Sima Tan (295 – 24 March 308) was a crown prince of the

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 ...

. He was installed to the position in 302 to serve as heir apparent for his uncle,

Emperor Hui of Jin Emperor Hui of Jin (; 259 – January 8, 307), personal name Sima Zhong (司馬衷), courtesy name Zhengdu (正度), was the second emperor of the Western Jin dynasty. Emperor Hui was a developmentally disabled ruler, and throughout his reign, th ...

, but was removed in 304. After his removal, there were several plots to restore him to the position before he was finally put to death by the Prince of Donghai,

Sima Yue Sima Yue (司馬越) (died 23 April 311), courtesy name Yuanchao (元超), formally Prince Xiaoxian of Donghai (東海孝獻王), was a Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin imperial prince and regent for Emperor Hui of Jin, Emperor Hui and Emper ...

in 308.

Life

Background

Sima Tan was born the eldest son to Sima Xia (司馬遐; 273 - 15 July 300), Prince Kang of Qinghe and the 13th son of

Emperor Wu of Jin Emperor Wu of Jin (; 236 – 16 May 290), personal name Sima Yan (), courtesy name Anshi (安世), was a grandson of Sima Yi, nephew of Sima Shi and son of Sima Zhao. He became the first emperor of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty a ...

, and Xia's wife Lady Zhou (周氏). Lady Zhou's father was Zhou Hui (周恢) and her mother was a paternal aunt of

, Prince Xiaoxian of Donghai, and daughter of Sima Kui, brother of Sima Xia's great-grandfather

Sima Yi Sima Yi (; ; 179 CE7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 under th ...

. According to a story in his biography in ''Book of Jin'', while Tan was still his father's heir, he wore a golden bell that one day shrivelled up like millet. A fortune teller believe that the gold represented the prosperity of the Jin dynasty, and was a good omen for Tan who would one day ascend the imperial throne. However, his paternal grandmother, Consort Dowager Chen (陳太妃), thought that the bell was a bad sign, so she broke it and had it sold instead. After his father's death in July 300, Sima Tan inherited his title.

As crown prince and removals

By May 302, the last of Emperor Hui's male descendants (sons of his only son

Sima Yu Sima Yu (; 278 – 27 April 300), courtesy name Xizu (熙祖), posthumous name Crown Prince Minhuai (愍懷太子), was a crown prince of the Chinese Western Jin dynasty. Sima Yu's father Sima Zhong was developmentally disabled, and before h ...

, Crown Prince Minhuai) had died, leaving him with no heir to succeed him. The Prince of Chengdu,

Sima Ying Sima Ying (司馬穎) (279 – December 306), courtesy name Zhangdu (章度), was a Jin dynasty imperial prince who served briefly as his half-brother Emperor Hui of Jin's regent and crown prince. He was the sixth of eight princes commonly assoc ...

, Hui's younger half-brother, was a leading candidate to succeed him. However, the emperor's regent, the Prince of Qi,

Sima Jiong Sima Jiong (司馬冏) (before 283 – 27 January 303), courtesy name Jingzhi (景治), formally Prince Wumin of Qi (齊武閔王), was an imperial prince of the Jin dynasty of China. He briefly served as Emperor Hui's regent after overthrowing ...

intervened and petitioned that Hui's nephew, the 7-year-old Sima Tan, should succeed him instead. Emperor Hui agreed, and on 6 July 302, Sima Tan was appointed crown prince. However, in May 304, Sima Ying took control of the central government and took the position of crown prince for himself, demoting Sima Tan back to the Prince of Qinghe. Later that year, while Sima Ying was in Ye, the Prince of Donghai,

, rebelled 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 ...

and restored Sima Tan to his previous position. Yue then led a campaign against Ying, but after he was defeated at the Battle of Dangyin, he fled back to his fief in Donghai. His generals, Shangguan Si (上官巳), Chen Zhen (陳眕) and others, retreated back to Luoyang with Sima Tan under their wing. Real power in Luoyang was held by Shangguan Si, and as he became increasingly cruel and violent, the ministers,

Zhou Fu Zhou Fu (, also romanised as Chow Fuh; (道光十七年十一月二十三日 in Chinese calendar) December 20, 1837 – (九月二十一 in Chinese calendar) October 21, 1921) was a Han Chinese official of the Qing dynasty. He was Viceroy of Lia ...

and Man Fen attempted to depose him but failed. The Prince of Hejian,

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 Pri ...

, sent his general, Zhang Fang to occupy Luoyang. Shangguan Si and Miao Yuan (苗願) went out to fight Zhang Fang but were defeated and forced back into the city. One night, Sima Tan launched a surprise attack on Shangguan Si and Miao Yun, causing the two men to flee the city. Tan welcomed Zhang Fang through the Guangyang Gate (廣陽門) and saluted him, so much so that Zhang Fang had to get down his carriage to stop him. Despite the warm welcome, Zhang Fang soon confirmed his deposition as crown prince and replaced him with Emperor Hui's half-brother,

Sima Chi Emperor Huai of Jin (; 284 – March 14, 313), personal name Sima Chi (司馬熾), courtesy name Fengdu (豐度), was an emperor of the Jin dynasty. Emperor Huai was captured in July 311 (Disaster of Yongjia) and later executed in 313 under the ...

in February 305. In January 307, after Sima Yue emerged victorious in the

War of the Eight Princes The War of the Eight Princes, Rebellion of the Eight Kings, or Rebellion of the Eight Princes ( zh, t=八王之亂, s=八王之乱, p=bā wáng zhī luàn, w=pa wang chih luan) was a series of coups and civil wars among kings/princes (Chinese: '' ...

, Emperor Hui died from being poisoned and Sima Chi was to succeed him. However, Hui's widow,

Yang Xianrong Yang Xianrong (羊獻容) (died 13 May 322), posthumous name (as honored by Former 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 empire ...

wanted to become Empress Dowager, so she attempted to install Sima Tan to the throne instead. She summoned Sima Tan ostensibly to have him serve as a Master of Writing, but at the same time, the minister Hua Hun (華混; great-grandson of

Hua Xin Hua Xin (157 – 30 January 232), courtesy name Ziyu, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. He initially served directly under the central government of the Eastern Han dynast ...

) rebuked her and also called Sima Yue and Sima Chi to the palace. Sima Tan sensed that something was amissed, so he pleaded illness and left. As a result, Sima Chi ascended the throne and was posthumously known as

Emperor Huai of Jin Emperor Huai of Jin (; 284 – March 14, 313), personal name Sima Chi (司馬熾), courtesy name Fengdu (豐度), was an emperor of the Jin dynasty. Emperor Huai was captured in July 311 ( Disaster of Yongjia) and later executed in 313 under t ...

. Sima Tan also received support from certain ministers within the imperial court who want him to take the throne. In February or March 307, not long after Emperor Huai's ascension, Tan's maternal uncle, Zhou Mu (周穆) and Zhou Mu's brother-in-law Zhuge Mei (諸葛玫; brother of Emperor Wu's concubine Lady Zhuge Wan and grandson of

Zhuge Xu Zhuge Xu ( 250 – 260s) was a Chinese general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Zhuge Xu was from Yangdu County (), Langya Commandery (), which is in present-day Yinan County, Shandong. He wa ...

) both advised Sima Yue to replace him with Sima Tan, citing that Huai had been illegitimately installed by Zhang Fang. However, Yue angrily refused and immediately ordered the two men to be executed. On 8 May 307, Sima Tan's brother, Sima Quan (司馬詮) was made crown prince to Emperor Huai.

Death and aftermath

At the end of 307, there was a plot to establish Sima Tan as crown prince by Lü Yong (呂雍), Chen Yan (陳顏) and others. However, Sima Yue discovered the plot, and now convinced that Tan would only cause further trouble, he forged an edict imprisoning him at Jinyong Fortress (金墉城) near Luoyang. Finally, on 24 March 308, Sima Yue killed the 14-year-old Sima Tan (by East Asian reckoning) and had him buried with commoner rites. His brother Sima Yue (司马籥), who was Prince of Xincai after

Sima Teng Sima Teng (司馬腾) (died June or July 307), courtesy name Yuanmai (元迈), posthumously known as Prince Wu'ai of Xincai, was a Western Jin imperial prince. He was a younger brother of Sima Yue, Prince Xiaoxian of Donghai, a regent for Empe ...

's death in June or July 307, was made the new Prince of Qinghe.(籥初封新蔡王，覃薨，还封清河王。) ''Jin Shu'', vol.64. There were no further records on Sima Yue, although there were suspicions that he could be among the Jin princes captured (and presumably killed) by

Shi Le Shi Le (; 274 –17 August 333), courtesy name Shilong, also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Ming of Later Zhao, was the founding emperor of the Jie-led Later Zhao dynasty of China. He was initially sold as a slave by Western Jin ...

in May 311, in the aftermath of Sima Yue's death in April. Sima Quan eventually died in the

Disaster of Yongjia The Disaster of Yongjia (simplified Chinese: 永嘉之乱; traditional Chinese: 永嘉之亂) occurred in 311 CE, when forces of the Han-Zhao dynasty captured and sacked Luoyang, the capital of the Western Jin dynasty. The Han's army committed a m ...

in July 311; their brother Sima Duan (司马端) fled to join

Gou Xi Gou Xi (died November 311), courtesy name Daojiang, was a Chinese military commander of the Western Jin Dynasty. He came to prominence as a general under the Prince of Donghai, Sima Yue, after he quelled the rebellions of Gongshi Fan (公師藩), ...

and was made crown prince by Gou. However, Duan and Gou were captured by

in October. While Gou was eventually executed in November, Sima Duan's fate was unknown although he was assumed to be killed by Shi as well.

References

* Fang, Xuanling. ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), 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, ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Sima, Guang. ''Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance'' (''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Sima, Tan 295 births 308 deaths Jin dynasty (266–420) imperial princes People executed by the Jin dynasty (266–420) Chinese crown princes who never acceded