Emperor Xiaowu of Jin (; 362 – 6 November 396), personal name Sima Yao (),

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 ...

Changming (), was an emperor of the Eastern

Jin Dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. During his reign, Jin saw his dynasty survive a major attempt by

Former Qin Qin, known as the Former Qin and Fu Qin (苻秦) in historiography, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China ruled by the Fu (Pu) clan of the Di (Five Barbarians), Di peoples during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Founded in the wake of ...

to destroy it, but he would nevertheless be the last Jin emperor to actually exercise imperial power, as his sons Emperor An and Emperor Gong would be controlled by

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

s and warlords. Emperor Xiaowu died an unusual death—he was killed by his

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

Honoured Lady Zhang after he insulted her.

Early life

Sima Yao was born in 362, when his father

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 ...

was Prince of Kuaiji and prime minister for his grandnephew, Emperor Ai. Sima Yao's mother,

Li Lingrong Li Lingrong (; ) (351 - 9 August 400), formally Empress Dowager Xiaowuwen (; literally "the filial, martial, and civil empress dowager") was an empress dowager during the Jin dynasty. She was a concubine of Emperor Jianwen and the mother of Em ...

, was originally a servant involved in textile production but, based on a magician's words that she would bear his heir (his sons all having died early by that point), Sima Yu took her as his

and she gave birth to Sima Yao. As he was born at dawn, she named him Yao, with the courtesy name Changming, both meaning "dawn". A year later she gave birth to his brother,

Sima Daozi Sima Daozi (司馬道子) (363 – 3 February 403), courtesy name Daozi (道子), formally Prince Wenxiao of Kuaiji (會稽文孝王), was a regent during the reign of his nephew Emperor An of Jin, being the younger brother of Emperor Xiaowu. E ...

. As the oldest surviving son of Sima Yu, Sima Yao was designated as the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

early in his life, and in 365, when he was just three years old, Emperor Fei offered the greater title of Prince of Langya to his father and the title of Prince of Kuaiji to him. Sima Yu declined, both personally and on his son's behalf, and Emperor Fei did not insist on them taking on the greater titles. In 371, having lost a devastating battle to the

Former Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Former Yan (; 337–370), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Murong clan of the Xianbei during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. From Liaoning, the Former Yan later conquered and ruled over Hebei, Shaanxi, ...

general

Murong Chui Murong Chui (; 326 – 2 June 396), courtesy name Daoming (道明), Xianbei name Altun (阿六敦), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Chengwu of Later Yan (後燕成武帝), was the founding emperor of China's Later Yan dynasty ...

in 369, the paramount general

Huan Wen Huan Wen (桓溫) (312 – 18 August 373), courtesy name Yuanzi (元子), formally Duke Xuanwu of Nan Commandery (南郡宣武公), was a general and regent of the Jin dynasty (266–420), as well as the leader of Huan clan of Qiaoguo (谯国桓� ...

accused Emperor Fei of

impotence Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is a form of sexual dysfunction in males characterized by the persistent or recurring inability to achieve or maintain a Human penis, penile erection with sufficient rigidity and durat ...

and of not being the biological father of his sons. He then deposed him and made Sima Yu the new emperor (as Emperor Jianwen), although actual power was in Huan's hands. In 372, Emperor Jianwen grew ill and he named Sima Yao

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 ...

on 12 September but in his will, he offered the throne to Huan, if he wanted it. When his official Wang Tanzhi () objected, Emperor Jianwen gave approval for an amendment, written by Wang, wherein Huan was only compared to the statesmen

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

and

Wang Dao Wang Dao (; 276 – 7 September 339), courtesy name Maohong (茂弘), formally Duke Wenxian of Shixing (始興文獻公), was a Chinese politician during the Jin dynasty who played an important role in the administrations of Emperor Yuan, Empe ...

. Nevertheless, when Emperor Jianwen died, many officials were apprehensive of Huan, and not immediately willing to declare Crown Prince Yao as the new emperor. Finally, at the instigation of Wang Biaozhi (), Crown Prince Yao took the throne as Emperor Xiaowu.

Early reign

The new emperor was only 10 years old. Therefore, his cousin Empress Dowager Chu ( Emperor Kang's wife and niece of Xie Shang) served as

, but the decisions were actually being made by

Xie An Xie An () (320 – 12 October 385), courtesy name Anshi (), formally Duke Wenjing of Luling (), also known as "Xie Dongshan" (, "dongshan" literally 'East Mountain'), was a Chinese politician of the Eastern Jin dynasty who, despite his lack of ...

and Wang Tanzhi; Huan Wen, apparently fearful of being entrapped, declined an offer to be regent. In 373, Huan Wen died and the fears of a Huan usurpation dissipated as his brother and successor, Huan Chong, was committed to the survival of the imperial government. A major issue for the Jin government was the continued military pressure exerted by the powerful northern rival,

. In 373, Former Qin attacked and seized Jin's Liang (梁州, modern southern

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 ...

) and Yi (益州, modern

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

and

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

) provinces. Internally, however, Jin was apparently well-governed by Xie and Huan Chong. On 1 October 375, Emperor Xiaowu married Wang Fahui (the daughter of the official, Wang Yun ()) as his empress.''gui'si'' day of the 8th month of the 3rd year of the ''Ningkang'' era, per vol. 103 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' He was 13 and she was 15. He also started studying the

Chinese classic texts The Chinese classics or canonical texts are the works of Chinese literature authored prior to the establishment of the imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Prominent examples include the Four Books and Five Classics in the Neo-Confucian tradi ...

and writing poetry. In 376, Empress Dowager Chu officially removed herself from the regent position and returned her powers to Emperor Xiaowu, although the decisions were still largely being made by Xie. In 376, the Jin vassal,

Former Liang The Former Liang (; 301–376) was a dynastic state, and one of the Sixteen Kingdoms, in Chinese history. It was founded by Zhang Shi of the Han Chinese Zhang family. Its territories included present-day Gansu and parts of Ningxia, Shaanxi, Qing ...

, was attacked by Former Qin. Jin forces, under Huan Chong's command, attempted to relieve the pressure on Former Liang by attacking Former Qin, but Former Liang fell quickly and Huan Chong withdrew his forces. In apprehension of a Former Qin attack, Jin evacuated much of its population north of the

Huai River The Huai River, formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in East China, about long with a drainage area of . It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...

to regions south of the river. In 378, Former Qin made major attacks against the important Jin cities of

Xiangyang Xiangyang is the second-largest prefecture-level city by population in northwestern Hubei province, China. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River (Hanshui), Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city n ...

, Weixing (魏興; southeast of present-day

Suqian Suqian ( zh, s=, t=, p=Sùqiān, IPA: ) is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu Province, China. It borders Xuzhou to the northwest, Lianyungang to the northeast, Huai'an to the south, and the province of Anhui to the west. History Suqi ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

), and

Pengcheng Xuzhou ( zh, s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng () in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area m ...

. While general

Xie Xuan Xie Xuan (謝玄) (343 – 8 February 388), courtesy name Youdu (幼度), formally Duke Xianwu of Kangle (康樂獻武公), was an Eastern Jin general who is best known for repelling the Former Qin army at the Battle of Fei River, preventing the ...

was able to immediately recapture Pengcheng after it fell, Xiangyang and Weixing were taken by Former Qin forces in 379. On 24 October 380, Empress Wang died. Emperor Xiaowu did not have another empress for the rest of his life. In 381, Emperor Xiaowu began to study

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

sutra ''Sutra'' ()Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a ...

s and he established a Buddhist study hall inside his palace, inviting monks to live within. In 383, Huan Chong made a counterattack against Former Qin, hoping to recapture Xiangyang and the southwest. However, after initial losses, Huan abandoned the campaign.

The Battle of Fei River

In November 383, Former Qin's emperor,

Fu Jiān Fu or FU may refer to: In arts and entertainment * Fool Us, Penn & Teller's magic-competition television show *Fǔ, a type of ancient Chinese vessel * Fu (poetry) (赋), a Chinese genre of rhymed prose *'' FU: Friendship Unlimited'', a 2017 Mara ...

, launched a major attack against Jin, intending to destroy it and unite China. At the Battle of Fei River, however, his forces panicked after trying to retreat to draw Jin forces across the river, and his army was routed with great losses, including his brother and prime minister,

Fu Rong Fu Rong (苻融) (died 383), courtesy name Boxiu (伯休), formally Duke Ai of Yangping (陽平哀公), was an official and general of the Di-led Former Qin dynasty of China. He was a younger brother of Fu Jiān, the third emperor of the dynas ...

. Former Qin began to collapse after this defeat and never again posed a threat to Jin.

Middle reign

After defeating Former Qin forces, Xie Xuan spearheaded a campaign to regain lost territory, and Jin captured most of the Former Qin provinces south of the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

, as well as regaining Liang and Yi provinces. However, Prime Minister Xie An, who was most credited with the victory, began to lose favor in Emperor Xiaowu's eyes; Xie's son-in-law, Wang Guobao (), unhappy that Xie did not give him important posts, began to flatter both Emperor Xiaowu and his brother, Sima Daozi, the Prince of Kuaiji, as a means of undercutting Xie. Xie remained prime minister, however, until his death in 385; he was replaced by Sima Daozi. Both Emperor Xiaowu and Sima became obsessed with feasting and drinking, and neither spent much time on affairs of state. In 387, Emperor Xiaowu named his oldest son, five-year-old Sima Dezong, crown prince, notwithstanding the fact that Sima was developmentally disabled—so severely that even after he grew older, he was described as not being able to talk, dress himself, or to tell whether he was full or hungry while eating. In 390, Emperor Xiaowu began to tire of how his brother, Sima Daozi, was taking his favors for granted, and he decided to look for counterbalancing forces. He made the officials Wang Gong (王恭, Empress Wang's brother) and Yin Zhongkan () key regional governors, despite warnings that both Wang and Yin were talented but narrow-minded, and might create issues later.

Late reign

By 395, the conflict between Emperor Xiaowu and Sima had flared into the open, but because of the intercession of Empress Dowager Li, Emperor Xiaowu did not remove his brother. After further mediation by Xu Miao (), the relationship between the brothers seemed to be restored. By 396, Emperor Xiaowu was spending so much of his time on drinking and women that he was not tending to important matters of state. His favorite consort was the beautiful Honoured Lady Zhang. On 6 November 396, when she was almost 30 years old, Emperor joked at a feast saying, "Based on your age, you should yield your position. I want someone younger." That night, after Emperor Xiaowu fell drunk, she ordered all the

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, 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 2 ...

s away, bribing them with wine, and then ordered her servant girls to suffocate Emperor Xiaowu by putting a blanket over his face. She further bribed the attendants and claimed that the emperor died suddenly in his sleep. The death was not investigated and the next day, Sima Dezong assumed the throne as Emperor An, with Sima Daozi as

Era names

* ''Ningkang'' (寧康, níng kāng): 9 February 373 – 8 February 376 * ''Taiyuan'' (太元, tài yuán): 9 February 376 – 12 February 397

Family

Consorts and issue

* Empress Xiaowuding, of the Wang clan of Taiyuan (; 360–380), personal name Fahui () * Empress Dowager Ande, of the Chen clan (; 362–390), personal name Guinü () ** Sima Dezong, Emperor An (; 382–419), first son ** Sima Dewen, Emperor Gong (; 386–421), second son * ''Guiren'', of the Zhang clan () * Unknown ** Princess Jinling (; d. 432) *** Married Xie Hun of Chen, Duke Wangcai (; d. 412) *** Married Wang Lian of Langya ()

Ancestry

References

* * 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:Xiaowu of Jin, Emperor 362 births 396 deaths Jin dynasty (266–420) emperors Jin dynasty (266–420) Buddhists Chinese Buddhist monarchs 4th-century Chinese monarchs