The Two Jin Dynasties were the peak of the Chinese shi clan's door valve politics, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty moved south of the Yangtze River, and the imperial power was always controlled by the Tushi clan. Sima Yao, the ninth emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was the most powerful emperor since the establishment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. But it was this emperor who defeated Former Qin and fought to the death of his vassals, but in the end he was killed by his favorite Ji Ji with a quilt because of a drunken joke.
On November 6, 396, Sima Yao died, and after his death his eldest son Sima Dezong ascended the throne as Emperor An of Jin. However, this Jin An Emperor and the second emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty, Sima Hui of Jin, were on a par. According to historical records, Sima Dezong not only stuttered and talked smoothly, but was also so stupid that he could not even distinguish between winter and summer, and even could not take care of himself.
The Book of Jin and Emperor An said that "the emperor is not favored, he is small and long, and his mouth cannot speak, although the changes in cold and summer are indisputable." Whatever moves, it is not his own."
The emperor as the leader of the dynasty, although one person is above ten thousand people. But in addition to inheriting from the ancestors, such nobility is more won by one's own intellect. Just think, how can an emperor who can't even distinguish the seasons support a great dynasty? Therefore, during the reign of Sima Dezong, not only did many generals outside the dynasty stand on their own, but the power of the dynasty also fell into the hands of the powerful subjects.
In the early days of Emperor An of Jin, the imperial court was mainly presided over by Sima Daozi the Prince of Huiji and his son Yuan Xian. Sima Daozi appointed the traitor Wang Guobao, which led to the rebellion of Wang Gong of Yanzhou and Yuzhou. Although later Emperor An of Jin killed Wang Guobao and quelled the rebellion. However, later Wang Gong and Yu Kai joined forces with Shi Huanxuan of Guangzhou to rebel again, and the rebels fought until near Jiankang before being pacified.
Both rebellions, though not dangerous, were finally put down. However, Sun En's rebels in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were coming, and in 402, Sun En's rebels besieged Jiankang City, causing a great famine in the city. Although Sun En was later killed in battle, Huan Xuan later attacked Jiankang again. Sima Daozi was deposed and killed by Huan Xuan, who later monopolized power and usurped the throne on December 31, 403, establishing the Huan Chu regime.
After Huan Xuan usurped the throne, Emperor An of Jin was demoted to Queen Pinggu and placed under house arrest in Xunyang, the first time Emperor An of Jin became a prisoner. In this way, it seems that the national fortunes of the Eastern Jin Dynasty have come to an end, but Huan Chu was only established for more than half a year, Huan Xuan was defeated by Liu Yu, and later Huan Xuan was killed and Emperor An of Jin was restored to the throne. Seven days later, Huan Xuan's general Huan Zhen (桓振) captured Jiangling again, and Emperor An of Jin was captured again, and it was not until 405 that Emperor An of Jin broke away from the control of the rebels.
Although Huan Xuan's rebellion ended in failure, it destroyed the imperial power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in a sense, cultivated Liu Yu, a new vassal from the Hanmen Shu clan, and for the first time suffered a huge impact on the politics of the Shi clan. After Liu Yu came to power, the Southern Expedition to the North and the destruction of Southern Yan gradually became the de facto controller of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
On January 28, 419, Emperor An of Jin completed his life in the East Hall of the Eastern Jin Imperial Palace, and then Sima Dewen, a brother of Emperor An of Jin, took the throne as Emperor Gong of Jin. However, Sima Dewen reigned for only half a year and gave the Zen throne to Liu Yu. In 420, Liu Yu established the Liu Song Dynasty, and Sima Dewen was deposed as the King of Lingling, but in September of the same year Liu Yu sent someone to kill Sima Dewen with a quilt.
Sima Dewen was just an excess, just a buffer for Liu Yu to claim the title of emperor. The death of Emperor An of Jin liu Yu is also inseparable, and although the cause of death of Emperor An of Jin is slightly different in the history books, it was all killed by Liu Yu and Wang Shaozhi (some say poisoned, some say strangled). The reason why Liu Yu wanted to kill the previous generation of kings, in addition to psychological revenge, was to win more political chips for himself.
After all, Liu Yu came from the Hanmen Shu clan, and although the Eastern Jin Dynasty was replaced by Liu Yu, the power of the Sima family was entangled, the so-called hundred-footed insect was dead but not stiff, and the resurgence of the Sima royal family was not impossible.