The Jin dynasty was founded by Sima Yan, who forced the last ruler of Wei to abdicate and became Emperor Wu of Jin. In 280 his armies conquered the southern state of Wu and briefly reunified China. The Western Jin collapsed after the War of the Eight Princes, a series of civil wars among members of the imperial family, and invasions by peoples from the north; Luoyang fell in 311 and Chang'an in 316. A member of the dynasty then reestablished the Jin court in the south at Jiankang, today's Nanjing, as the Eastern Jin, while northern China split into rival states known as the Sixteen Kingdoms. The period saw the calligrapher Wang Xizhi and the poet Tao Yuanming and the spread of Buddhism. The general Liu Yu ended the dynasty by founding the Liu Song.
Before and after
- c. 240 CEEruption of Ksudach
- 245 CERise of Neoplatonism
- 250 CEDeath of Nagarjuna
- from 250 CE to 538 CEKofun period
- from 266 CE to 420 CEJin dynasty
- 271 CEOrigins of Gundeshapur
- 271 CEConstruction of Aurelian Walls
- 27 February 272 CEBirth of Constantine the Great
- 274 CEAurelian reunifies the Roman Empire
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 13th century BCEAncient Celts
- from c. 753 BCE to 476 CEAncient Rome
- 7th century BCEConstruction of Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- from 312 BCE to 63 BCESeleucid Empire
- from 279 BCE to 1480Construction of Lighthouse of Alexandria
- from 285 CE to 1453Byzantine Empire
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 3rd century.