Yellow Turban Rebellion

BelligerentsHan dynastyYellow Turban ArmyCommanders and leadersEmperor Ling
He Jin
Huangfu Song
Lu Zhi
Zhu JunZhang Jue†
Zhang Bao †
Zhang Liang †Strength 350,000 2,000,000 (360,000 were initially followers of Zhang Jue)Casualties and losses Unknown

The Yellow Turban Rebellion (Chinese: 黃巾之亂; pinyin: Huángjīn zhī luàn), alternatively translated as the Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt during the late Eastern Han dynasty of ancient China. The uprising broke out in 184 AD, during the reign of Emperor Ling. Although the main rebellion was suppressed by 185 AD, it took 21 years to fully subdue resisting areas and emerging rebellions, which was only achieved in 205 AD. The weakening of the imperial court and the rising political influence of autonomous regional military-governors, who helped suppress the rebellion, eventually led to rampant warlord dominance and the resultant Three Kingdoms period.

The rebellion, which took its name from the colour of the rebels' headwear (巾jīn, defined as more of a scarf than a turban) marked an important point in the history of Taoism due to the rebel leaders' association with the then secret Taoist societies. The revolt was also used as the inciting event in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.