the Prince of Chengdu (Emperor Hui's brother), and

the Prince of Hejian (the grandson of Emperor Hui's great-granduncle

Sima Fu Sima Fu () (180– 3 April 272), courtesy name Shuda, was an imperial prince and statesman of the Jin dynasty of China. He previously served as an official in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period before his grandnephew, Sima Y ...

the Prince of Anping), each of whom had strong independent military commands—Sun sent his trusted subordinates to be their assistants. Prince Jiong refused and declared a rebellion to restore Emperor Hui. Prince Ying,

the Prince of Changsha (Emperor Hui's brother), and Sima Xin (司馬歆) the Duke of Xinye (the son of a granduncle of Emperor Hui) all declared support for Prince Jiong. Prince Yong initially sent his general Zhang Fang with intent to support Sima Lun, but then heard that Princes Jiong and Ying had great forces, and so declared for the rebels instead. Sima Lun's forces were easily defeated by Princes Jiong and Ying's forces, and after just declaring himself emperor for three months, Sima Lun was captured by officials in Luoyang who declared for the rebellion as well, and forced to issue an edict returning the throne to Emperor Hui. He was then forced to commit suicide. Sun and other associates of Sima Lun were executed. Some thought that a power balance that Emperor Wu had hoped for at his death might be restored, as Princes Jiong and Ying were each given regent titles (and awarded the

, in one rare case where the nine bestowments were not signs of an impending usurpation, although Prince Ying declined the bestowments), and many talented officials were promoted into important positions. However, the Princes Jiong and Ying were actually apprehensive of each other's power, and Prince Ying decided to yield the central government regency to Prince Jiong at the time and return to his defense post at Yecheng.

Regency of Sima Jiong

Meanwhile, Luo Shang ordered that the Qin/Yong refugees go home and that they surrender all property that they pillaged during the wars of Zhao's rebellion. This caused great burden and fear on the refugees, and Li Te requested a one-year extension; Luo agreed, but Xin Ran and other officials under Luo were unhappy and secretly planned an attack on Li. Li, anticipating that this might happen, was prepared, and he defeated Xin's forces easily. In the capital, Sima Jiong became arrogant based on his accomplishments. He had his sons created princes, and ran the matters of the central government from his mansion, rarely visiting the emperor or attending the imperial meetings. He enlarged his mansion to be as large as the palace, and he entrusted matters to people who were close to him, and would not change his ways even when some of his more honest associates tried to change his behavior. When Emperor Hui's grandsons Sima Zang and Sima Shang (司馬尚), successive crown princes, died in childhood, leaving Emperor Hui without male descendants by 302, Sima Ying was considered the appropriate successor, but Sima Jiong chose to bypass him by recommending the seven-year-old Sima Qin (司馬覃) the Prince of Qinghe (Emperor Hui's nephew and the son of his brother Sima Xia (司馬遐)) as the crown prince, with intent to easily control the young Crown Prince Qin. Sima Jiong became suspicious of Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian—because Sima Yong had initially wanted to support Sima Lun, until he saw that Sima Lun's cause was hopeless. Sima Yong knew of Sima Jiong's suspicion, and started a conspiracy; he invited Sima Ai the Prince of Changsha to overthrow Sima Jiong, believing that Sima Ai would fail; his plan was then to, in conjunction with Sima Ying, start a war against Sima Jiong. Once they were victorious, he would depose Emperor Hui and make Sima Ying the emperor, and then serve as Sima Ying's prime minister. In winter 302, Sima Yong declared his rebellion, and Sima Ying soon joined, despite opposition from his strategist Lu Zhi (盧志). Hearing that Sima Ai was part of the conspiracy as well, Sima Jiong made a preemptive strike against Sima Ai, but Sima Ai was prepared and entered the palace to control Emperor Hui. After a street battle, Sima Jiong's forces collapsed, and he was executed. Sima Ai became the effective regent, but in order to reduce opposition, he submitted all important matters to Sima Ying, still stationed at Yecheng.

Regency of Sima Ai

Sima Ai, of the princes, appeared to be the only one who saw the importance of formally honoring Emperor Hui while maintaining resemblance to impartial governance. He continued to try to share power with Sima Ying. Meanwhile, in Yi Province, in 303, Luo Shang, after causing Li Te to be ready by offering a truce, made a surprise attack against Li's forces and killed him. Li's forces fell under the command of his brother Li Liu, who died later that year as well and was succeeded by his nephew Li Xiong. Under Li Xiong's command, the refugee forces were able to defeat not only Luo's forces but also reinforcements sent by Jing Province (荊州, modern

and

). At the same time of Li's successes, many agrarian rebellions also started throughout the empire, including one that defeated the forces of the powerful Sima Xin the Prince of Xinye and killed him. In fall 303, Sima Yong, dissatisfied that his plan did not come to fruition, persuaded Sima Ying to again join him against Sima Ai. While Sima Yong and Sima Ying had overwhelming force, their forces could not score a conclusive victory against Sima Ai. Sima Yong's forces were about to withdraw in spring 304 when

the Prince of Donghai, the grandson of a great-granduncle of Emperor Hui, believing that Sima Ai could not win this war, arrested him and delivered him to Sima Yong's general Zhang Fang, who executed Sima Ai cruelly by burning him to death. Sima Ying became in effective control of the government, but continued to control it remotely from Yecheng.

Regency of Sima Ying

Once Sima Ying became in effective control of the government, he deposed Crown Prince Qin and made himself crown prince instead, and he also deposed Empress Yang—the first of four times she would be deposed during a duration of two years. He became arrogant and extravagant, and the people became disappointed. Seeing this, Sima Yue decided to resist; he welcomed Empress Yang and Crown Prince Qin back to their positions, and, in Emperor Hui's name, set out to attack Sima Ying. His forces were defeated by Sima Ying's, and he fled, leaving Emperor Hui in Sima Ying's hands at Yecheng. Sima Yong's forces entered Luoyang and deposed Empress Yang and Crown Prince Qin again. Wang Jun, the military commander of You Province (幽州, modern

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...

, and northern

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...

), who had an uneasy relationship with Sima Ying up to this point, then declared war against Sima Ying and headed south with his troops, allied with various

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into th ...

and

Wuhuan The Wuhuan (, < Eastern Han Chinese: *''ʔɑ-ɣuɑn'', <

tribes. Sima Ying found it difficult to resist them, and he sent one of his subordinates, the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

noble Liu Yuan, to his own tribesmen to ask them to join him. Once Liu left, however, Sima Ying's forces collapsed. When Liu heard this, instead of bringing his forces to Sima Ying's aid, he declared independence and entitled himself the Prince of Han—claiming rightful inheritance of

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

, as he claimed to be descended from a Han princess who had married a Xiongnu chanyu – and thus establishing

Han Zhao The Han Zhao (; 304–329 AD), or Former Zhao (), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xiongnu people during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of Chinese history. In Chinese historiography, it was given two conditional state titles, the Northern ...

. (A month earlier, Li Xiong had declared himself independent of Jin as well, as the Prince of Chengdu, establishing

Cheng Han Cheng Han (; 303 or 304 – 347) was a dynastic state of China listed as one of the Sixteen Kingdoms in Chinese historiography. Ruled by the Di people, its territory was based in what is modern-day Sichuan Province, China. Cheng and Han It ...

; these two states would be the first two of the Sixteen Kingdoms.) Sima Ying fled back to Luoyang with Emperor Hui, but now with no forces backing him. Sima Yong, in control of the situation, decided to directly take control without using Sima Ying any longer, and Sima Ying was removed from the crown prince position and replaced with another brother of Emperor Hui's – Sima Chi the Prince of Yuzhang, who was considered studious and humble. Sima Yong also had Zhang Fang forcibly move Emperor Hui to Chang'an (in modern

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...

), directly under his own grasp. However, a number of high-level officials remained in Luoyang and formed a separate government that was partially allied with and partially rivalling Sima Yong's.

Regency of Sima Yong

Sima Yong tried to appease possible opposing forces by promoting all of the major princes and warlords, but his promotions did not have the desired effect. Meanwhile, Han Zhao attracted those Han and non-Han agrarians and tribesmen disappointed in Jin rule, and began to grow in size and power. At the same time, however, the Jin infighting continued. In the fall of 305, Sima Yue declared yet another rebellion, this time against Sima Yong, claiming that Sima Yong had improperly forced Emperor Hui to move the capital. Various provincial governors and military commanders were forced to be on one side or the other. The war was initially inconclusive. In early 306, after a few victories by Sima Yue, Sima Yong became fearful, and he executed Zhang to seek peace; Sima Yue refused. By summer 306, Sima Yong was forced to abandon both Chang'an and Emperor Hui, and Sima Yue's forces welcomed Emperor Hui back to Luoyang and restored Empress Yang. Also in 306, both Li Xiong and Liu Yuan declared themselves emperors, even more clearly breaking from Jin.

Regency of Sima Yue and death

Sima Yue served as regent for Emperor Hui for several months until winter 306 when, for an unknown reason, Emperor Hui was poisoned while eating bread. (Historians commonly accept Sima Yue as the culprit, but the motive is not clear.) Thus ended the reign of an emperor who suffered much and under whose reign the Jin dynastic system came crashing down, even though he himself should probably not be blamed for it. Crown Prince Chi succeeded him (as Emperor Huai) and would try to restrengthen the empire, but it was too late for Jin by that point. It would end up losing northern and central China to Han Zhao and be forced to relocate to southern China, continued in a branch line of the imperial clan.

Trivia

The ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang ...

'', a 7th-century chronicle of the Chinese Jin Dynasty, reports that when Emperor Hui (259–307) of

Western Jin Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

was told that his people were starving because there was no rice, he said, "Why don't they eat porridge with (ground) meat?" (何不食肉糜), showing his unfitness.Tian Chi, quoted in Joshua A. Fogel, Peter Gue Zarrow, ''Imagining the People: Chinese Intellectuals and the Concept of Citizenship, 1890–1920'', 1997, , p. 173 It has since then become a famous phrase in both classical and modern Chinese. It is analogous to the phrase "

Let them eat cake "Let them eat cake" is the traditional translation of the French phrase "'", said to have been spoken in the 17th or 18th century by "a great princess" upon being told that the peasants had no bread. The French phrase mentions brioche, a bread e ...

" in French culture.

Heirs

* 290–300: Sima Yu, Crown Prince Minhuai 湣懷太子司馬遹 (son of Emperor Hui) * 300–301: Sima Zang, Crown Prince Minchong 湣衝太孫司馬臧 (son of Crown Prince Minhuai) * 301–302: Sima Shang, Crown Prince Huaichong 懷衝太孫司馬尚 (son of Crown Prince Minhuai) * 302–304: Sima Tan 司馬覃 (nephew of Emperor Hui) * 304–304: Sima Ying, Prince of Chengdu 成都王司馬穎 (brother of Emperor Hui) * 304–304: Sima Chi, Prince of Yuzhang 豫章王司馬熾 (brother of Emperor Hui)

Era names

* ''Yongxi'' (永熙 yǒng xī) May 17, 290 – February 15, 291 * ''Yongping'' (永平 yǒng píng) February 16 – April 23, 291 * ''Yuankang'' (元康 yuán kāng) April 24, 291 – February 6, 300 * ''Yongkang'' (永康 yǒng kāng) February 7, 300 – February 3, 301 * ''Yongning'' (永寧 yǒng níng) June 1, 301 – January 4, 303 * ''Tai'an'' (太安 tài ān) January 5, 303 – February 21, 304 * ''Yongan'' (永安 yǒng ān) February 22 – August 15, 304; December 14, 304 – February 11, 305 * ''Jianwu'' (建武 jiàn wǔ) August 16 – December 13, 304 * ''Yongxing'' (永興 yǒng xīng) February 12, 305 – July 12, 306 * ''Guangxi'' (光熙 guāng xī) July 13, 306 – February 19, 307

Family

Consorts and Issue: * Empress Huijia, of the Jia clan (; 257–300), personal name Nanfeng (南風) ** Princess Hedong (), personal name Xuanhua () *** Married Sun Hui (; d. 301) in 300 *** Married Fu Xuan () ** Princess Shiping (), personal name Nüyan () * Empress Xianwen, of the Yang clan of Taishan (; d. 322), personal name Xianrong () ** Princess Linhai () *** Married Cao Tong () * ''Shuyuan'', of the Xie clan (; d. 300), personal name Jiu () ** Sima Yu, Crown Prince Minhuai (; 278–300), first son

Ancestry

References

* Fang, Xuanling. ''

'' (''Jin Shu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Hui of Jin, Emperor 259 births 307 deaths Monarchs who abdicated Jin dynasty (266–420) emperors Murdered Chinese emperors Assassinated Chinese people People murdered in China Royalty and nobility with disabilities 4th-century Chinese monarchs 3rd-century Chinese monarchs