Sima Ai (272-19 March 304) was Prince of Changsha under the Jin dynasty and the fifth of the eight princes associated with the War of the Eight Princes. He was a man of noble ideals and a loyal and kind brother to Emperor Sima Zhong, but he was betrayed by Sima Yue, handed over to Sima Yong, and cruelly burned to death by Yong's general, Zhang Fang.
Biography[]
Sima Ai was the sixth son of Emperor Sima Yan and the younger brother of Emperor Sima Zhong, and he showed courtesy to his developmentally disabled brother due to his value for filial piety. He became Prince of Changsha in 289, and that he joined with Sima Wei and Jia Nanfeng's coup against Yang Jun in 291.
In 301, he joined Sima Ying in rebelling against Sima Lun, helping the rebels overthrow the usurper, Sima Lun and restore Sima Zhong to the throne. Sima Ai later joined Sima Yong and Sima Ying in plotting against the new regent, Sima Jiong, and, when Sima Jiong preemptively attacked Sima Ai, but Sima Ai defeated him in a street battle and had him executed.
Sima Ai became the new regent and shared power with Sima Ying, excluding his rival, Sima Yong from power. Sima Yong persuaded Sima Ying to betray Sima Ai and rebel against him, and that he failed to negotiate the division of the empire with Sima Yong.
In the spring of 304, Prince Sima Yue of Donghai arrested Sima Ai as he attempted to withdraw, and he was handed over to Sima Yong's general, Zhang Fang, who ordered that Sima Ai be cruelly burned to death.
Sima Ai wrote a touching letter to his brother before his execution, and, as Sima Ai cried in pain while being burned, even Zhang Fang's soldiers mourned his fate.