Jin Zhun
Encyclopedia
Jin Zhun (died 318) was an official of the Chinese
/Xiongnu
state Han Zhao
, who in 318 staged a coup against the Han Zhao emperor and his son-in-law Liu Can
and then massacred the imperial Liu family. His forces were subsequently squeezed in by the succeeding emperor Liu Yao
and the general Shi Le
, and, facing probable defeat, his followers assassinated him. He was probably ethnically Han
, but that is not completely clear.
(Emperor Zhaowu) as consorts. Liu Cong, who was then starting the highly unorthodox practice of creating multiple empresses
, creating Jin Yueguang as "Upper Empress" and Jin Yuehua as "Right Empress." That same year, Upper Empress Jin was revealed by the official Chen Yuanda (陳元達) as having committed adultery, causing Liu Cong to feel compelled to depose her. Ashamed, she committed suicide.
It was also mentioned that another daughter
of Jin Zhun married Liu Cong's son, Liu Can, but the year is unknown. As years went by, Jin Zhun became closely associated with the Liu Can and several eunuch
s and servants trusted by Liu Cong and Liu Can, including Wang Chen (王沈), Xuan Huai (宣懷), and Guo Yi (郭漪). Jin and Guo were instrumental in persuading Liu Can that his uncle, Liu Ai (劉乂) the crown prince
was conspiring against him and his father, and subsequently participated heavily in Liu Can's plot to have his uncle falsely accused of treason and removed as crown prince in 317. Jin also assassinated the former Crown Prince Ai, on Liu Can's orders. Liu Can became crown prince, and Princess Jin became crown princess.
, and burned the Han Zhao imperial temple.
" (天王) or "great prince" (大王) of Han (the official state name for Han Zhao at the time). He acted in the role of an emperor, and he sent messengers to Emperor Yuan of Jin
, claiming that he was about to revert to Jin Dynasty's rule. The Jin emperor believed him, and sent out an army to try to support him.
Before that Jin army could come close to arriving, however, Jin Zhun was caught in a trap. The major Han Zhao generals Liu Yao the Prince of Qin, who controlled the Chang'an
region, and Shi Le, who controlled the eastern empire, both moved their troops against him. Shi Le, whose headquarters were closer at Xiangguo (襄國, in modern Xingtai
, Hebei
), quickly arrived near the capital Pingyang (平陽, in modern Linfen
, Shanxi
), but chose to not engage Jin Zhun immediately. In winter 318, Liu Yao, a cousin of Liu Cong, declared himself emperor, and advanced on Pingyang as well. Jin was caught between Liu Yao's and Shi's forces.
Jin sent imperial garments and wagons to Shi, seeking peace. Shi, however, sent those, along with Jin's messenger, over to Liu Yao. Liu Yao claimed that he admired Jin for carrying out the coup that allowed him to be emperor, because the government had become so corrupt late in Liu Cong's and in Liu Can's reigns, and offered not only to spare his life but to continue to allow him to be an important official. Jin, however, distrusted Liu Yao's offer, because he had killed Liu Yao's mother and brother in the massacre. However, as he hesitated, he was assassinated by Jin Kang, Qiao Tai (喬泰), and Wang Teng (王騰), who then surrendered to Liu Yao, who then massacred the Jin clan.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
/Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
state Han Zhao
Han Zhao
The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...
, who in 318 staged a coup against the Han Zhao emperor and his son-in-law Liu Can
Liu Can
Liu Can , courtesy name Shiguang , Posthumous name Emperor Yin of Han , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao, who reigned briefly in 318 before being killed by his trusted father-in-law Jin Zhun.-As Prince of He'nei and then Prince of Jin:Liu Can was Liu Cong's son by his first...
and then massacred the imperial Liu family. His forces were subsequently squeezed in by the succeeding emperor Liu Yao
Liu Yao
Liu Yao , courtesy name Yongming , was the final emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao. He became emperor in 318 after most other members of the imperial Liu clan were massacred by Jin Zhun in a coup. However, the empire was soon divided in half, as the general Shi Le declared...
and the general Shi Le
Shi Le
Shi Le , courtesy name Shilong , formally Emperor Ming of Zhao , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao...
, and, facing probable defeat, his followers assassinated him. He was probably ethnically Han
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, but that is not completely clear.
During Liu Cong's reign
The first reference to Jin Zhun in history was in 315, when he was mentioned as a minor Han Zhao general, whose two beautiful daughters Jin Yueguang and Jin Yuehua were taken by the Han Zhao emperor Liu CongLiu Cong
Liu Cong may refer to:*Liu Cong , emperor of Han Zhao of the Sixteen Kingdoms*Liu Cong , younger son of the Han Dynasty warlord Liu Biao...
(Emperor Zhaowu) as consorts. Liu Cong, who was then starting the highly unorthodox practice of creating multiple empresses
Liu Cong's later empresses
The Han Zhao emperor Liu Cong, after his third wife Empress Liu E's death in 314, became involved in the unorthodox practice of creating multiple empresses, against the Chinese tradition of having one empress at one time...
, creating Jin Yueguang as "Upper Empress" and Jin Yuehua as "Right Empress." That same year, Upper Empress Jin was revealed by the official Chen Yuanda (陳元達) as having committed adultery, causing Liu Cong to feel compelled to depose her. Ashamed, she committed suicide.
It was also mentioned that another daughter
Empress Jin (Yin)
Empress Jin was briefly an empress of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao. Her husband was Liu Can ....
of Jin Zhun married Liu Cong's son, Liu Can, but the year is unknown. As years went by, Jin Zhun became closely associated with the Liu Can and several eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
s and servants trusted by Liu Cong and Liu Can, including Wang Chen (王沈), Xuan Huai (宣懷), and Guo Yi (郭漪). Jin and Guo were instrumental in persuading Liu Can that his uncle, Liu Ai (劉乂) the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
was conspiring against him and his father, and subsequently participated heavily in Liu Can's plot to have his uncle falsely accused of treason and removed as crown prince in 317. Jin also assassinated the former Crown Prince Ai, on Liu Can's orders. Liu Can became crown prince, and Princess Jin became crown princess.
Coup against Liu Can
After Liu Cong died in summer 318, Liu Can succeeded to the throne, and proceeded to spend day and night committing adultery with his father's four surviving empresses -- one of which was Jin Zhun's daughter Jin Yuehua. Jin hatched a plan to overthrow Liu Can, and managed to persuade, with the help of his two daughters (Empress Dowager Jin and Empress Jin) that several imperial princes and high level officials were conspiring against him. With Liu Can's approval, those imperial princes and high level officials were executed. Jin Zhun became in control of government, and, after putting his cousins Jin Ming (靳明) and Jin Kang (靳康) in command of the armies, carried out a coup against Liu Can, capturing and executing him. He then massacred all members of the imperial Liu clan that he could capture -- regardless of gender or age. He also dug up the graves of Liu Cong and the founding emperor, Liu YuanLiu Yuan (Han Zhao)
Liu Yuan , courtesy name Yuanhai , formally Emperor Guangwen of Han was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao.-Family background:...
, and burned the Han Zhao imperial temple.
After the coup
Jin claimed for himself the titles of supreme commander and (historical sources are in conflict) either "heavenly princeTian Wang
Tian Wang , translatable as either "heavenly prince" or "heavenly king," was a Chinese regal title that was most frequently used during the Sixteen Kingdoms era, among the kingdoms founded by members of the Wu Hu tribes, often used as an intermediate stage from claiming a prince/king title to an...
" (天王) or "great prince" (大王) of Han (the official state name for Han Zhao at the time). He acted in the role of an emperor, and he sent messengers to Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin , personal name Sima Rui , courtesy name Jingwen , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the first of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
, claiming that he was about to revert to Jin Dynasty's rule. The Jin emperor believed him, and sent out an army to try to support him.
Before that Jin army could come close to arriving, however, Jin Zhun was caught in a trap. The major Han Zhao generals Liu Yao the Prince of Qin, who controlled the Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
region, and Shi Le, who controlled the eastern empire, both moved their troops against him. Shi Le, whose headquarters were closer at Xiangguo (襄國, in modern Xingtai
Xingtai
Xingtai is a city in southern Hebei province, North China. The prefecture-level city of Xingtai, with a total area of , administers 2 districts, 2 county-level cities and 15 counties. In 2004 it had an urban population of 561,400 and a total population of 6.73 million...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), quickly arrived near the capital Pingyang (平陽, in modern Linfen
Linfen
-Administrative divisions:The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census.-Pollution:...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
), but chose to not engage Jin Zhun immediately. In winter 318, Liu Yao, a cousin of Liu Cong, declared himself emperor, and advanced on Pingyang as well. Jin was caught between Liu Yao's and Shi's forces.
Jin sent imperial garments and wagons to Shi, seeking peace. Shi, however, sent those, along with Jin's messenger, over to Liu Yao. Liu Yao claimed that he admired Jin for carrying out the coup that allowed him to be emperor, because the government had become so corrupt late in Liu Cong's and in Liu Can's reigns, and offered not only to spare his life but to continue to allow him to be an important official. Jin, however, distrusted Liu Yao's offer, because he had killed Liu Yao's mother and brother in the massacre. However, as he hesitated, he was assassinated by Jin Kang, Qiao Tai (喬泰), and Wang Teng (王騰), who then surrendered to Liu Yao, who then massacred the Jin clan.