Chen Dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Chen Dynasty (557-589), also known as the Southern Chen Dynasty, was the fourth and last of the Southern dynasties
in China
, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty
.
When the dynasty was founded by Emperor Wu
, it was exceedingly weak, possessing only a small portion of the territory once held by its predecessor Liang Dynasty
-- and that portion was devastated by wars that had doomed Liang. However, Emperor Wu's successors Emperor Wen
and Emperor Xuan
were capable rulers, and the state gradually solidified and strengthened, becoming roughly equal in power to rivals Northern Zhou
and Northern Qi
. After Northern Zhou destroyed Northern Qi in 577, Chen was cornered. To make matters worse, its final emperor Chen Shubao
was an incompetent and indulgent ruler, and Chen was eventually destroyed by Northern Zhou's successor state Sui.
Southern dynasties
The Southern dynasties comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
.
When the dynasty was founded by Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu of Chen
Emperor Wu of Chen , personal name Chen Baxian , courtesy name Xingguo , nickname Fasheng , was the first emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He first distinguished himself as a Liang Dynasty general during the campaign against the rebel general Hou Jing, and he was progressively promoted...
, it was exceedingly weak, possessing only a small portion of the territory once held by its predecessor Liang Dynasty
Liang Dynasty
The Liang Dynasty , also known as the Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of the Southern dynasties in China and was followed by the Chen Dynasty...
-- and that portion was devastated by wars that had doomed Liang. However, Emperor Wu's successors Emperor Wen
Emperor Wen of Chen
Emperor Wen of Chen , personal name Chen Qian , courtesy name Zihua , was an emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He was the nephew of the founding emperor, Emperor Wu , and after Emperor Wu's death in 559, the officials supported him to be emperor since Emperor Wu's only surviving son, Chen...
and Emperor Xuan
Emperor Xuan of Chen
Emperor Xuan of Chen , personal name Chen Xu , courtesy name Shaoshi , nickname Shili , was an emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He seized the throne from his nephew Emperor Fei in 569 and subsequently ruled the state for 13 years...
were capable rulers, and the state gradually solidified and strengthened, becoming roughly equal in power to rivals Northern Zhou
Northern Zhou
The Northern Zhou Dynasty followed the Western Wei, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. It was overthrown by the Sui Dynasty.Northern Zhou's basis of power was established by Yuwen Tai, who was paramount general of Western Wei, following the split of Northern Wei into Western Wei and...
and Northern Qi
Northern Qi
The Northern Qi Dynasty was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577.-History:The Chinese state of Northern Qi was the successor state of the Chinese/Xianbei state of Eastern Wei and was founded by Emperor Wenxuan...
. After Northern Zhou destroyed Northern Qi in 577, Chen was cornered. To make matters worse, its final emperor Chen Shubao
Chen Shubao
Chen Shubao , often known in history as Houzhu of Chen , posthumous name Duke Yang of Changcheng , courtesy name Yuanxiu , nickname Huangnu , was the last emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty...
was an incompetent and indulgent ruler, and Chen was eventually destroyed by Northern Zhou's successor state Sui.
Sovereigns of Chen Dynasty (557-589)
| Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... | Family name and given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... s | Period of Reigns | Era name Chinese era name A Chinese era name is the regnal year, reign period, or regnal title used when traditionally numbering years in an emperor's reign and naming certain Chinese rulers . Some emperors have several era names, one after another, where each beginning of a new era resets the numbering of the year back... s and their according range of years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convention: Chen + posthumous name | |||
| Emperor Wu of Chen Emperor Wu of Chen Emperor Wu of Chen , personal name Chen Baxian , courtesy name Xingguo , nickname Fasheng , was the first emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He first distinguished himself as a Liang Dynasty general during the campaign against the rebel general Hou Jing, and he was progressively promoted... - Wu Di (武帝 wǔ dì) |
Chen Baxian (陳霸先 chén bà xiān) | 557-559 | Yongding (永定 yǒng dìng) 557-559 |
| Emperor Wen of Chen Emperor Wen of Chen Emperor Wen of Chen , personal name Chen Qian , courtesy name Zihua , was an emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He was the nephew of the founding emperor, Emperor Wu , and after Emperor Wu's death in 559, the officials supported him to be emperor since Emperor Wu's only surviving son, Chen... - Wen Di (文帝 wén dì) |
Chen Qian (陳蒨 chén qiàn) | 559-566 | Tianjia (天嘉 tiān jiā) 560-566 Tiankang (天康 tiān kāng) 566 |
| Emperor Fei of Chen Emperor Fei of Chen Emperor Fei of Chen , personal name Chen Bozong , courtesy name Fengye , nickname Yaowang , also known by his post-removal title of Prince of Linhai , was an emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty... - Fei Di (廢帝 fèi dì) |
Chen Bozong (陳伯宗 chén bó zōng) | 566-568 | Guangda (光大 guāng dà) 566-568 |
| Emperor Xuan of Chen Emperor Xuan of Chen Emperor Xuan of Chen , personal name Chen Xu , courtesy name Shaoshi , nickname Shili , was an emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He seized the throne from his nephew Emperor Fei in 569 and subsequently ruled the state for 13 years... - Xuan Di (宣帝 xuān dì) |
Chen Xu (陳頊 chén xū) | 569-582 | Taijian (太建 tài jiàn) 569-582 |
| Houzhu (後主 hòu zhǔ) | Chen Shubao Chen Shubao Chen Shubao , often known in history as Houzhu of Chen , posthumous name Duke Yang of Changcheng , courtesy name Yuanxiu , nickname Huangnu , was the last emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty... (陳叔寶 chén shú bǎo) |
583-589 | Zhide (至德 zhì dé) 583-586 Zhenming (禎明 zhēn míng) 587-589 |