Liu Yin (Han Zhao)
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Liu Yin (劉胤) (died 329),
courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
Yisun (義孫), was an imperial prince of the Chinese/
Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...
state
Han-Zhao The Han-Zhao ( zh, s=汉赵, t=漢趙, p=Hàn Zhào; 304–329 AD), or Former Zhao ( zh, s=前赵, t=前趙, p=Qián Zhào), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Liu ( Luandi) clan of Chuge-Xiongnu ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms per ...
, who, following his father
Liu Yao Liu Yao (died 329), courtesy name Yongming, was the final emperor of the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty of China. He became emperor in 318 after most other members of the imperial Liu clan were massacred by Jin Zhun in a coup. However, the empi ...
's capture by rival
Later Zhao Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350 AD, known in historiography as the Later Zhao (; 319–351) or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the ...
, tried to maintain the state with his brother, the
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, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
Liu Xi, but was unsuccessful and killed by Later Zhao. Liu Yin was Liu Yao's son by his probable first wife, Princess Bu, while he was still the Prince of Qin. He had an older brother, Liu Jian (劉儉). When Liu Jian was nine and Liu Yin was four, the emperor Liu Cong saw them, and was very impressed by Liu Yin. He told Liu Yao to make Liu Yin his heir. Liu Yao responded that he was just an imperial prince and should not reverse the proper order of heirship. Liu Cong instead told him that due to his contributions to Han-Zhao, he was unlike other princes, and that he should make Liu Yin, who he felt was more talented, the heir. He therefore created Liu Jian the Prince of Linhai and created Liu Yin as the heir to Liu Yao. As Liu Yin grew up, he became strong and skillful at horsemanship and
archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...
, and was so quick in his reaction that he was compared to a whirlwind. When Liu Cong's successor
Liu Can Liu Can (died September 318( 兴元年月,粲治兵于上林,谋讨石勒。以丞相曜为相国、都督中外诸军事,仍镇长安;靳准为大将军、录尚书事。粲常游宴后宫。军国之事,一决于准。准矫诏 ...
was overthrown by
Jin Zhun Jin Zhun (; January 319) was an official and a member of the consort kin of the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty of China who briefly usurped the throne in 318. Jin Zhun staged a coup d'état against the Han emperor and his son-in-law Liu Can (Empe ...
in 318, Jin massacred members of the Liu clan in the capital Pingyang (平陽, in modern
Linfen Linfen () is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. Linfen City is located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, with the remaining branches of T ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
). Liu Yin's grandmother Lady Hu and his uncle lost their lives, but Liu Yin fled. However, he was captured by or sold to the Heiniyuju (黑匿郁鞠) tribe as a slave. After Liu Yao defeated the renegade general Chen An in 323, Liu Yin revealed his identity to the chief, who was surprised and respectfully deliver Liu Yin back to Liu Yao. (It is not clear where Heiniyuju was or why Liu Yin waited until Chen's defeat to reveal his identity to the chief; it could have been that Heiniyuju was initially a Chen ally, and while Chen was, prior to his rebellion, nominally a Han-Zhao general, Liu Yin might have been concerned about being detained by Chen as a bargaining chip.) By this time, Liu Yao, who had assumed that Liu Yin was dead, had created his younger son Liu Xi crown prince. He considered replacing Liu Xi with Liu Yin, since Liu Yin was the original heir, and he considered Liu Yin general material. However, after opposition by Liu Yin's uncle Bu Tai (卜泰) and another official Han Guang (韓廣), Liu Yin personally declined to replace Liu Xi, instead stating that he could use his abilities to assist Liu Xi. Liu Yao agreed, and he let Liu Xi remain crown prince, while granting Liu Yin special honors, including requiring Liu Xi to yield to Liu Yin as an older brother in ceremonies, rather than for Liu Yin to yield to Liu Xi as the crown prince. The relationship between the brothers appeared to remain cordial until their deaths. He also posthumously honored Liu Yin's mother, Princess Bu, as Empress Yuandao. In 325, Liu Yao created Liu Yin the Prince of Nanyang and further bestowed the title of Grand Chanyu, putting Wu Hu tribal forces under his command. In 327, believing that Han-Zhao had been weakened by its defeat at Later Zhao's hands, Zhang Jun, the head of Former Liang, which had submitted to Han-Zhao's
suzerainty A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...
in 323, declared himself again a Jin vassal and pillaged Han-Zhao's Qin Province (秦州, modern eastern
Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
). Liu Yin led an army and defeated Former Liang's forces, even crossing the Yellow River, but eventually settling for capturing Former Liang's remaining territory east of the Yellow River. Around the new year of 329, Liu Yao was captured in battle by Later Zhao forces. Liu Xi became effectively acting emperor, and after consulting with Liu Yin, he decided to withdraw from the capital
Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
west to Shanggui (上邽, in modern
Tianshui Tianshui is a prefecture-level city in Gansu province, China, and is the province's second-largest city (behind the provincial capital Lanzhou). Located in the southeast of the province, the city strides along the upper reaches of the Wei River a ...
,
Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
), the capital of the mountainous Qin Province, considered more easily defensible. However, the withdrawal caused a panic, and all Han-Zhao generals abandoned their positions and fled to Qin Province as well, easily yielding most of remaining Han-Zhao territory to Later Zhao. In fall 329, Han-Zhao forces, under Liu Yin's command, tried to recapture Chang'an. Initially, he had some successes and recaptured much of the territory lost to Later Zhao. However, as he besieged Chang'an, the Later Zhao general
Shi Hu Shi Hu (; 295 – 26 May 349), courtesy name Jilong (季龍), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wu of Later Zhao (後趙武帝), was an emperor of the Jie-led Chinese Later Zhao dynasty. He was the founding emperor Shi Le (Em ...
arrived and defeated him. Liu Yin retreated toward Shanggui, and Shi Hu trailed him and defeated him again, capturing Shanggui. He killed Liu Xi, Liu Yin, along with all Han-Zhao princes and high level officials and generals. He forcibly relocated all other officials and the large clans of Qin and Yong (雍州, modern central and northern
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
) Provinces to the Later Zhao capital Xiangguo (襄國, in modern
Xintai Xintai () is a county-level city in the central part of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is the easternmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Tai'an and is located about to the southeast of downtown Tai'an. ...
,
Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
), and massacred, in
Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
, the members of the Xiongnu nobility. Han-Zhao came to an end. {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Yin Former Zhao generals Former Zhao imperial princes 329 deaths Year of birth unknown People executed by Former Zhao People executed by Later Zhao