Emperor Fei of Jin
| Emperor Fei of Jin Eastern Jin | |
|---|---|
| Father | Emperor Cheng |
| Mother | Lady Zhou |
Emperor Fei of Jin (
Early life
Sima Yi was born in 342, to
In Sima Yi's youth, he went through a progression of official ranks. While he was still the Prince of Donghai, he married Yu Bing's daughter
Reign
Even though Emperor Fei was an adult, he did not have actual power, as not only were governmental matters largely in the hands of his granduncle Sima Yu the Prince of Kuaiji, but Sima Yu himself was not fully able to make decisions, as the paramount general Huan Wen imposed many of his own decisions on the imperial government, which had no choice but to accept.
Immediately after Emperor Fei took the throne, the important city Luoyang (which had served as Jin's capital early in the dynasty's history) fell to Former Yan, because Emperor Ai's death prevented a relief force from being dispatched.
Late in 365, the general Sima Xun, the governor of Liang Province (梁州, modern southern Shaanxi) rebelled, but he was defeated, captured, and executed in summer 366.
On 5 July 366, Empress Yu died. Emperor Fei would not have another empress for the rest of his reign.[5]
In 369, Huan launched a major attack against Former Yan, advancing all the way to the vicinity of Former Yan's capital
Huan, who had ambitions of usurpation and had intended to show off his power through conquering Former Yan until the campaign's failure, decided that he would show off his power in another way. He plotted with his confidant
After removal
Huan Wen, however, wanted to further reduce the former emperor's rank, and he proposed that the prince be reduced to commoner status. Empress Dowager Chu resisted, and only reduced his rank to Duke of Haixi. Huan, apprehensive that the former emperor may try to return to the throne, had him exiled to Wu (吳縣, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu) and put under heavy guard.
In winter 372, the
In exile, the former emperor constantly feared death, so he spent his time indulging drinking, music, and women, to show to Huan that he had no desire for political actions. Whenever his concubines bore children, he would not dare to nurture them, but instead strangled them (so that he would not prove Huan wrong). As this became evident, Huan began to relax the restrictions against him. He died in 386 and was buried in Wu. His wife, Empress Yu, was disinterred to be reburied with him.
Era names
- Taihe (太和, tài hé): 28 January 366[13] – 6 January 372
Family
Consorts and Issue:
- Empress Xiao, of the Yu clan of Yingchuan (孝皇后 潁川庾氏; d. 366), first cousin once removed, personal name Daolian (道憐)
- Meiren, of the Tian clan (美人 田氏; d. 372)
- Unnamed son (d. 372)
- Unnamed son (d. 372)
- Meiren, of the Meng clan (美人 孟氏; d. 372)
- Unnamed son (d. 372)
Ancestry
| Sima Jin (256–290) | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Mingmu (297–328) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lady Guanqiu | |||||||||||||||||||
| Emperor Fei of Jin (342–386) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lady Zhou (d. 363) | |||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ dingyou day of the 2nd month of the 3rd year of the Xing'ning era
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 101.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 103.
- ^ jiyou day of the 11th month of the 6th year of the Tai'he era
- ^ a b c Book of Jin, vol. 8.
- ^ jiashen day of the 10th month of the 11th year of the Tai'yuan era
- ^ jihai day of the 6th month of the 8th year of the Xian'kang era, per Emperor Kang's biography in Book of Jin
- ^ This marriage likely took place after Yu Bing's death, as Sima Yi was two years old when Yu Bing died in December 344.
- ^ 5th year of the Sheng'ping era
- ^ dingsi day of the 5th month, per Emperor Ai's biography in Book of Jin
- ^ gengshen day of the 5th month, per Emperor Ai's biography in Book of Jin
- ^ renxu day of the 5th month, per Emperor Ai's biography in Book of Jin
- ^ 1st day of the 1st month of the 1st year of the Tai'he era
- Book of Jin, vol. 8.
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 97, 101, 102, 103, 106.
