Eastern Jin (316-420) was the second phase of the Jin dynasty, occurring when the Western Jin moved the capital from Chang'an to Jiankang. The Eastern Jin was invaded by barbarians from all sides, and in 404 Liu Yu overthrew the usurper Huan Xuan in a rebellion. Liu Yu soon began to exercise power in Jin, with the Sima emperors serving as puppets. In 420, he forced Emperor Gong of Jin to surrender power over to him, and he had Emperor Gong asphyxiated with a blanket before creating the Liu Song dynasty.
History[]
The Eastern Jin in 400 CE
Eastern Jin was formed when Sima Rui moved the capital of the Jin dynasty from Luoyang to Jiankang in eastern China, ending the Western Jin as Later Qin, Northern Wei, and Southern Yan took over northern China. The Sixteen Kingdoms era devastated the land, and the Tibetans launched invasions of western China. At the 383 CE Battle of Fei River, Fu Jian's Former Qin were defeated by the Jin at the Battle of Fei River, leading to the disintegration of Former Qin and the delaying of the conquest of the Jin and southern China. However, after the battle Huan Chu seized power from 403 to 404 under Huan Xuan, but Liu Yu toppled him and reinstated Sima Dezong as emperor. In 419, Liu Yu had Dezong strangled and installed his brother Sima Dewen as the new emperor. Dewen surpisingly abdicated a year later, ending the Eastern Jin period and leading to the Liu Song dynasty taking power in the place of Jin. The Sixteen Kingdoms would exist until 439, when the Northern Dynasties began.