前秦景明帝"},"title":{"wt":"Emperor of [[Former Qin]]"},"full name":{"wt":"Fú Jiàn (苻健)"},"birth_name":{"wt":"Pú Jiàn (蒲健)"},"birth_date":{"wt":"317"},"death_date":{"wt":"{{death year and age|355|317}}"},"father":{"wt":"[[Fu Hong]]"},"succession":{"wt":"Ruler of [[Former Qin]]"},"reign":{"wt":"4 March 351 – 355"},"coronation":{"wt":"4 March 351 ([[Tian Wang|Heavenly King]])
2 February 352 (Emperor)"},"predecessor":{"wt":"[[Fu Hong]]"},"successor":{"wt":"[[Fu Sheng (Former Qin)|Fu Sheng]]"},"regnal name":{"wt":"Commander in charge of military affairs in [[Guanzhong]], Grand General, Grand [[Chanyu]], [[Heavenly King]] of Great Qin (都督關中諸軍事 大將軍 大單于 大秦天王, 351–352)
Emperor (since 352)"},"temple name":{"wt":"Gaozu (高祖)"},"posthumous name":{"wt":"Emperor Jingming (景明皇帝)"},"era name":{"wt":"Huángshǐ (皇始)"},"era dates":{"wt":"351–355"},"spouse":{"wt":"[[Empress Qiang]]"},"issue":{"wt":"[[Fu Sheng (Former Qin)|Fu Sheng]]"},"house":{"wt":"Fu (Pu)"},"dynasty":{"wt":"[[Former Qin]]"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwBA">Emperor of Former Qin
Emperor Jingming of Former Qin 前秦景明帝 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Emperor of Former Qin | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ruler of Former Qin | |||||||||||||||||||||
Reign | 4 March 351 – 355 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coronation | 4 March 351 (Heavenly King) 2 February 352 (Emperor) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Predecessor | Fu Hong | ||||||||||||||||||||
Successor | Fu Sheng | ||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Pú Jiàn (蒲健) 317 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 355 (aged 37–38) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Empress Qiang | ||||||||||||||||||||
Issue | Fu Sheng | ||||||||||||||||||||
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House | Fu (Pu) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dynasty | Former Qin | ||||||||||||||||||||
Father | Fu Hong |
Fu Jian (Chinese :苻健; 317–355), originally named Pu Jian (蒲健, name changed 350), courtesy name Jianye (建業), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Jingming of Former Qin (前秦景明帝), was the founding emperor of the Di-led Chinese Former Qin dynasty. [1]
Pú Jiàn was born, as Pu Hong (蒲洪)'s third son, by Lady Jiang, in 317, while Pu Hong was a Di chieftain under Han-Zhao. However, he grew up largely during the time when Pu Hong served under Later Zhao's emperor Shi Hu. Shi Hu, while outwardly appreciative of Pu Hong's service, was deeply apprehensive of the loyalty Pu's Di soldiers had for him, and so secretly killed Pu Hong's two oldest sons. However, impressed with Pú Jiàn's bravery, archery, horsemanship, and generosity, Shi Hu favored him greatly and spared him.
In 349, as Shi Hu was gravely ill, he commissioned Pu Hong to be the governor of Yong Province (雍州, modern central and northern Shaanxi). However, it appeared that Pu Hong did not immediately proceed to his post, but was slow in preparing his Di troops for assignment while at his base at Fangtou (枋頭, in modern Hebi, Henan).
After Shi Hu died later that year, he was succeeded by his youngest son Shi Shi, but the power was actually in the hands of Shi Shi's mother Empress Dowager Liu and her ally Zhang Chai. Dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Liu and Zhang, Pu, along with several other generals, persuaded another son of Shi Hu, Shi Zun the Prince of Pengcheng to march on to the capital Yecheng, overthrowing Shi Shi. Shi Zun became emperor, but he was apprehensive of Pu Hong taking over the Guanzhong region, and therefore stripped Pu Hong of his title as governor of Yong Province. Pu Hong became angry, and immediately returned to his troops at Fangtou and sought assistance from Jin. Pú Jiàn appeared to have been with his father during this time and supportive of his ambitions.
Later in the year, Shi Zun was overthrown by his adoptive nephew Shi Min, who supported another son of Shi Hu, Shi Jian the Prince of Yiyang, as the new emperor. As the turmoil continued, the Di and Qiang whom Shi Hu had previously forced to move to eastern China began to disregard Later Zhao's laws and seek to return to their ancestral homes in the west. They supported Pu Hong as their leader. In 350, when Shi Min issued an order for the slaughter of the non-Han, but particularly the Jie and the Xiongnu, and began to show intent to take over the empire, Pu Hong was one of the generals who resisted Shi Min. Later in the year, Jin created him the Duke of Guangchuan, and created Pu Jiàn the Duke of Xiangguo. However, Pu Hong did not hold on to the Jin-created titles for long, and soon declared himself the Prince of Sanqin (i.e., the prince of the Three Qins) and the Grand Chanyu, and changed his family name from Pu to Fu, in response to a prophecy. He intended to march west to occupy the Guanzhong region; however, as he was planning, he was poisoned to death by his general Ma Qiu; on his death-bed, Fu Hong ordered Fu Jian to take over the Guanzhong region. Fu Jian, as his father's heir apparent, took over his troops and put Ma to death. He discarded the titles that his father had claimed, and again claimed the Jin-created titles.
Later that year, Fu Jian readied for a campaign west, but did not want to let the general Du Hong (杜洪), who occupied Guanzhong's main city Chang'an, know his intention, so he pretended to be ready to permanently settle at Fangtou. Once Du became relaxed, Fu marched west, dividing his army into two groups, one commanded by his brother Fu Xiong (苻雄) and himself, and one commanded by his nephew Fu Qing (苻菁) and Yu Zun (魚遵). Both armies advanced west quickly, and in winter 350, Chang'an fell to Fu Jian's forces.
In spring 351, Fu Jian's advisor Jia Xuanshuo (賈玄碩) suggested that Fu Jian claim the title the Prince of Qin and request Jin to grant him that title. Fu Jian was displeased, because he was ready to declare independence from Jin. He soon declared himself the "Heavenly King" ( Tian Wang ), formally breaking from Jin (and Later Zhao) and establishing Former Qin.
As the ruler of Former Qin, Fu Jian appeared to be a diligent and thrifty ruler, and he abolished many of the harsh Later Zhao laws and invited able people to join his administration, but he was also violent and easily offended. For example, later in 351, he became increasingly angry that Jia had initially only suggested that he claim a princely title and not an imperial title, and he falsely accused Jia of conspiring with Jin's general Sima Xun and put Jia and his sons to death.
In 352, Fu Jian proclaimed himself Emperor. He continued to engage both former Later Zhao generals who controlled small fiefdoms and Former Yan and Jin forces, as the three states settled their borders by force in the aftermaths of Later Zhao's final destruction in 351 and the subsequent fall of Ran Min (formerly known as Shi Min) to Former Yan in 352. In 353, Fu Xiong and Fu Qing also repelled an attack by the nominal Jin vassal Former Liang.
In 354, the Jin general Huan Wen launched a major attack on Former Qin, in coordination with Former Liang forces. Fu Jian gathered all of his available forces and put them in the hands of his sons Fu Chang (苻萇) the Crown Prince, Fu Sheng the Prince of Huainan, Fu Shuo the Prince of Beiping, along with Fu Xiong and Fu Qing, ready to resist Huan. Huan, however, was able to advance all the way to Chang'an's vicinity, defeating all Former Qin resistance on the way. However, Huan hesitated at making a final siege against Chang'an, and as Fu Jian, anticipating the Jin attack, had already harvested all of the wheat, Jin forces began to run out of food supplies and was forced to withdraw in late summer 354.
The success against Huan came at a price, however, as Fu Jian's crown prince Fu Chang suffered an arrow wound in the campaign against Huan, and died in winter 354. Fu Jiàn's wife Empress Qiang wanted to create their youngest son Fu Liu (苻柳) the Prince of Jin crown prince, but Fu Jiàn, believing in a prophecy that appeared to indicate that he should create Fu Sheng crown prince, did so in 355—notwithstanding Fu Sheng's violent and capricious nature.
In summer 355, Fu Jian grew ill. During his illness, his nephew Fu Qing the Prince of Pingchang, believing that Fu Jian had already died, made a surprise attack on Fu Sheng's palace, intending to kill Fu Sheng and take over as emperor. Fu Jian, in his illness, quickly emerged and showed himself to the guards; as soon as Fu Qing's army saw Fu Jian as well, the soldiers panicked and abandoned Fu Qing. Fu Jian executed Fu Qing but no one else. He died five days later, leaving his new empire in the hands of his unstable son.
Qin, known as the Former Qin and Fu Qin (苻秦) in historiography, was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Fu (Pu) clan of the Di peoples during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Founded in the wake of the Later Zhao dynasty's collapse in 351, it completed the unification of northern China in 376 during the reign of Fu Jiān, being the only state of the Sixteen Kingdoms to achieve so. Its capital was Chang'an up to Fu Jiān's death in 385. The adjectival prefix "former" is used to distinguish it from the "Later Qin dynasty" (384–417).
Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350, known in historiography as the Later Zhao or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Later Zhao was the second in territorial size to the Former Qin dynasty that once unified northern China under Fu Jian.
Wang Meng, courtesy name Jinglüe (景略), formally Marquess Wu of Qinghe (清河武侯), was a chancellor of the Former Qin dynasty of China. He served under the Emperor Xuanzhao in the fourth century. Under his governance, the Former Qin expanded from encompassing only most of Shaanxi, eastern Gansu, and extreme western Shanxi and Henan, to covering nearly all of then-Chinese territory north of the Huai River and the southwest. He is commonly regarded as one of the greatest statesmen in Chinese history. Wang Meng is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu by Jin Guliang.
The Di (Chinese: 氐; pinyin: Dī; Wade–Giles: Ti1; < Eastern Han Chinese *tei < Old Chinese (B-S): *tˤij) were an ancient ethnic group that lived in western China, and are best known as one of the non-Han Chinese peoples known as the Five Barbarians that seized power in northern China during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. This ethnic group should not be confused with the earlier Dí (狄), which refers to unrelated nomadic peoples in northern China during the earlier Zhou dynasty. The Di are thought to have been of proto-Tibetan origin, though there is a widespread belief among Chinese scholars that the Di spoke a Turkic language. The Ba-Di (巴氐) were a branch of the Di that intermixed with another ethnic group known as the Cong people (賨).
Shi Hu, courtesy name Jilong (季龍), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wu of Later Zhao (後趙武帝), was an emperor of the Jie-led Chinese Later Zhao dynasty. He was the founding emperor Shi Le 's distant nephew and adoptive brother, who took power in a coup after Shi Le's death from Shi Le's heir Shi Hong. Due to Tang dynasty naming taboo, he is referred to as Shi Jilong (石季龍) in the Book of Jin.
Shi Zun was briefly an emperor of the Jie-led Chinese Later Zhao dynasty. He was the second of four short-lived emperors after the death of his father Shi Hu. He is sometimes referred to by his title prior to becoming emperor, Prince of Pengcheng (彭城王).
Shi Jian was briefly an emperor of the Jie-led Later Zhao dynasty of China. He was the third of four short-lived Later Zhao emperors after the death of his father Shi Hu. He is sometimes referred to by his title prior to becoming emperor, Prince of Yiyang (義陽王). Arguably, it was his machinations with his powerful adoptive nephew Shi Min against his brother Shi Zun that finally led to Later Zhao's downfall.
Shi Zhi was the final emperor of the Jie-led Chinese Later Zhao dynasty. He was the last of four short-lived emperors after the death of his father Shi Hu. Shi Zhi reigned briefly for about a year. He is sometimes referred to by his title prior to becoming emperor, Prince of Xinxing (新興王).
Empress Qiang, formally Empress Mingde, was an empress of the Di-led Former Qin dynasty of China. Her husband was Former Qin's founding emperor, Fu Jiàn.
Fu Sheng, originally named Pu Sheng (蒲生), courtesy name Changsheng (長生), also known by his posthumous name as the Prince Li of Yue (越厲王), was the second emperor of the Di-led Former Qin dynasty of China. He was the son of Former Qin's founding emperor Fu Jiàn, and was a violent, arbitrary, and cruel ruler, and after ruling for only two years was overthrown by his cousin Fu Jiān in a coup and executed, and therefore was not posthumously recognized as an emperor during the remainder of the Former Qin's rule.
Fu Jian, courtesy name Yonggu (永固) or Wenyu (文玉), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Xuanzhao of Former Qin (前秦宣昭帝), was the third monarch of the Di-led Chinese Former Qin dynasty, ruling as Heavenly King. Under his reign, the Former Qin unified Northern China by conquering the Former Yan, Chouchi, Former Liang, and Dai, as well as the Eastern Jin's Yi Province, until he was repelled at the Battle of Fei River in 383. Following this defeat, the Former Qin state disintegrated and Fu was assassinated in 385 by Yao Chang, his former subordinate who then founded the Later Qin dynasty. He was considered by traditional histories to be a virtuous and just ruler, who, ironically, by sparing too many of his enemies after defeating them, led to his own downfall.
Murong Wei, courtesy name Jingmao (景茂), also known by his Southern Yan-accorded posthumous name as the Emperor You of Former Yan (前燕幽帝), was the last emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Former Yan dynasty. He became emperor at age 10 and, late in his reign, with powers in the hands of his mother Empress Dowager Kezuhun and his incompetent and corrupt granduncle Murong Ping, was captured by Former Qin's prime minister Wang Meng in 370, ending Former Yan. Later, during the middle of Former Qin's collapse after its defeat at the Battle of Fei River in 383, he tried to join his brother Murong Chong in rebellion and was executed by the Emperor Xuanzhao of Former Qin in early 385.
Yao Chang, courtesy name Jingmao (景茂), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wuzhao of Later Qin (後秦武昭帝), was the founding emperor of the Qiang-led Chinese Later Qin dynasty. His father Yao Yizhong had been a powerful general and Qiang chieftain under the Later Zhao emperor Shi Hu, but after Later Zhao's collapse after Shi Hu's death, Yao Chang's older brother Yao Xiang tried to start an independent state but was defeated and killed by Former Qin forces. Yao Chang became a Former Qin general, but after an incident in 384 after the Former Qin emperor Fu Jiān's defeat at the Battle of Fei River, Yao Chang feared that Fu Jiān would kill him and therefore rebelled. He subsequently captured and killed Fu Jiān, who had saved his life when Yao Xiang was defeated, causing many historians to view him as a traitor and murderer.
Fu Deng, courtesy name Wengao (文高), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Gao of Former Qin (前秦高帝), was an emperor of the Di-led Chinese Former Qin dynasty. He assumed the throne in 386 after the deaths of Fu Jiān and Fu Jiān's son Fu Pi, even though he was only a distant relative of theirs, as by that time the Former Qin's territory had largely been reduced to the territory under his control. He battled the Later Qin emperor Yao Chang for years in a stalemate that neither could conclusively prevail, but in 394, he made a major attack on Later Qin after Yao Chang's death, seriously underestimating Yao Chang's son and successor Yao Xing, who captured and executed him. Later that year, his son Fu Chong, who succeeded him, would die in battle, ending the Former Qin dynasty.
Lü Guang, courtesy name Shiming (世明), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Yiwu of Later Liang (後涼懿武帝), was the founding emperor of the Di-led Chinese Later Liang dynasty. He was initially a Former Qin general, but in light of Former Qin's collapse starting in 384, he decided to found his own state, initially including nearly all of modern Gansu. As his reign continued, however, his domain dwindled after Southern Liang and Northern Liang declared independence. His death in 400 left Later Liang in an unstable state, and it would be no more by 403.
Fu Hong, originally named Pu Hong, courtesy name Guangshi, was the father of founding emperor of the Former Qin dynasty, Fu Jiàn. In 350, Fu Hong proclaimed himself the Prince of Three Qins, receiving a prophecy willed him to become King. In the same year, he was poisoned by his subordinate Ma Qiu, who was then executed by Fu Jiàn, who took over Fu Hong's army. He was posthumously honored as the Emperor Huiwu of (Former) Qin with the temple name Taizu (太祖).
The military history of the Jin dynasty and the Sixteen Kingdoms encompasses the period of Chinese military activities from 266 AD to 420 AD. The Jin dynasty is usually divided into the Western Jin and Eastern Jin in Chinese historiography. Western Jin lasted from its usurpation of Cao Wei in 266 to 316 when the Uprising of the Five Barbarians split the empire and created a number of barbarian states in the north. The Jin court relocated to Jiankang, starting the era of Eastern Jin, which ended in 420 when it was usurped by Liu Yu, who founded the Liu Song dynasty.
Fu Xiong, courtesy name Yuancai, originally named Pu Xiong (蒲雄), was a Di military general of Former Zhao and Former Qin during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was the father of Fu Jiān, the third ruler of Former Qin. During the confusion following Shi Hu's death, he served as a general under his father Pu Hong, and during the reign of his brother Fu Jiàn, he was given the role of Prime Minister. Fu Xiong's biggest contribution to the state was when he repelled a major invasion from the Grand Marshal of Jin, Huan Wen, at the Battle of Bailu Plain in 354. After Fu Jiān killed Fu Sheng and took the throne in 357, he was posthumously honoured as Emperor Wenhuan.
Ma Qiu was a military general of Later Zhao and Former Qin during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Ma Qiu participated in Zhao's campaigns against Former Yan and Former Liang, in which both he met with failures. During the confusion of Shi Hu's death, he sided with Ran Min, helping in his order to exterminate the barbarians. However, he was captured by Fu Jiàn, Pu Hong's son, and executed after his attempted coup which resulted in Pu Hong's death.
Sima Xun (306–366), courtesy name Weichang, was a military general and warlord of the Chinese Eastern Jin dynasty. Following the destruction of the Han-Zhao dynasty in 329, Sima Xun fled south to the Eastern Jin based in Jiankang, where he grew to hold both military and provincial power. Based in Liangzhou, he participated in a series of northern expeditions in the mid-4th century but was ultimately unsuccessful. Sima Xun was cruel and ambitious, and in 365, he rebelled in hopes of claiming independence in Liangzhou. However, his rebellion was quelled by Zhu Xu in a matter of months, and he was subsequently executed by Huan Wen.