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38-522: Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Eastern Jin -created title "Prince of Yan", but subsequently, in 352, after seizing most of the former Later Zhao territory, Murong Jun would declare himself emperor, and after that point, the rulers of the Former Yan declared themselves " emperors ". The Yan changed their capital from time to time, with their last capital, Ye being

76-633: A Jin vassal in c. June 289. Under constant attack by fellow Xianbei chief Duan Jie (段階) of the Duan tribe , he humbly sought peace with the Duan and married one of Duan Jie's daughters. From this union came Murong Huang (in 297) and two of his younger brothers, Murong Ren (慕容仁) and Murong Zhao (慕容昭). During Murong Hui's rule as tribal chief, the Jin dynasty's central government was in constant turmoil and eventually collapsed due to infighting and agrarian rebellions,

114-701: A Jin vassal. Murong Huang's reign saw Former Yan rapidly expanding its influence. In 338, Yan allied with the Later Zhao dynasty to conquer the Duan tribe in Liaoxi. Though the campaign was a success, Zhao then betrayed Yan and laid siege on Jícheng. Despite heavy odds, Yan was able to repel the Zhao forces. In 340, Yan carried out a massive raid on Zhao, reaching all the way to Gaoyang Commandery (高陽郡; around present-day Gaoyang County , Hebei ) and capturing 30,000 households before withdrawing. In 342, Murong Huang moved

152-1018: A regional power on the North China Plain , competing with the Di -led Former Qin in the west and the Eastern Jin in the south. In 353, Murong Jun declared himself emperor and formally broke away from Jin. He continued to entrust Murong Ke with defeating the remnants of the Later Zhao, including the Duan Qi state in Shandong . As the situation stabilized on the Central Plains, Jun once again shifted his capital, this time to Ye in 357. Jun also had ambitions to conquer Jin by mobilizing an army of 1.5 million strong, but died of illness before realizing it in 360. Murong Jun's son, Murong Wei

190-518: A vassal and requesting a joint attack against the Duan. Later Zhao's emperor Shi Hu was very pleased, and they agreed on an attack in 338. In the spring, they launched the attacks. Murong Huang quickly attacked and pillaged the Duan cities north of its capital Lingzhi (令支, in modern Tangshan , Hebei ), defeating Duan Lan's forces. He then withdrew, and when Later Zhao forces arrived, Duan Liao no longer dared to face them but instead abandoned Lingzhi and fled. Lingzhi surrendered to Later Zhao. Shi Hu

228-451: A withdrawal. (While his comments were intended to force Duan Lan to agree to a withdrawal, Murong Han's comments at this time stating that Murong Huang was "false and treacherous" may indicate what his true feelings about Murong Huang were.) In early 336, Murong Huang made a daring surprise attack, personally leading his army by a route that Murong Ren did not expect—over the frozen Bohai —arriving at Pingguo. Murong Ren, not realizing that it

266-648: The Cao Wei commander, Sima Yi , campaigned against Gongsun Yuan in 237, the Murong offered their assistance, and after the campaign, they were allowed to move into northern Liaodong . They became vassals to the Wei and then their successor, the Western Jin dynasty . In 285, Murong Hui was installed as the new chieftain of his tribe. Although Hui rebelled against Jin shortly after ascending, he resubmitted in 289 and

304-663: The Emperor Wenming of Former Yan (前燕文明帝), was the founding monarch of the Xianbei -led Former Yan dynasty of China. When he first succeeded his father Murong Hui in 333, he carried the Eastern Jin -bestowed title Duke of Liaodong, but in 337 claimed the title of Prince of Yan, which is traditionally viewed as the founding date of Former Yan. ( Emperor Cheng of Jin did retroactively recognize Murong Huang's princely title in 341 after much debate among Eastern Jin officials.) After his son Murong Jun completely broke away from

342-406: The Duan, extending into modern northern Hebei. In early 339, after Duan Liao sent conflicting requests to Later Zhao and Former Yan, requesting surrender, the Later Zhao and Former Yan forces engaged, and Murong Ke again won a great victory over Later Zhao. Murong Huang honored Duan Liao as a guest and merged Duan's remaining forces into his own. Later that year, however, Duan planned a rebellion and

380-581: The Duke of Liaodong title as well. Jin messengers sent to bestow on Murong Huang the same titles his father had were intercepted and detained by Murong Ren. Also in 334, Duan forces, under the commands of Murong Han and Duan Liao's brother Duan Lan (段蘭) attacked Liucheng (柳城, in modern Zhaoyang , Liaoning ), and Murong Huang's forces sent to relieve Liucheng suffered a great defeat at Duan forces' hands. Duan Lan wanted to further advance on Jicheng, but Murong Han, fearful that his own tribe would be destroyed, ordered

418-493: The Eastern Jin era names within his domain in 345, instead claiming that they were now in the 12th year of his reign since he first succeeded his father. After Murong Huang's death in 348, his son Murong Jun took the throne. In 349, the Later Zhao descended into civil war between members of the imperial family. Taking advantage of the confusion, Murong Jun began an invasion of the Central Plains , during which he moved

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456-517: The Eastern Jin and claimed the title of emperor in January 353, he was posthumously elevated to imperial status. In the Book of Jin , Murong Huang was described as a strong looking tall man (approximately 1.91 metres). Murong Huang's father Murong Hui had initially been a Xianbei chief who fought Jin forces during the late reign of Emperor Wu of Jin , Jin's founding emperor, but he submitted as

494-650: The Former Qin. During the Jin invasion, Yan had agreed to cede the Luoyang region to Qin for reinforcements, but went back on their promise after repelling the attack. Chui’s defection only further prompted Qin to begin their own conquest of Yan. Despite their numerical advantage, the incompetently-led main Yan force was destroyed by Wang Meng's army at the Battle of Luchuan . Qin forces eventually reached Ye and Murong Wei

532-494: The Murong with manpower, but also introduced them to Central Plains culture and advanced agricultural techniques. As the Jin was driven out of the north, Hui effectively held independent control over his territory, but retained his status as a Jin vassal. Between 317 and 318, the Jin court in Jiankang acknowledged his positions and offered him the title of Duke of Changli. Hui initially rejected his ducal title, but in 321, accepted

570-520: The Prince of Dai , cementing an alliance between the two Xianbei powers. (The two would, however, engage in occasional battles after Princess Murong's death in 342.) He also sent messengers to the Jin capital to formally request from Emperor Cheng the Prince of Yan title—explaining that he needed it to increase his authority over the people but that he was still loyal to Jin. In 341, after several months of debate, Emperor Cheng decided to grant Murong Huang

608-637: The Yuwen tribe south and merged them into Former Yan's own population. Later that year, Murong Huang, still apprehensive of Murong Han's abilities, forced him to commit suicide. In 345, Murong Huang stopped using Jin's era names —which is viewed by some as the sign of Former Yan's formal independence. In October 348, Murong Huang grew ill and died. He was succeeded by his son Murong Jun . Longcheng District Longcheng District ( simplified Chinese : 龙城区 ; traditional Chinese : 龍城區 ; pinyin : Lóngchéng Qū ; lit. 'Dragon City'

646-591: The capital Jicheng (棘城, in modern Jinzhou , Liaoning ) from his defense post of Pingguo (平郭, in modern Yingkou , Liaoning ) and for Murong Zhao to rise within Jicheng to join him, ready to divide the dukedom if they succeeded. Murong Ren soon launched a surprise attack, but scouts by Murong Huang discovered the attack and readied for the attack, so Murong Ren instead captured the cities in the eastern dukedom ( Liaodong Peninsula ). Forces that Murong Huang sent to attack him were repelled, and Murong Ren claimed for himself

684-473: The capital to Jìcheng (薊城; modern day Beijing ) in 350. Soon, the Former Yan went head-to-head with the Ran Wei state, which superseded the Later Zhao, and in 352, the Wei emperor, Ran Min was captured by Murong Jun's brother, Murong Ke at the Battle of Liantai . A few months later, Ran Min's Crown Prince, Ran Zhi , surrendered to Former Yan at Ye . The destruction of Ran Wei established Former Yan as

722-415: The capital to Longcheng . Later that year, Former Yan invaded Goguryeo and sacked the capital Hwando , forcing their king Gogugwon into submission. In 344, they attacked the Yuwen tribe and destroyed their power base, while in 346, they invaded Buyeo and captured their king, Hyeon . As a result of these campaigns, the Former Yan became the sole military power in northeastern China. Huang also abolished

760-414: The city for nearly 20 days, and Later Zhao forces were forced to withdraw; Murong Huang then sent his son Murong Ke to attack the retreating Later Zhao troops, scoring a great victory, and the only Later Zhao force remaining intact was that of Shi Min , Shi Hu's adopted grandson. After Later Zhao's withdrawal, Murong Huang recaptured the cities that had rebelled. He also took over cities formerly ruled by

798-415: The empire to its peak. However, although Ke's regency was marked with political stability and military might, corruption was also beginning to take its toll on the empire. One issue that plagued the empire was the decline of the state's fiscal revenue; after entering the Central Plains, the Yan nobility held large swathes of private land where they amassed commoners and concealed the household population from

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836-553: The issue of succession continued to persist for the Murong even after they established their states. In 337, he took the title of Prince of Yan through the support of his officials. Most historians regard this event as the start of the Former Yan dynasty, with the name "Former Yan" being used to distinguish it between the other Yan states that came after it. In 341, Huang pressured the Jin court into formally recognizing his imperial title, but throughout his reign, he never explicitly declared independence and continued to consider himself as

874-523: The most prestigious due to its status as a major population hub. The Murong, named after their chieftain of the same name, were a Xianbei tribe under Tanshihuai's confederation during the late-2nd century. As the confederation disintegrated, they resettled themselves around the Liaoxi region, where they feuded with the neighbouring Duan and Yuwen tribes. During the Three Kingdoms period, when

912-514: The only domain in northern China still under titular Jin rule, carrying the Jin-bestowed title of the Duke of Liaodong. He entrusted Murong Huang with many important military tasks. These included fighting the powerful fellow Xianbei Yuwen tribe in 320 and 325. In early 322, Murong Hui named Murong Huang heir apparent . However, Murong Hui also greatly favored Murong Huang's brothers Murong Ren, Murong Zhao, and particularly Murong Han , who

950-497: The other title of Duke of Liaodong. Murong Hui died in 333 and was succeeded by his son, Murong Huang . The Murong attempted to establish the Chinese succession rule from father to eldest son of the main wife, but this was in conflict with their traditional practice of lateral succession . Shortly after ascending, Huang's brother, Murong Ren rebelled in eastern Liaodong and split the domain into two. Huang defeated Ren in 336, but

988-597: The princely title. In 340, Murong Han, who had fled to the Yuwen after the Duan were defeated but who had subsequently been mistrusted and mistreated by the Yuwen, agreed to return under Murong Huang's command, and he fled back to Liaodong. Murong Huang gave him a military command. In 341, Murong Huang moved his capital from Jicheng to a newly built city, Longcheng (龍城, in modern Zhaoyang , Liaoning ). In 344, Murong Huang, with Murong Han as his deputy, attacked Yuwen, greatly defeating it and forcing its chief Yuwen Yidougui (宇文逸豆歸) to flee. The Former Yan forces forcibly moved

1026-461: The state to avoid paying taxes. As a result, the imperial treasury was stretched thin, many officials had unpaid salaries and the public grain stores were exhausted. Ke's leadership initially mitigated the issue, but the situation quickly deteriorated after his untimely death in 367. Real power was then passed down to his notoriously corrupt uncle, Murong Ping . While Murong Ke was entrusted with real power, another brother of Murong Jun, Murong Chui ,

1064-477: The strongest of which was the Xiongnu state Han-Zhao . As a result, many refugees arrived in the relatively safe domain of Murong Hui's, and as he treated the ethnically Han refugees with kindness, most chose to stay, greatly strengthening his power, and as Jin forces in the north gradually fell to Han-Zhao's capable general Shi Le (who later established his own independent state Later Zhao ), Murong Hui became

1102-447: The title of Duke of Liaodong, which his father had carried. Murong Huang carried out strict and harsh enforcement of laws and regulations, which unsettled some of his subordinates. His suspicions of Murong Han, Murong Ren, and Murong Zhao also became clear. Murong Han, in fear, fled to the Duan tribe (Dukedom of Liaoxi ) and became a general for the Duan chief Duan Liao (段遼). Murong Ren and Murong Zhao conspired to have Murong Ren attack

1140-700: Was a major attack, came out of the city to fight Murong Huang, who defeated and captured him, forcing him to commit suicide. In November 337, Murong Huang claimed for himself the title of Prince of Yan—a title that Jin had previously considered but declined to confer on his father Murong Hui. This is commonly viewed as the founding of Former Yan, particularly because he also set up a governmental structure mirroring Jin's imperial government, albeit with different office titles intentionally showing inferiority to Jin. That same year, Murong Huang, countering his father's prior policy of having no contact at all with Jin's rival Later Zhao, sent messengers to Later Zhao promising to be

1178-466: Was captured in 370. The destruction of the Former Yan established Former Qin as the main hegemon in the north, beginning their rapid unification of northern China. Despite the Former Yan's demise, Murong Huang's descendants would go on to establish three more states during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. In the wake of the Former Qin's collapse following the Battle of Fei River in 383, the Yan

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1216-720: Was given the office of Commander of the Xianbei. Hui moved his tribe inwards, eventually settling at Jicheng (棘城, in modern Jinzhou , Liaoning ) and making it their capital, where they adopted an agricultural lifestyle and the Jin governing system. In 307, he declared himself Grand Chanyu of the Xianbei. During the upheaval of the Five Barbarians , Murong Hui welcomed many fleeing refugees into his territory and recruited Chinese scholar-officials into his administration, even setting up new commaderies to accommodate them based on their native provinces. The refugees not only provided

1254-404: Was happy about the victory but angry that Murong Huang withdrew before the armies could meet, and he decided to turn his armies against Murong Huang instead. With Later Zhao's massive armies arriving in Former Yan territory, nearly all of the cities submitted to Later Zhao except the capital Jicheng. Murong Huang considered fleeing, but under advice of his general Muyu Gen , he stayed and defended

1292-473: Was killed by Murong Huang. (However, the Duan clan was not wiped out, and many members of the Duan clan later served as generals, officials, and imperial consorts of the Murongs.) From this point on, Former Yan forces would conduct yearly raids against Later Zhao's border region. They would also periodically attack the Yuwen tribe and Goguryeo . Also in 339, Murong Huang married his sister to Tuoba Shiyiqian ,

1330-515: Was regarded very highly as a general. Murong Huang became jealous and suspicious of these brothers, feelings which became known to them and which would sow the seeds of future troubles. On 4 June 333, Murong Hui died. Murong Huang took over his administration under the Jin-bestowed office of General Pingbei (平北將軍) and sent messengers to report his father's death to Emperor Cheng of Jin and request commission official for himself. Soon after, with Jin commission expected but not yet arrived, he claimed

1368-519: Was restored as the Later Yan (384–407/409), founded by Murong Chui, and the Western Yan (384–394), founded by Murong Wei's brother, Murong Hong . The Southern Yan (398–410) was a Murong state founded by a son of Murong Huang, Murong De . Murong Huang Murong Huang ( Chinese : 慕容皝 ; 297 – 25 October 348 ), courtesy name Yuanzhen (元真), also known by his posthumous name as

1406-449: Was still a child when he ascended the throne and was assigned with multiple regents. Before his death, Jun had offered to pass the throne to Murong Ke, but Ke refused and settled with becoming one of his nephew's regents. Still, Ke held considerable power under Murong Wei, and traditional historians regarded him as one of the greatest statesmen and commanders of his period. In 365, he captured the ancient capital, Luoyang from Jin and brought

1444-461: Was viewed with extreme suspicion by the emperor's inner circle throughout Jun and Murong Wei's reigns. In 369, the Eastern Jin commander, Huan Wen , launched an expedition to conquer the Former Yan. As the Yan court was thrown into a panic, Chui volunteered to lead the defense and decisively defeated Huan Wen at the Battle of Fangtou . However, his newfound success made Murong Ping apprehensive of him. After Ping attempted to kill him, Chui defected to

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