Book contents
- The Cambridge History of China
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Maps
- Preface
- Six Dynasties Chronology
- Introduction
- Part 1 History
- Chapter 1 Wei
- Chapter 2 Wu
- Chapter 3 Shu-Han
- Chapter 4 Western Jin
- Chapter 5 Eastern Jin
- Chapter 6 The Sixteen Kingdoms
- Chapter 7 Cheng-Han State
- Chapter 8 Northern Wei
- Chapter 9 Eastern Wei–Northern Qi
- Chapter 10 Western Wei–Northern Zhou
- Chapter 11 The Southern Dynasties
- Part 2 Society and Realia
- Part 3 Culture, Religion, and Art
- Abbreviations of Frequently Cited Primary Sources
- Journal Titles: Acronyms (single-word titles do not use acronyms)
- List of Asian Journal Titles
- Primary Texts
- General Bibliography
- Glossary–Index
Chapter 4 - Western Jin
from Part 1 - History
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 October 2019
- The Cambridge History of China
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Maps
- Preface
- Six Dynasties Chronology
- Introduction
- Part 1 History
- Chapter 1 Wei
- Chapter 2 Wu
- Chapter 3 Shu-Han
- Chapter 4 Western Jin
- Chapter 5 Eastern Jin
- Chapter 6 The Sixteen Kingdoms
- Chapter 7 Cheng-Han State
- Chapter 8 Northern Wei
- Chapter 9 Eastern Wei–Northern Qi
- Chapter 10 Western Wei–Northern Zhou
- Chapter 11 The Southern Dynasties
- Part 2 Society and Realia
- Part 3 Culture, Religion, and Art
- Abbreviations of Frequently Cited Primary Sources
- Journal Titles: Acronyms (single-word titles do not use acronyms)
- List of Asian Journal Titles
- Primary Texts
- General Bibliography
- Glossary–Index
Summary
Historical works traditionally argue that the Western Jin dynasty was founded in 265 (or, making calendrical allowances, in 266) by Emperor Wu (Sima Yan), and ended in 316 when Liu Yao seized the capital at Chang’an and Emperor Min was dethroned. Reality is a great deal more complicated. The foundation of the Jin dynasty was much more the result of a long process that had begun by 249, when Emperor Wu’s grandfather, Sima Yi (179–251), brutally seized power in the Wei court. The prehistory of the Jin, or the period between 249 and 265, is particularly notable politically, because it explains certain decisions taken by Emperor Wu, such as the distribution of principalities to members of his own clan.
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- Information
- The Cambridge History of China , pp. 79 - 95Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019