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 Theobald ...

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 ...

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period of China. Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, which had been seized by his father

Sima Yi Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 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 un ...

and previously maintained by his older brother

Sima Shi Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, all ...

, successfully crushing all internal opposition in the form of dissent and rebellion. In 263, despite opposition, he decided to take advantage of the present weakness in

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

Liu Shan Liu Shan () (207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Lia ...

, towards formally surrendering, tipping the decades-long established balance of power decisively in Wei's favor. Towards the end of the campaign, he had himself created the Duke of Jin and accepted the

Nine bestowments The nine bestowments () were awards given by Chinese emperors to officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. While the nature of the bestowments was probably established during the Zhou Dynasty, there was no record of anyone r ...

—a step that put him closer to usurpation of the throne—although he never actually ascended the throne, having further styled himself the King of Jin in 264, and then died in 265. His military credit and successful grip on the political scene helped to set up the plot of overthrowing Wei by his son,

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

, who usurped the Wei throne and proclaimed the Jin dynasty with himself as its emperor in 266. After the establishment of Jin, Sima Yan posthumously honoured his father as Emperor Wen of Jin (晉文帝), with the

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dyna ...

of Taizu (太祖). A

Chinese idiom ''Chengyu'' () are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expression, most of which consist of four characters. ''Chengyu'' were widely used in Classical Chinese and are still common in vernacular Chinese writing and in the spoken language t ...

involving and inspired by Sima Zhao states that "Everyone on the street knows what's in Sima Zhao's mind" (司馬昭之心, 路人皆知), meaning that a person's supposed hidden intention (in this case, usurping the throne) is so well known that it is not really hidden. It came from a quotation by

Cao Mao Cao Mao () (241 – 2 June 260), courtesy name Yanshi, was the fourth emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a grandson of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. Described as intelligent and studious ...

, fourth emperor of Wei, who launched an unsuccessful

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against Sima Zhao in an attempt to take back imperial power.

Early life

Sima Zhao was born in 211, as the second-born son of Sima Yi and his wife

Zhang Chunhua Zhang Chunhua (189 – May or June 247) was a Chinese noble lady and aristocrat. She was the wife of Sima Yi, a prominent military general and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was posthumously honou ...

, younger only to Sima Shi. As his father was an important Wei official, Sima Zhao himself climbed up the ranks of officials fairly rapidly. Due to his father's achievements in destroying the warlord

Gongsun Yuan Gongsun Yuan () (died September 238Cao Rui's biography in ''Sanguozhi'' indicated that Sima Yi laid siege to Xiangping on the ''bingyin'' day of the 8th month of the 2nd year of the ''Jing'chu'' era. However, there is no ''bingyin'' day in that ...

, he was created a Marquess of Xincheng in 238 towards the end of the year. Around 240, he was made the General of the Gentlemen of the Agriculture Colonies (典農中郎將). A year later, around 241, he was appointed as Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary (散騎常侍). In March 244, he partook in

Cao Shuang Cao Shuang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Zhaobo, was a Chinese military general and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Cao Zhen, a prominent general of Wei. He initially hel ...

's disastrous campaign against Shu, where he managed to drive off a night-raid on his camp led by Shu forces. Despite the ultimate failure of the campaign, he was promoted to the rank of Consultant Gentleman (a position typically regarded as a placeholder, in which he himself was kept for over five years, which was likely bestowed upon him by Cao Shuang and his group so that he would be kept from further political advancement).

Career up to 255

Incident at Gaoping Tombs

Sima Zhao's involvement in his father's coup d'état against the regent

Cao Shuang Cao Shuang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Zhaobo, was a Chinese military general and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Cao Zhen, a prominent general of Wei. He initially hel ...

in 249 is unclear. According to the ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the 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, with chancellor Fang X ...

'', he was not told about the plan, hatched by his father and his older brother, until the last minute—a view disagreed with by other historians, who assert that he was intimately involved in the planning. Regardless, in the aftermath of the successful coup his father became the paramount political authority in Wei, and he himself received an addition of 1,000 households to his

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

and became important in status. In 251, when his father suppressed the failed rebellion of Wang Ling, Sima Zhao served as deputy commander, and was rewarded with the addition of 300 households to his fief and a Marquis post for his young son,

Sima You Sima You (246 – 27 April 283), courtesy name Dayou, was an imperial prince of the Western Jin dynasty of China. He was the second son of Sima Zhao, a regent of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, and Zhao's wife Wang Yuanji. ...

. During the next few years, he was involved in commanding forces in repelling invasions by Shu's commander of the armed forces,

Jiang Wei Jiang Wei (202 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Boyue, was a military general of the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in Ji County (present-day Gangu County, Gansu), Jiang Wei started his career as a military officer ...

.

Battle of Dongxing

In 253, Wei forces headed by Sima Zhao marched east to confront Wu, who had been overstepping their boundaries by building upon a lake and arming it with men on land which belonged to Wei. The Wei officers, feeling secure in their position and with their superior numbers, grew arrogant and allowed themselves to become drunk, and so were quickly overwhelmed by the Wu forces led by Ding Feng and

Lü Ju Lü Ju (died 12 November 256), courtesy name Shiyi, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Lü Fan, a general who served under Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu ...

, forcing the Wei forces to flee and retreat. After the loss at the

Battle of Dongxing The Battle of Dongxing, also known as the Battle of Dongguan, was fought from January to February 253 between the states of Cao Wei and Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The battle concluded with a tactical victory for Wu. B ...

, Sima Zhao asked his Marshal Wang Yi in private who was responsible for the failure of the battle, to which Wang Yi responded: "Responsibility lies with the army commander." Sima Zhao retorted: "The Marshal means to make me shoulder the blame?" Thereafter he had Wang Yi executed.

Sima Shi Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, all ...

, the Wei regent and Sima Zhao's older brother, received memorials from ministers asking that Wang Chang,

Guanqiu Jian Guanqiu Jian (died 16 March 255), courtesy name Zhonggong, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Guanqiu Jian was from Wenxi County (), Hedong Commandery, which i ...

, Hu Zun, and all the others who were a part of the campaign to be demoted for their failure, however, Sima Shi stated that: "It is because I did not listen to Gongxiu huge Danthat we have come to this plight. In this I am culpable; how can the generals be at fault?" He therefore promoted the generals who partook in the battle, while demoting Sima Zhao by removing his enfeoffment.

Succeeding Sima Shi

In 254, while Sima Zhao was at the capital

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), 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 ...

, advisors to the Wei emperor,

Cao Fang Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from 239 to 254 as a nominal emperor bef ...

, suggested that the emperor surprise Sima Zhao and kill him to seize his troops, and then use those troops against Sima Shi. Cao Fang, apprehensive, did not act on the suggestion, but the plot was still discovered, and Sima Zhao assisted his brother in deposing the emperor and replacing him with Cao Mao. In the aftermath of the removal of the emperor, the generals

Guanqiu Jian Guanqiu Jian (died 16 March 255), courtesy name Zhonggong, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Guanqiu Jian was from Wenxi County (), Hedong Commandery, which i ...

and

Wen Qin Wen Qin (died February or March 258), courtesy name Zhongruo, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He served as the Inspector of Yang Province during the reign of t ...

rebelled in 255 but were defeated by Sima Shi. Sima Shi, however, had a serious eye illness that was aggravated by the campaign, and he died less than a month later; on 23 March. At that time, Sima Zhao was with his brother at

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the s ...

. The 14-year-old emperor Cao Mao made an effort to regain imperial power. He issued an edict which, under the rationale that Sima Shi had just quelled Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin's rebellion and that the southeastern empire was still not completely pacified, ordered Sima Zhao to remain at Xuchang and that Sima Shi's assistant

Fu Jia Fu Gu (209–255), courtesy name Lanshi, was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Fu Gu grandfather was Fu Rui (傅睿), the Administrator (太守) of Dai Prefecture (代郡) in the late Eastern H ...

return to Luoyang with the main troops. Under Fu Jia and

Zhong Hui Zhong Hui (225 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Shiji, was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the younger son of Zhang Changpu with Zhong Y ...

's advice, however, Sima Zhao returned to Luoyang anyway against edict, and was able to maintain control of the government. Indeed, from that point on, he did not let Cao Mao or Empress Dowager Guo out of his control.

As paramount authority

Consolidation of authority

Third Rebellion of Shouchun

During the next few years, Sima Zhao consolidated his authority further, leaving the emperor and empress dowager with little power. He further built up a series of events that were viewed as precipitations to usurpation of the Wei throne. In 256, he had the emperor grant him the privilege of wearing imperial robes, crowns, and boots. He further tested waters by having his close aides hinting to the generals around the empire as to his intentions. In 257, when he sent

Jia Chong Jia Chong (217–19 May 282), courtesy name Gonglü, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty of China. He started his career as an advisor to Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, the regents of the ...

to probe

Zhuge Dan Zhuge Dan (died 10 April 258), courtesy name Gongxiu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. When he held key military appointments throughout his middle to late career, h ...

's intentions, Zhuge rebuked Jia Chong severely —leading Sima Zhao to summon Zhuge Dan back to the capital under the guise of a promotion. Zhuge Dan refused and started a rebellion, submitting himself to

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...

for protection. Sima Zhao advanced quickly on Zhuge Dan's stronghold of Shouchun and surrounded it, eventually capturing the city in 258 after cutting off any hope of an Eastern Wu rescue, killing Zhuge Dan and his family, although he treated many of those involved, such as the common citizens, and most notably the Wu soldiers who had been sent as reinforcements, with great magnanimity, despite being advised to punish the citizens and kill all the soldiers, to which he retorted: "The ancients in using troops, preserving the state is best, so kill the leaders and nothing more. Should the Wú soldiers escape and flee back, then they can report the greatness of the central states." This benevolence managed to cast the Sima family in a more, and much-needed, positive light amongst the populace. After Zhuge Dan's death, there was no one who dared to oppose Sima Zhao further for the next few years. In 258, he would force the emperor to offer him the

Nine Bestowments The nine bestowments () were awards given by Chinese emperors to officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. While the nature of the bestowments was probably established during the Zhou Dynasty, there was no record of anyone r ...

, state chancellorship, and the title of Duke of Jin—a step that put him closer to usurpation—and then publicly declined them nine times.

Death of Cao Mao and complete control of the Wei government

In 260, Sima Zhao again forced

Cao Mao Cao Mao () (241 – 2 June 260), courtesy name Yanshi, was the fourth emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a grandson of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. Described as intelligent and studious ...

to issue an edict granting Sima Zhao the Nine Bestowments and the promotions, which Sima Zhao declined again, but which drew Cao Mao's ire. He gathered his associates Wang Shen, Wang Jing, and Wang Ye and told them that, while he knew the chances of success were slight, he was going to act against Sima Zhao. He took lead of the imperial guards, armed himself with a sword, and set out toward Sima Zhao's mansion. Sima Zhao's brother

Sima Zhou Sima Zhou (227 – 12 June 283), courtesy name Zijiang, was an imperial prince and military general of the Jin dynasty (265–420), Jin dynasty of China. He previously served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. Life in Cao ...

tried to resist, but after Cao Mao's attendants yelled loudly, Sima Zhou's forces deserted.

Jia Chong Jia Chong (217–19 May 282), courtesy name Gonglü, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty of China. He started his career as an advisor to Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, the regents of the ...

then arrived and intercepted the imperial guards. Cao Mao fought personally, and Jia Chong's troops, not daring to attack the emperor, were also deserting. One of the officers under Jia Chong's command, Cheng Ji (成濟), after asking Jia what to do and was told by Jia to defend the Sima power regardless of the consequences, took a spear and killed Cao Mao with it. This left Sima Zhao thoroughly vexed. After Cao Mao's death, public sentiments called for Jia Chong's death, but what Sima Zhao did first was to force Empress Dowager Guo to posthumously demote Cao Mao to common citizen status and order that he be buried as such. He also executed Wang Jing and his family. The next day, after pleas from his uncle

Sima Fu Sima Fu () (180– 3 April 272), courtesy name Shuda, was an imperial prince and statesman of the Jin dynasty of China. He previously served as an official in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period before his grandnephew, Sima Y ...

, Sima Zhao instead had Empress Dowager Guo order that Cao Mao be demoted back to a duke, but buried with the ceremonies of an imperial prince. Sima Zhao then summoned Cao Huan, the Duke of Changdao, and a grandson of Cao Cao, to the capital to become the emperor; by now, Empress Dowager Guo was powerless to speak further. In the midst of these events, Sima Zhao went on to decline the Nine Bestowments and the promotions towards state chancellorship and the title of Duke of Jin. Some days later, Sima Zhao publicly accused Cheng Ji and his brothers of treason and had them and their family executed to appease public sentiment while sparing Jia Chong. No one dared to act against Sima Zhao even in the aftermaths of the emperor's death, however, for Sima Zhao was effectively the imperial authority by this point. On 27 June, Cao Huan entered Luoyang and became emperor. Two days later, Sima Zhao forced Cao Huan to confer upon him the Nine Bestowments as well as the promotions towards state chancellorship and the title of Duke of Jin, which he earnestly declined, as well as another time in October.

Conquest of Shu

In 262, aggravated by Jiang Wei's incessant border attacks, Sima Zhao considered hiring assassins to murder Jiang Wei, but this plan was opposed by his advisor,

Xun Xu Xun Xu ( – 289), courtesy name Gongzeng was a Chinese musician, painter, politician, and writer who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty of China. Born in the influential Xun family, he was a great-grandson of ...

. Zhong Hui himself believed that Jiang Wei had worn out his troops and that it would be an appropriate time to try to destroy Shu once and for all. Sima Zhao put Zhong Hui,

Zhuge Xu Zhuge Xu ( 255–260s) 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 was ...

, and

Deng Ai Deng Ai (197 – late March 264Vol.04 of ''Sanguozhi'' and vol.02 of ''Jin Shu'' both indicated that Deng Ai was arrested in the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xianxi'' era. The month corresponds to 15 Feb to 14 Mar 264 in the Julian calendar ...

in charge of the invasion forces (even though the latter initially opposed the campaign), and they set out in autumn 263. Zhong Hui, Zhuge Xu, and Deng Ai faced little opposition from Shu's forces, whose strategy was to draw the Wei forces in and then close on them—a strategy that backfired, as the Wei forces, much quicker than expected, leapt past Shu border cities and immediately onto the important Yang'an Pass (陽安關; in present-day

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as the ...

,

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

), capturing it. Zhuge Xu was eventually expelled and sent back as a prisoner, though, as Deng Ai wanted to merge his own troops with Zhuge Xu's, whereas Zhuge Xu did not deviate from the original plan; he met up with Zhong Hui, who wanted to monopolize on the military situation, and so sent an edict mentioning the cowardice of Zhuge Xu, after which the latter's troops were merged with Zhong Hui's. Jiang Wei was able to regroup and block off the Wei forces from further advances, until Deng Ai led his troops over a treacherous mountain pass, descending on

Jiangyou Jiangyou () is a Chinese county-level city located in Mianyang, Sichuan. The city proper is subdivided into four urban districts and has jurisdiction over 21 towns, and 19 rural townships. It is the hometown of Li Bai, a leading Tang Dynasty po ...

, defeating

Zhuge Zhan Zhuge Zhan (227–263), courtesy name Siyuan, was a military general and official of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Zhuge Liang, the first Imperial Chancellor of Shu. Early life When Zhuge Zhan ...

and heading directly for the Shu capital,

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

. Surprised by Deng Ai's quick advances and believing that Jiang Wei would be unable to return fast enough to defend the capital against Deng Ai, the Shu emperor,

Liu Shan Liu Shan () (207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Lia ...

, surrendered to Wei. Earlier this year, in the spring of 263, Sima Zhao had again declined the Nine Bestowments and the promotions, but during the campaign, in light of the recent successes, on 9 December 263, the emperor, Cao Huan, bestowed upon Sima Zhao the title of the Duke of Jin, the Nine Bestowments, and the position of Chancellor of the State, which Sima Zhao finally accepted.

Zhong Hui's Rebellion

Another turmoil quickly came after Shu's destruction, however. Deng Ai, proud of his achievements, became arrogant in his correspondence with Sima Zhao, drawing Sima Zhao's suspicion. Zhong Hui, who had plans to rebel himself, quickly forged letters that further damaged the relations between Sima Zhao and Deng Ai beyond repair, and Sima Zhao ordered Zhong Hui to arrest Deng Ai, although he himself, wary of Zhong Hui, nevertheless arrived with his own forces and stationed at

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 Shi ...

. Zhong Hui did so, seizing Deng Ai's troops and merging them with his own, and then, with Jiang Wei as his assistant (but with Jiang Wei's actual intentions being to eventually kill Zhong Hui and restore Shu), declared a rebellion in 264, but his troops rebelled against him and killed both him and Jiang Wei, with Sima Zhao going on to bestow an amnesty upon all in Shu.

Death

After Zhong Hui's rebellion was defeated, Sima Zhao was granted the title of King of Jin on 2 May 264, the penultimate step to usurpation. He set out to revise the laws and the civil service system in accordance with how he would want his own empire to be, such as instating the Five Feudal Ranks of Zhou (a system which had fallen out of use since the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

abolished it), and also going on to posthumously enfeoff his father,

Sima Yi Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 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 un ...

, and older brother,

Sima Shi Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, all ...

, as King Xuan of Jin and King Jing of Jin respectively. He further sought peace with Eastern Wu, to prevent further complications for his planned takeover, a gesture that was reciprocated. Later that year, Sima Zhao considered whom to make his heir. He strongly considered his talented younger son,

Sima You Sima You (246 – 27 April 283), courtesy name Dayou, was an imperial prince of the Western Jin dynasty of China. He was the second son of Sima Zhao, a regent of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, and Zhao's wife Wang Yuanji. ...

, who had been adopted by Sima Shi because Sima Shi did not have sons of his own, under the rationale that because Sima Shi had great achievement in the Simas' obtaining and retaining of power, the succession should go back to his son. The majority of his advisors, however, recommended his oldest son,

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

, instead, and Sima Zhao finally resolved to make Sima Yan his designated heir. On 6 September 265, Sima Zhao died before he could receive actual imperial authority, although he was buried with imperial honors on 20 October 265. Five months later, however, Sima Yan, who had previously inherited his father's authority,
would have the Wei emperor, Cao Huan, abdicate in favour of him, ending Wei and establishing the Jin dynasty. After he did so, he posthumously honoured his father, Sima Zhao, as Emperor Wen of Jin (晉文帝).

Family

Consorts and Issue: * Empress Wenming, of the Wang clan of Donghai (; 217–268), personal name Yuanji () ** Princess Jingzhao () *** Married Zhen De of Xiping (), and had issue (one son) **

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

, Emperor Wu (; 236–290), first son **

Sima You Sima You (246 – 27 April 283), courtesy name Dayou, was an imperial prince of the Western Jin dynasty of China. He was the second son of Sima Zhao, a regent of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, and Zhao's wife Wang Yuanji. ...

, Prince Qixian (; 248–283), second son ** ''Sima Zhao, Prince Ai of Chengyang'' (), third son ** ''Sima Dingguo, Prince Daohui of Liaodong'' (), fourth son ** ''Sima Guangde, Prince Shang of Guanghan'' (), fifth son *Lady of Cultivated Splendidness, of the Li clan (修華李氏), personal name Yan (琰) *Lady of Cultivated Countenance, of the Wang clan (修容王氏), personal name Xuan (宣) *Lady of Cultivated Deportment, of the Xu clan (修儀徐氏), personal name Yan (琰) *Lady of Handsome Fairness, of the Wu clan (婕妤吳氏), personal name Shu (淑) *Lady of Sufficient Countenance , of the Zhao clan (充華趙氏), personal name Ting (珽) * Unknown ** Sima Jian, Prince Ping of Le'an (; d. 297), sixth son ** Sima Ji, Prince Yan (), seventh son ** ''Sima Yongzuo'' (), eighth son ** Sima Yanzuo, Prince Leping (), ninth son ** Princess Changshan, married Wang Ji

Ancestry

In popular culture

Sima Zhao is first introduced as a playable character in the seventh instalment of

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...

's ''

Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now is Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...

'' video game series, in which he is depicted as having a lazy and carefree atmosphere, but underneath it actually being a talented leader and strategist. He is then introduced again as a playable character in ''

Warriors Orochi 3 ''Warriors Orochi 3'', originally released as in Japan, is a 2011 hack and slash video game developed by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is the fourth installment of the crossover series ''Warriors Orochi'', a ...

''.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * Fang, Xuanling (648). ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the 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, with chancellor Fang X ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...

''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sima, Zhao 211 births 265 deaths 3rd-century viceregal rulers Cao Wei generals Cao Wei regents Three Rebellions in Shouchun

Early life

Career up to 255

Incident at Gaoping Tombs

Battle of Dongxing

Succeeding Sima Shi

As paramount authority

Consolidation of authority

Third Rebellion of Shouchun

Death of Cao Mao and complete control of the Wei government

Conquest of Shu

Zhong Hui's Rebellion

Death

Family

Ancestry

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References