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 Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the Western Jin dynasty. The short-lived state of Yan on the Liaodong Peninsula,which lasted from 237 to 238,is sometimes considered as a "4th kingdom".
Sun Jian (155–191?),courtesy name Wentai,was a Chinese military general,politician,and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo,a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power. Although he controlled neither many troops nor much land,Sun Jian's personal bravery and resourcefulness were feared by Dong Zhuo,who placed him among Yuan Shao,Yuan Shu and Liu Biao as the most influential men at that time. After the coalition disbanded in the next year,China fell into civil war. In 191,Sun Jian was killed in battle during an offensive campaign against Liu Biao.
Emperor Xian of Han,personal name Liu Xie (劉協),courtesy name Bohe,was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220.
Dong Zhuo,courtesy name Zhongying,was a Chinese military general,politician,and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han,Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minister of the imperial government. Originally from Liang Province,Dong Zhuo seized control of the imperial capital Luoyang in 189 when it entered a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling of Han and a massacre of the eunuch faction by the court officials led by General-in-Chief He Jin.
Yuan Shao,courtesy name Benchu (本初),was a Chinese military general,politician,and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred towards the end of the Han dynasty. He was also an elder half-brother of Yuan Shu,a warlord who controlled the Huai River region,though the two were not on good terms with each other.
Yuan Shu,courtesy name Gonglu,was a Chinese military general,politician,and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189. He declared himself Emperor of China in 197 under the short-lived Zhong dynasty,two years before his death in 199.
He Jin,courtesy name Suigao,was a Chinese military general and politician. He was the military Grand Marshal and regent of the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was an elder half-brother of Empress He,and a maternal uncle of Emperor Shao. In 189,he and his sister shared power as regents when the young Emperor Shao was put on the throne following Emperor Ling's death. During the time,the conflict between He Jin and the influential eunuch faction intensified. The eunuch faction lured He Jin into a trap in the imperial palace and assassinated him. While He Jin's subordinates,led by the warlord Yuan Shao,slaughtered the eunuch faction in revenge,the warlord Dong Zhuo took advantage of the power vacuum to enter the imperial capital Luoyang and seize control of the Han central government. Dong Zhuo's seizure of control and the subsequent breakdown of central command that followed brought forth the beginning of massive civil wars that lasted for nearly a century,during which time the Han dynasty came to an end and the Three Kingdoms period began in its place.
Li Su was a Chinese military officer serving under the warlords Dong Zhuo and LüBu during the Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Wang Yun,courtesy name Zishi,was a Chinese politician and official who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He served in the Han government through the reigns of three emperors –Emperor Ling,Emperor Shao and Emperor Xian. The highest offices he served in were Manager of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing and Minister over the Masses in the early reign of Emperor Xian. In 192,with help from the general LüBu and others,he plotted a successful coup in Chang'an against Dong Zhuo,a tyrannical warlord and regent who controlled the Han central government,and assassinated him. However,later that year,Dong Zhuo's followers staged a counter-coup and seized back control of the central government in Chang'an. Wang Yun,along with his family members,was captured and executed.
Bao Xin (152–192) was a Chinese military general,politician,and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
The end of the Han dynasty was the period of Chinese history from 189 to 220 CE,roughly coinciding with the tumultuous reign of the Han dynasty's last ruler,Emperor Xian. During this period,the country was thrown into turmoil by the Yellow Turban Rebellion (184–205). Meanwhile,the Han Empire's institutions were destroyed by the warlord Dong Zhuo and fractured into regional regimes ruled by various warlords,some of whom were nobles and officials of the Han imperial court. One of those warlords,Cao Cao,was gradually reunifying the empire,ostensibly under Emperor Xian's rule;the Emperor and his court were actually controlled by Cao Cao himself,who was opposed by other warlords.
Qiao Mao,courtesy name Yuanwei,was an official and minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In 190,he joined a coalition of warlords who launched a campaign against Dong Zhuo,a tyrannical warlord who controlled the Han central government and held Emperor Xian hostage. Later that year,he was killed after getting into a dispute with Liu Dai,one of the other warlords.
Wang Kuang,courtesy name Gongjie,was a government official and minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Chen Lin,courtesy name Kongzhang (孔璋),was an official,scholar and poet who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an". He later served as Military Advisor to Cao Cao.
The Campaign against Dong Zhuo was a punitive expedition initiated by a coalition of regional officials and warlords against the warlord Dong Zhuo in 190 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. The members of the coalition claimed that Dong had the intention of usurping the throne by holding Emperor Xian hostage and by establishing a strong influence in the imperial court. They justified their campaign as to remove Dong from power. The campaign led to the evacuation of the capital Luoyang and the shifting of the imperial court to Chang'an. It was a prelude to the end of the Han dynasty and,subsequently,the Three Kingdoms period.
He Yong (d.c.191-192),courtesy name Boqiu,was an official and scholar who lived in the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was born in Nanyang and went to the Imperial University in Luoyang where he became known for being a well-connected talent spotter. Exiled to Runan during the Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions incidents in 169 until 184,he would then serve the Han court. Plotting against Dong Zhuo,he would be arrested on a separate matter and took his own life.
The Battle of Xingyang was a battle fought in 190 in the late Eastern Han dynasty as part of the campaign against Dong Zhuo. It took place when Dong Zhuo's retreating forces,led by Xu Rong,encountered the pursuing armies of Cao Cao at Xingyang. The battle ended in a victory for Dong Zhuo's forces,with Cao Cao being forced to retreat.
Zhang Wen,courtesy name Boshen,was a Chinese official and military general of the Eastern Han dynasty. Zhang held prime ministerial office during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han,serving as Grand Excellency of Works from 184 to 185 and Grand Commandant from 186 to 187. Zhang oversaw the dynasty's military response to the Liang Province Rebellion from 185 to 186,supervising the future warlords Dong Zhuo and Sun Jian. After Dong seized control of the Eastern Han court in 189 and relocated it from Luoyang to Chang'an,Zhang continued to serve in ministerial office while conspiring against Dong. He was executed in November 191 at Dong's order.
Zhang Yang,courtesy name Zhishu,was a Chinese politician and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Originally from Yunzhong Commandery in the north,he eventually became the de facto ruler of Henei Commandery. A brave and lenient man,Zhang Yang would provide refuge for Emperor Xian of Han and be involved in court politics,eventually attaining the rank of Grand Marshal (大司馬). Seeking to help an old friend,he would be assassinated by a subordinate.
The Battle of Chang'an,also known as the Sack of Chang'an,took place in the western Chinese imperial capital city of Chang'an on 28 June 192,at the end of the Han Dynasty,the prelude of the Three Kingdoms.
