Emperor Jianwen of Jin
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Emperor Jianwen of Jin (; 320 – September 12, 372According to Emperor Jianwen's biography in ''Book of Jin'', he died aged 53 (by East Asian reckoning) on the ''jiwei'' day of the 7th month of the 2nd year of the ''Xian'an'' era of his reign. This corresponds to 12 Sep 372 on the Julian calendar. ( 安二年秋七月未,立会稽王昌明为皇太子,皇子道子为琅邪王,领会稽内史。是日,帝崩于东堂,时年五十三。) ''Jin Shu'', vol.09. Thus by calculation, his birth year should be 320.), personal name Sima Yu (),
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 ...
Daowan (), was an emperor of the Eastern
Jin Dynasty (266-420) Jin is a toneless pinyin romanization of various Chinese names and words. These have also been romanized as Kin and Chin (Wade–Giles). "Jin" also occurs in Japanese and Korean. It may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), ...
in China. He was the younger brother of Emperor Ming and installed by military leader
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 ...
. Prior to taking the throne, he had served in important roles in the administrations of his grandnephews Emperor Mu, Emperor Ai, and Emperor Fei. Both in his service to his grandnephews and in his own reign as emperor, he is generally viewed as a weak-willed figure who showed enough wisdom to continue to survive and extend Jin rule, but whose effectiveness was also compromised by his over-dedication to philosophical discussions of
Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
and other related philosophies.


Early life

Sima Yu was born in 320, as the youngest son of Emperor Yuan, by his favorite concubine Consort Zheng Achun (). As Emperor Yuan's wife Yu Mengmu () had died years earlier (in 312), and the mother of his oldest son
Sima Shao Emperor Ming of Jin (; 299 – 18 October 325,According to Sima Shao's biography in ''Book of Jin'', he died aged 27 (by East Asian reckoning) on the ''wuzi'' day in the leap month of the 3rd year of the ''Taining'' era of his reign. This corres ...
the Crown Prince (later Emperor Ming),
Lady Xun Lady Xun (personal name unknown) (; died 335), formally Lady of Yuzhang (豫章君), was a concubine of Emperor Yuan of Jin (Sima Rui) while he was the Prince of Langye. Initially, he favored her greatly, and she bore him two sons – Sima Shao (E ...
, had been forced to leave the palace due to Princess Yu's jealousy while she was still alive, Consort Zheng was effectively the mistress of the palace, although she never carried the title of empress. In 322, Emperor Yuan created him the Prince of Langya—the same title that Emperor Yuan had earlier, which was therefore considered a special honor. In 323, Emperor Yuan died. In 326, Consort Zheng also died, and because, as Prince of Langya, Sima Yu was not permitted by law to mourn his mother, he, at age six, requested another title by which he could. His nephew Emperor Cheng (Emperor Ming's son), himself then a young child, permitted it, and created him the
Prince of Kuaiji Kuaiji Commandery ( Chinese:  t , s , p ''Kuàijī Jùn''), formerly romanized as K'uai-chi Commandery, was a former commandery of China in the area of Hangzhou Bay. When first established, its capital was at Wu (present- ...
. As he grew in age, he was given a progression of higher and higher posts, although without actual power.


During Emperor Mu's reign

In 344, another nephew of Sima Yu, Emperor Kang (Emperor Cheng's younger brother), died, and was succeeded by his infant son Emperor Mu. Emperor Mu's mother Empress Dowager Chu became
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 ...
, but she largely followed the advice of prime minister He Chong (). As it was customary, at this point of Jin history, for there to be two prime ministers, He Chong recommended Empress Dowager Chu's father Chu Pou (), who declined and recommended Sima Yu instead. He Chong and Sima Yu thus shared the prime minister responsibilities until He Chong's death in 346. He Chong was replaced by Cai Mo. In 347, after the ambitious 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 ...
, without the imperial government's approval, carried out a campaign against and destroyed
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 ...
, annexing Cheng Han territory to Jin, the imperial government became apprehensive that Huan would use this opportunity to take over. Sima Yu thus invited the official
Yin Hao Yin Hao (殷浩) (died 356), courtesy name Yuanyuan (渊源), was a Chinese politician of the Jin Dynasty (265-420), Jin dynasty. Yin Hao was from an aristocratic family, and when he was young, he became known for intelligence and metaphysical di ...
, who was considered able, to join him and Cai in making important decisions, to counter Huan's influence. In 350, after Cai had repeatedly declined greater honor conferred him by the emperor, Yin accused Cai of disrespecting imperial authority and had him removed, seizing more power than he had before. In 348, Sima Yu's
heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
Sima Daosheng (), who was described as careless and frivolous, was accused of unspecified crimes, and he was deposed and imprisoned, and died in imprisonment. Sima Yu's wife and Sima Daosheng's mother, Princess Wang Jianji (), also died in distress. (She might have also been imprisoned prior to her death) His other sons, one by Princess Wang and three by various concubines, died early, and he was left without an heir, and his concubines were not conceiving any more. He retained a magician to look at his concubines to see which one could conceive an heir, and the magician looked at all of them and opined that none was destined to give him an heir—but then he saw a dark-skinned maid who was working with textiles, who was derogatorily referred to as a
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
, named
Li Lingrong Li Lingrong (李陵容) (351 - 9 August 400), formally Empress Dowager Xiaowuwen (孝武文太后, literally "the filial, martial, and civil empress dowager") was an empress dowager during Jin Dynasty (266–420). She was a concubine of Empero ...
, and he, in surprised, yelled out, "She is the one!" Sima Yu therefore took her as a concubine, and she bore him two sons -- Sima Yao in 352 and
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 ...
in 353. Sima Yao was subsequently named heir apparent. Around the new year 352, Huan, impatient after his requests to advance north in light of Later Zhao's collapse were being rebuffed by Sima Yu and Yin, who were concerned about his expanding power, and mobilized his troops and gestured as if he were about to attack the capital. Yin was shocked, and initially considered either resigning or send the imperial banner of peace (Zouyu Fan, 騶虞幡) to order Huan to stop. After advice from Wang Biaozhi (), however, he instead asked Sima Yu to write a carefully worded letter to Huan, persuading Huan to stop. After Yin himself launched unsuccessful northern campaigns in 352 and 353—the latter at great loss of life and property—Huan submitted a petition accusing Yin of crimes. The imperial government, led by Sima Yu, felt compelled to depose Yin in 354. From that point on, Sima Yu became the sole prime minister, although he was often forced to submit to Huan's wishes on important matters. Later in 354, Huan himself launched a campaign north against Former Qin, one of the successor states to Later Zhao, but after initial successes, he was forced to withdraw as he hesitated at attacking Former Qin's capital
Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...
and ran out of food supplies. In 358, Sima Yu offered to resign and return all authority to Emperor Mu. Emperor Mu declined. In 361, Emperor Mu died without a son, and by order of Empress Dowager Chu, his cousin
Sima Pi Emperor Ai of Jin (; 341 – March 30, 365), personal name Sima Pi (), courtesy name Qianling (), was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (266–420). During his brief reign, the actual powers were largely in the hands of his granduncle Emperor ...
the Prince of Langya ascended the throne as Emperor Ai. Sima Yu continued in his post as prime minister.


During Emperor Ai's reign

In 363, when Emperor Ai's mother Princess Dowager Zhou died, Sima Yu served as regent for the three-month mourning period. In 364, Emperor Ai, who was obsessed with
immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...
, was poisoned by pills given him by magicians, and he could not handle important affairs of state. Empress Dowager Chu again served as regent, but important decisions were made by Sima Yu and Huan Wen. In 365, with the Former Yan regent
Murong Ke Murong Ke () (died 367 CE), courtesy name Xuangong (), formally Prince Huan of Taiyuan (), was a famed general and statesman of the Xianbei-led Chinese Former Yan dynasty. He was the son of Murong Huang (Prince Wenming), and later served as the ...
besieging the important city
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 ...
, Sima Yu and Huan discussed launching a counterattack to relieve Luoyang, but when Emperor Ai died in spring 365, the plans were cancelled. Emperor Ai was succeeded by his brother Sima Yi the Prince of Langya, who took the throne as Emperor Fei. Sima Yu continued in his role as prime minister.


During Emperor Fei's reign

In late 365, Emperor Fei offered the title Prince of Langya to Sima Yu and further created his heir apparent Sima Yao the
Prince of Kuaiji Kuaiji Commandery ( Chinese:  t , s , p ''Kuàijī Jùn''), formerly romanized as K'uai-chi Commandery, was a former commandery of China in the area of Hangzhou Bay. When first established, its capital was at Wu (present- ...
. Sima Yu declined on his son's behalf and further himself declined the title of Prince of Langya, continuing to refer to himself as the
Prince of Kuaiji Kuaiji Commandery ( Chinese:  t , s , p ''Kuàijī Jùn''), formerly romanized as K'uai-chi Commandery, was a former commandery of China in the area of Hangzhou Bay. When first established, its capital was at Wu (present- ...
, and Emperor Fei did not insist on his taking the greater title. In 369, after Huan Wen launched a major attack against Former Yan but suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of
Murong Chui Murong Chui (; 326–396), courtesy name Daoming (道明), Xianbei name Altun (阿六敦), formally Emperor Chengwu of (Later) Yan ((後)燕成武帝) was a great general of the Xianbei-led Chinese Former Yan dynasty who later became the foundi ...
, he considered another way to showcase his power. He decided to depose Emperor Fei, and he spread false rumors that Emperor Fei was
impotent Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of mal ...
and that his sons were actually sons of men that he favored (implying a homosexual relationship between him and those men). In winter 371, Huan forced Empress Dowager Chu to issue an edict deposing Emperor Fei and replacing him with Sima Yu, who took the throne with trepidation but felt he had no choice.


Reign

An immediate issue that Emperor Jianwen had to deal with upon taking the throne was Huan's suspicions toward his older brother Sima Xi () the Prince of Wuling, whose interest in military matters made Huan concerned that he would oppose Huan. Huan therefore falsely accused him of plotting treason, and Emperor Jianwen agreed to remove Sima Xi from his posts. Subsequently, however, Huan manufactured evidence against Sima Xi and petitioned that he be put to death. Emperor Jianwen wrote to Huan, stating that he did not want to kill his brother—and that if he was forced to, he would instead yield the throne. Huan, not willing to risk a confrontation, settled for having Sima Xi and his sons demoted to commoner status and exiled. In summer 372, Emperor Jianwen grew ill, and repeatedly tried to summon Huan to the capital—perhaps to offer him the throne—but Huan, concerned that it was a trap, continuously declined. Emperor Jianwen soon died, and was succeeded by his 10-year-old son Sima Yao, whom he created
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 ...
right before his death. As Huan himself died in early 373, the threats of a Huan usurpation dissipated, and Jin continued for several decades longer.


Era name

* ''Xian'an'' (咸安 xián ān) 371-372


Family

Consorts and Issue: * Empress Jianwenshun, of the Wang clan of Taiyuan (; d. 348), personal name Jianji () ** Sima Daosheng (), first son ** ''Sima Yusheng'' (), second son * Empress Dowager Xiaowuwen, of the Li clan (; 351–400), personal name Lingrong () ** Sima Yao, Emperor Xiaowu (; 362–396), third son **
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 ...
, Prince Wenxiao of Kuaiji (; 364–403), fifth son ** Princess Poyang () *** Married Wang Gu of Langya, Duke Shixing (), and had issue (one son) * ''Shuyi'', of the Hu clan () ** ''Sima Yu, Prince Xian of Linchuan'' (), fourth son ** ''Sima Zhusheng'' (), sixth son * ''Shuyi'', of the Wang clan () ** ''Sima Tianliu'' (), seventh son * ''Shuyi'', of the Xu clan () ** Princess Xin'anmin (), personal name Daofu (), third daughter *** Married Huan Ji of Qiao, Duke Linhe (), the second son of
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 ...
*** Married Wang Xianzhi of Langya (; 344–386), and had issue ( Empress Anxi) * Unknown ** Princess Wuchang () *** Married Huan Xiu of Qiao (), a son of
Huan Chong Huan Chong (桓沖; courtesy name: 幼子, ''Youzi''; 328–384), formally Duke Xuanmu of Fengcheng (), was a Jin Dynasty (266–420) governor and general and the youngest brother of Huan Wen. Contrary to the ambitious Huan Wen, who at times cons ...


Ancestry


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jianwen Of Jin, Emperor 320 births 372 deaths Jin dynasty (266–420) emperors Jin dynasty (266–420) regents 4th-century Chinese monarchs