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32-622: Sima Dewen was the second son of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin and his concubine Consort Chen Guinü in 386, born four years after Consort Chen had given birth to their oldest son, Sima Dezong . Contrary to his older brother who was described as so developmentally disabled that he was unable to speak, clothe himself, or express whether he was hungry or full, Sima Dewen was described as an intelligent child. From childhood, he became accustomed to care for his brother, especially after their mother's death in 390. Their father did not have any other sons. Despite Sima Dezong's severe up developmental disability, he

64-532: A Buddhist study hall inside his palace, inviting monks to live within. In 383, Huan Chong made a counterattack against Former Qin, hoping to recapture Xiangyang and the southwest. However, after initial losses, Huan abandoned the campaign. In November 383, Former Qin's emperor, Fu Jiān , launched a major attack against Jin, intending to destroy it and unite China. At the Battle of Fei River, however, his forces panicked after trying to retreat to draw Jin forces across

96-879: A blanket to cover his head and asphyxiated him. He was buried with imperial honors. As for the title of "Prince of Lingling", it remained in the Sima clan until it was abolished by Emperor Wu of Liang in April 502, when he ascended the throne. The last known Prince of Lingling was Sima Yaoshi (司马药师), who died on 30 March 490. Consorts and Issue: Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Emperor Xiaowu of Jin ( simplified Chinese : 晋孝武帝 ; traditional Chinese : 晉孝武帝 ; pinyin : Jìn Xiàowǔ Dì ; Wade–Giles : Chin Hsiao-wu-ti ; 362 – 6 November 396 ), personal name Sima Yao ( 司馬曜 ), courtesy name Changming ( 昌明 ),

128-461: A mission in Luoyang , recently captured from Later Qin, to try to restore the imperial tombs of the early Jin emperors, but it is not known what came of the mission. He returned to Jiankang in 418 after Liu Yu destroyed Later Qin. Late that year, Liu Yu, intending to seize the throne and believing a prophecy stating, "There will be two more emperors after Changming" ( Changming , which meant "dawn,"

160-460: The Duke of Shiyang (石阳县公), but kept them close to him to watch them. In 404, however, a rebellion by the general Liu Yu quickly led to Huan Xuan's destruction and Emperor An's restoration. When, however, later that year Emperor An and Sima Dewen fell into the hands of Huan Xuan's nephew Huan Zhen ( 桓振 ), Huan Zhen considered executing Emperor An to avenge Huan Xuan's young son Huan Sheng ( 桓昇 ), who

192-477: The Prince of Lingling and built a palace for him near Jiankang. He had the general Liu Zunkao ( 劉遵考 ), a distant cousin, lead a group of guards, ostensibly to protect the prince but instead to keep him under watch. Soon, Liu Yu, still believing Sima Dewen to be a threat, sent Sima Dewen's former attendant Zhang Wei ( 張偉 ) a bottle of poisoned wine, ordering him to poison Sima Dewen. Zhang, not wanting to carry out

224-622: The attendants and claimed that the emperor died suddenly in his sleep. The death was not investigated and the next day, Sima Dezong assumed the throne as Emperor An, with Sima Daozi as regent . Consorts and Issue: Shouyang Shouyang County ( simplified Chinese : 寿阳县 ; traditional Chinese : 壽陽縣 ; pinyin : Shòuyáng Xiàn ) is a county in Jinzhong , Shanxi province, China. 37°53′28″N 113°10′27″E  /  37.89111°N 113.17417°E  / 37.89111; 113.17417 This Shanxi location article

256-430: The conflict between Emperor Xiaowu and Sima had flared into the open, but because of the intercession of Empress Dowager Li, Emperor Xiaowu did not remove his brother. After further mediation by Xu Miao ( 徐邈 ), the relationship between the brothers seemed to be restored. By 396, Emperor Xiaowu was spending so much of his time on drinking and women that he was not tending to important matters of state. His favorite consort

288-483: The courtesy name Changming, both meaning "dawn". A year later she gave birth to his brother, Sima Daozi . As the oldest surviving son of Sima Yu, Sima Yao was designated as the heir apparent early in his life, and in 365, when he was just three years old, Emperor Fei offered the greater title of Prince of Langya to his father and the title of Prince of Kuaiji to him. Sima Yu declined, both personally and on his son's behalf, and Emperor Fei did not insist on them taking on

320-532: The decisions were still largely being made by Xie. In 376, the Jin vassal, Former Liang , was attacked by Former Qin. Jin forces, under Huan Chong's command, attempted to relieve the pressure on Former Liang by attacking Former Qin, but Former Liang fell quickly and Huan Chong withdrew his forces. In apprehension of a Former Qin attack, Jin evacuated much of its population north of the Huai River to regions south of

352-649: The fact that Sima was developmentally disabled —so severely that even after he grew older, he was described as not being able to talk, dress himself, or to tell whether he was full or hungry while eating. In 390, Emperor Xiaowu began to tire of how his brother, Sima Daozi, was taking his favors for granted, and he decided to look for counterbalancing forces. He made the officials Wang Gong (王恭, Empress Wang's brother) and Yin Zhongkan ( 殷仲堪 ) key regional governors, despite warnings that both Wang and Yin were talented but narrow-minded, and might create issues later. By 395,

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384-437: The fears of a Huan usurpation dissipated as his brother and successor, Huan Chong , was committed to the survival of the imperial government. A major issue for the Jin government was the continued military pressure exerted by the powerful northern rival, Former Qin . In 373, Former Qin attacked and seized Jin's Liang (梁州, modern southern Shaanxi ) and Yi (益州, modern Sichuan and Chongqing ) provinces. Internally, however, Jin

416-574: The greater titles. In 371, having lost a devastating battle to the Former Yan general Murong Chui in 369, the paramount general Huan Wen accused Emperor Fei of impotence and of not being the biological father of his sons. He then deposed him and made Sima Yu the new emperor (as Emperor Jianwen), although actual power was in Huan's hands. In 372, Emperor Jianwen grew ill and he named Sima Yao crown prince on 12 September but in his will, he offered

448-496: The instigation of Wang Biaozhi ( 王彪之 ), Crown Prince Yao took the throne as Emperor Xiaowu. The new emperor was only 10 years old. Therefore, his cousin Empress Dowager Chu ( Emperor Kang 's wife and niece of Xie Shang ) served as regent , but the decisions were actually being made by Xie An and Wang Tanzhi; Huan Wen, apparently fearful of being entrapped, declined an offer to be regent. In 373, Huan Wen died and

480-540: The material herself. Assassins whom Liu Yu sent initially could find no chance to kill the former emperor. In fall 421, Liu Yu sent Chu Danzhi and his brother Chu Yuzhi ( 褚裕之 ) to visit their sister. As Princess Chu came out to meet her brothers in a different house, soldiers sent by Liu Yu intruded into Sima Dewen's house and ordered him to take poison. He refused, stating that Buddhist doctrines prohibit suicide and that those who commit suicide could not be reborn as humans in their next lives. The assassins therefore used

512-469: The opportunity to kill Emperor An. Liu Yu then declared Sima Dewen emperor, as Emperor Gong. Emperor Gong's reign was a brief and powerless one. He created his wife Princess Chu empress in spring 419. He also promoted Liu Yu, then carrying the title Duke of Song, to the Prince of Song, which Liu Yu initially declined but accepted in fall 419. In spring 420, Liu Yu, then at Shouyang sent his assistant Fu Liang to Jiankang to pressure Emperor Gong to yield

544-455: The order, drank the wine himself and died. Meanwhile, however, in order to prevent any likelihood that Sima Dewen would have a male heir, Liu Yu ordered Princess Chu's brothers Chu Xiuzhi ( 褚秀之 ) and Chu Danzhi ( 褚淡之 ) to poison any male children whom Princess Chu or Sima Dewen's concubines would bear. Sima Dewen himself feared death greatly, and he and Princess Chu remained in the same house, cooking their own meals, with Princess Chu paying for

576-401: The regent Sima Daozi the Prince of Kuaiji, and later in the hands of Sima Daozi's son Sima Yuanxian . The situation continued after Sima Yuanxian was overthrown by the warlord Huan Xuan in 402. In 403, Huan Xuan forced Emperor An to yield the throne to him, temporarily ending Jin. Huan Xuan established a new state of Chu, and he created Emperor An the Prince of Pinggu (平固王) and Sima Dewen

608-566: The river, and his army was routed with great losses, including his brother and prime minister, Fu Rong . Former Qin began to collapse after this defeat and never again posed a threat to Jin. After defeating Former Qin forces, Xie Xuan spearheaded a campaign to regain lost territory, and Jin captured most of the Former Qin provinces south of the Yellow River , as well as regaining Liang and Yi provinces. However, Prime Minister Xie An, who

640-496: The river. In 378, Former Qin made major attacks against the important Jin cities of Xiangyang , Weixing (魏興, in modern Ankang , Shaanxi ), and Pengcheng . While general Xie Xuan was able to immediately recapture Pengcheng after it fell, Xiangyang and Weixing were taken by Former Qin forces in 379. On 24 October 380, Empress Wang died. Emperor Xiaowu did not have another empress for the rest of his life. In 381, Emperor Xiaowu began to study Buddhist sutras and he established

672-399: The throne to Huan, if he wanted it. When his official Wang Tanzhi ( 王坦之 ) objected, Emperor Jianwen gave approval for an amendment, written by Wang, wherein Huan was only compared to the statesmen Zhuge Liang and Wang Dao . Nevertheless, when Emperor Jianwen died, many officials were apprehensive of Huan, and not immediately willing to declare Crown Prince Yao as the new emperor. Finally, at

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704-476: The throne. Sometime during Emperor An's reign, Sima Dewen married his wife, Chu Lingyuan , who was from an aristocratic family. She had two daughters, Sima Maoying , later created the Princess Haiyan, and the later Princess Fuyang. Throughout Emperor An's early reign, Sima Dewen received increasingly honorific offices, but had little actual power, as the power was initially in the hands of his uncle,

736-464: The throne. Emperor Gong responded by summoning Liu Yu back to the capital in summer 419, and Fu then offered him a draft of an abdication edict, requesting that he write it personally. Sima Dewen did so, and then left the palace and went to his old house while he was Prince of Langya. Three days later, Liu Yu took the throne and established the Liu Song dynasty , ending Jin. Liu Yu created Sima Dewen

768-484: The years went by, Liu Yu gradually concentrated more and more power in his hands, destroying rivals including Liu Yi ( 劉毅 ), Zhuge Zhangmin ( 諸葛長民 ), and Sima Xiuzhi ( 司馬休之 ), while greatly showing his strength in campaigns destroying rival states Southern Yan , Western Shu , and Later Qin . Sima Dewen continued to be largely ceremonially honored but actually powerless during this period. In 416, during Liu Yu's campaign against Later Qin, Sima Dewen asked to undertake

800-576: Was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China . During his reign, Jin saw his dynasty survive a major attempt by Former Qin to destroy it, but he would nevertheless be the last Jin emperor to actually exercise imperial power, as his sons Emperor An and Emperor Gong would be controlled by regents and warlords. Emperor Xiaowu died an unusual death—he was killed by his concubine Honoured Lady Zhang after he insulted her. Sima Yao

832-459: Was apparently well-governed by Xie and Huan Chong. On 1 October 375, Emperor Xiaowu married Wang Fahui (the daughter of the official, Wang Yun ( 王蘊 )) as his empress. He was 13 and she was 15. He also started studying the Chinese classic texts and writing poetry. In 376, Empress Dowager Chu officially removed herself from the regent position and returned her powers to Emperor Xiaowu, although

864-434: Was born in 362, when his father Sima Yu was Prince of Kuaiji and prime minister for his grandnephew, Emperor Ai . Sima Yao's mother, Li Lingrong , was originally a servant involved in textile production but, based on a magician's words that she would bear his heir (his sons all having died early by that point), Sima Yu took her as his concubine and she gave birth to Sima Yao. As he was born at dawn, she named him Yao, with

896-528: Was killed by the rebels. It took great pleading on Sima Dewen's part, explaining that neither he nor Emperor An had had anything to do with Huan Sheng's death, for Huan Zhen to spare Emperor An. In early 405, Huan Zhen was defeated, and Emperor An and Sima Dewen returned to the capital Jiankang , but by this point power was in Liu Yu's hands, albeit in a power-sharing agreement with a number of allies whom he had had to recruit in his campaign against Huan Xuan. As

928-496: Was made crown prince in 387 at the age of five by Emperor Xiaowu. On 27 Dec 392, Emperor Xiaowu bestowed upon Sima Dewen the title of "Prince of Langye" – the second most prestigious title for a prince after "Crown Prince". In 396, Emperor Xiaowu was strangled by his favorite concubine Honoured Lady Zhang after making an offensive remark about her age, and in 397 Sima Dezong succeeded the throne as Emperor An of Jin . Sima Dewen continued to care for his brother after his ascension to

960-680: Was most credited with the victory, began to lose favor in Emperor Xiaowu's eyes; Xie's son-in-law, Wang Guobao ( 王國寶 ), unhappy that Xie did not give him important posts, began to flatter both Emperor Xiaowu and his brother, Sima Daozi, the Prince of Kuaiji, as a means of undercutting Xie. Xie remained prime minister, however, until his death in 385; he was replaced by Sima Daozi. Both Emperor Xiaowu and Sima became obsessed with feasting and drinking, and neither spent much time on affairs of state. In 387, Emperor Xiaowu named his oldest son, five-year-old Sima Dezong , crown prince, notwithstanding

992-464: Was the courtesy name of Emperor Xiaowu), became intent on killing Emperor An and replacing him with Sima Dewen. However, because Sima Dewen continuously attended to his brother, assassins whom Liu Yu sent to poison Emperor An did not have the opportunity to do so. However, around the new year 419, Sima Dewen was ill and had to be at his own house, and Liu Yu's assassin Wang Shaozhi ( 王韶之 ) took

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1024-426: Was the beautiful Honoured Lady Zhang . On 6 November 396, when she was almost 30 years old, Emperor joked at a feast saying, "Based on your age, you should yield your position. I want someone younger." That night, after Emperor Xiaowu fell drunk, she ordered all the eunuchs away, bribing them with wine, and then ordered her servant girls to suffocate Emperor Xiaowu by putting a blanket over his face. She further bribed

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