Emperor Wu of Jin

Emperor of the Jin Dynasty from 266 to 290

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Lived 236–290, aged 54

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Era
236–290
Aged 54

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

He reunified China in 280 after three centuries of division, then filled his palace with ten thousand concubines and empowered his relatives so thoroughly that the empire tore itself apart the moment he died.

Biography

About

Sima Yan, grandson of Sima Yi and son of Sima Zhao, forced the last Cao Wei emperor to abdicate in 266 and founded the Jin dynasty. Fourteen years later he conquered Eastern Wu and ruled a reunified China for the first time in generations. But the unification opened the door to extravagance: legends spoke of his potency among ten thousand concubines, and his court grew wasteful. Generous to a fault, he tolerated the corruption of the noble families and drained the people dry. Worse, fearing the mistakes of Cao Wei—whose failure to empower its princes he blamed for its collapse—he gave his uncl…

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