Sima Bao
Encyclopedia
Sima Bao (294–320), courtesy name Jingdu (景度), posthumous name
Prince Yuan (元王), was a Jin Dynasty (265-420)
imperial prince who briefly contended for the position of emperor
after Emperor Min
was captured by Han Zhao
forces.
Sima Bao's father Sima Mo (司馬模) the Prince of Nanyang was a younger brother of Sima Yue
the Prince of Donghai, who was regent
for Emperor Hui
and Emperor Huai
. Both Sima Mo and Sima Yue were sons of Sima Tai (司馬泰) the Prince of Gaomi, the son of Sima Yi
's brother Sima Kui (司馬馗). Late in 313, after Emperor Huai was captured by Han Zhao after the fall of the capital Luoyang
, Sima Mo, who was defending Chang'an
, was captured by the Han Zhao general Zhao Ran (趙染) and executed.
At the time of his father's death, Sima Bao was at Shanggui (上邽, in modern Tianshui
, Gansu
). He took the title of the Prince of Nanyang, and soon became in control of Qin Province (秦州, modern eastern Gansu
). He was known for his generosity and openness, and the people of the province, whether Han
, Di
, or Qiang, were said to be open to his leadership. He was also grossly overweight—according to historians, at 800 Chinese pounds (jin, 斤) -- or roughly 400 kilograms (880 pounds) and said to be impotent, and therefore had no children. He entered into an alliance with Zhang Gui
(張軌), the governor of Liang Province (涼州, modern central and western Gansu
), and Zhang's domain, largely untouched by wars, often supplied Sima Bao's.
After Emperor Min assumed the throne in 313, Sima Bao, whose troops were still sizable, was given the title of right prime minister (右丞相), but while he took occasional campaigns to relieve Emperor Min's government, then at Chang'an, from pressures being applied by Han Zhao forces, he took no actual actions to put Emperor Min under his protection. Indeed, in 316, when his generals briefly defeated Han Zhao forces seeking to siege Chang'an, they stopped short of reaching Chang'an, which was then captured by Han Zhao forces, causing Emperor Min to be captured.
Sima Bao then considered taking the emperor title for himself. In 319, he took a title one stop from that—by declaring himself the Prince of Jin, the same title that the founding emperor Emperor Wu
's father Sima Zhao
took during his stint as Cao Wei
's regent. He believed that Zhang Gui's son and successor Zhang Shi (張寔) would support him, but Zhang decided not to commit, believing that Sima Rui
the Prince of Langye, who had claimed the imperial title in 318 after Emperor Min was executed by Han Zhao, might be the more appropriate emperor. In early 320, when the Han Zhao emperor Liu Yao
decided to undertake a major campaign to wipe out Sima Bao, Sima Bao's domain happened to be suffering under a famine, and he fled to Sangcheng (桑城, in modern Dingxi
, Gansu
), ready to flee to Zhang's domain. Zhang sent a force that ostensibly was to protect Sima Bao, but instead was intended to stop him from arriving in Zhang's domain.
Later that year, Sima Bao's generals Zhang Chun (張春) and Yang Ci (楊次) tried to persuade him to execute another general of his, Yang Tao (楊韜) and also to attack a former subordinate, Chen An (陳安), who had surrendered to Han Zhao, but who had continued to covertly supply Sima Bao. Sima Bao did not agree with them. Soon, he died—with some historians believing that he was murdered by Zhang and Yang Ci, while some historians believed he died of natural causes. Zhang and Yang Ci, because Sima Bao was sonless, supported a son of the Sima clan, Sima Zhan (司馬瞻) to be Sima Bao's heir. Chen, still bearing some loyalty to Sima Bao and believing that he had been murdered, attacked and killed Sima Zhan. Zhang fled, but Yang Ci was captured, and Chen executed him before Sima Bao's casket, and then buried Sima Bao with honors due an emperor and gave him the posthumous name of Prince Yuan.
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...
Prince Yuan (元王), was a Jin Dynasty (265-420)
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
imperial prince who briefly contended for the position of emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
after Emperor Min
Emperor Min of Jin
Emperor Min of Jin, Simplified Chinese character 晋愍帝, Traditional Chinese character 晉愍帝, Pinyin. Jìn Mǐndì, Wade-Giles Chin Min-ti , personal name Sima Ye , courtesy name Yanqi , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the last of the Western Jin Dynasty.Emperor Min surrendered in 316 to Liu Yao, a...
was captured by 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...
forces.
Sima Bao's father Sima Mo (司馬模) the Prince of Nanyang was a younger brother of Sima Yue
Sima Yue
Sima Yue , courtesy name Yuanchao , formally Prince Xiaoxian of Donghai , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince and regent for Emperor Hui and Emperor Huai...
the Prince of Donghai, who was regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for Emperor Hui
Emperor Hui of Jin
Emperor Hui of Jin, sim. ch. 晋惠帝, trad. ch. 晉惠帝, py. jìn huì dì, wg. Chin Hui-ti , personal name Sima Zhong , courtesy name Zhengdu , was the second emperor of the Jin Dynasty...
and Emperor Huai
Emperor Huai of Jin
Emperor Huai of Jin, sim. ch. 晋怀帝, trad. ch. 晉懷帝, py. Jìn Huáidì, wg. Chin Huai-ti , personal name Sima Chi , courtesy name Fengdu , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty ....
. Both Sima Mo and Sima Yue were sons of Sima Tai (司馬泰) the Prince of Gaomi, the son of Sima Yi
Sima Yi
Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...
's brother Sima Kui (司馬馗). Late in 313, after Emperor Huai was captured by Han Zhao after the fall of the capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, Sima Mo, who was defending 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...
, was captured by the Han Zhao general Zhao Ran (趙染) and executed.
At the time of his father's death, Sima Bao was at Shanggui (上邽, in modern Tianshui
Tianshui
Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road at the Wei River, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
). He took the title of the Prince of Nanyang, and soon became in control of Qin Province (秦州, modern eastern Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
). He was known for his generosity and openness, and the people of the province, whether 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...
, Di
Di (ethnic group)
The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...
, or Qiang, were said to be open to his leadership. He was also grossly overweight—according to historians, at 800 Chinese pounds (jin, 斤) -- or roughly 400 kilograms (880 pounds) and said to be impotent, and therefore had no children. He entered into an alliance with Zhang Gui
Zhang Gui
Zhang Gui was the governor of Liang province and first Duke of Xiping under Western Jin. He was the seventeenth generation descendant of King of Changshan Zhang Erh from the Chu–Han Contention era. In 301, appointed as governor of the Liang province. In 313, granted the title Duke of Xiping...
(張軌), the governor of Liang Province (涼州, modern central and western Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), and Zhang's domain, largely untouched by wars, often supplied Sima Bao's.
After Emperor Min assumed the throne in 313, Sima Bao, whose troops were still sizable, was given the title of right prime minister (右丞相), but while he took occasional campaigns to relieve Emperor Min's government, then at Chang'an, from pressures being applied by Han Zhao forces, he took no actual actions to put Emperor Min under his protection. Indeed, in 316, when his generals briefly defeated Han Zhao forces seeking to siege Chang'an, they stopped short of reaching Chang'an, which was then captured by Han Zhao forces, causing Emperor Min to be captured.
Sima Bao then considered taking the emperor title for himself. In 319, he took a title one stop from that—by declaring himself the Prince of Jin, the same title that the founding emperor Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu may refer to a number of Chinese emperors:*Emperor Wu of Han , emperor of the Han dynasty*Emperor Wu of Wei , a posthumous name of Cao Cao*Emperor Wu of Jin *Emperor Wu of Liu Song...
's father Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
took during his stint as Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
's regent. He believed that Zhang Gui's son and successor Zhang Shi (張寔) would support him, but Zhang decided not to commit, believing that Sima Rui
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...
the Prince of Langye, who had claimed the imperial title in 318 after Emperor Min was executed by Han Zhao, might be the more appropriate emperor. In early 320, when the Han Zhao 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...
decided to undertake a major campaign to wipe out Sima Bao, Sima Bao's domain happened to be suffering under a famine, and he fled to Sangcheng (桑城, in modern Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), ready to flee to Zhang's domain. Zhang sent a force that ostensibly was to protect Sima Bao, but instead was intended to stop him from arriving in Zhang's domain.
Later that year, Sima Bao's generals Zhang Chun (張春) and Yang Ci (楊次) tried to persuade him to execute another general of his, Yang Tao (楊韜) and also to attack a former subordinate, Chen An (陳安), who had surrendered to Han Zhao, but who had continued to covertly supply Sima Bao. Sima Bao did not agree with them. Soon, he died—with some historians believing that he was murdered by Zhang and Yang Ci, while some historians believed he died of natural causes. Zhang and Yang Ci, because Sima Bao was sonless, supported a son of the Sima clan, Sima Zhan (司馬瞻) to be Sima Bao's heir. Chen, still bearing some loyalty to Sima Bao and believing that he had been murdered, attacked and killed Sima Zhan. Zhang fled, but Yang Ci was captured, and Chen executed him before Sima Bao's casket, and then buried Sima Bao with honors due an emperor and gave him the posthumous name of Prince Yuan.