Wei Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties

After the Three Kingdoms returned to one empire, Sima Yan stood at the peak of unity and quietly planted the dangers that would split Western Jin apart.

Sima Yan left behind an unstable succession, and once Jia Nanfeng entered the center of power, Western Jin politics began to spin out of control.

Once Western Jin's central authority loosened, royal princes and regional forces learned that kingship and empire were no longer distant dreams.

After the War of the Eight Princes tore Western Jin open, a larger northern storm began, bringing new regimes, frontier armies, and Han-Zhao pressure toward Luoyang.

As northern disorder intensified, Luoyang, the Western Jin capital, was caught between siege, starvation, court distrust, and advancing Han-Zhao armies.

After Western Jin collapsed in the north, the Sima house survived in the south, but Eastern Jin could not rule without the great Wang clan.

The great clans helped Eastern Jin survive, but Wang Dun's rebellion showed how easily aristocratic power could threaten the throne.

In the northern disorder, Shi Le rose from the bottom of society, broke with Former Zhao, and built Later Zhao into the strongest power in the north.

After Shi Le died, Later Zhao looked powerful, but Shi Hu's rule ran into internal conflict, Yan resistance, Cheng-Han instability, and the barrier of Eastern Jin.

Later Zhao's internal struggle tore the north open again, and Ran Min stepped into the wreckage to found the short-lived Ran Wei.

After Ran Wei fell, the north did not become calm. Former Qin in Guanzhong and Former Yan in Hebei became the two powers to watch.

Murong Chui was one of Former Yan's finest generals, but court suspicion pushed him into the hands of Former Qin.

With Wang Meng at his side, Fu Jian turned Former Qin into the strongest northern empire of the Sixteen Kingdoms age.

Former Qin marched south with the force of a northern empire, but at the Fei River its advantage turned into panic.

The Battle of Fei River loosened Former Qin's unity, and the north quickly broke back into competing states.

Murong Chui rebuilt Yan after Former Qin collapsed, but Later Yan soon lost its armies, its capital, and its unity.

The northwest did not escape the northern disorder. Liangzhou broke into rival Liang states, Western Qin, and Later Qin pressure.

Eastern Jin survived Fei River, but its own power brokers kept growing until Huan Xuan tried to turn military control into an imperial throne.

After defeating Huan Xuan, Liu Yu controlled Eastern Jin's armies and government, then turned that power into a new dynasty.

As Liu Song opened the Southern Dynasties, a young Northern Wei emperor began pushing the north toward unification.

After defeating Rouran and Xia, Tuoba Tao still had to remove Northern Yan in the east and Northern Liang in the west.

Once Northern Wei unified the north, Liu Song could not ignore the new power across the frontier.

After failed northern expeditions, Liu Song did not return to stability. It entered a cycle of palace murder, cruel rulers, and royal purges.

Facing resistance from old Xianbei elites, Emperor Xiaowen used a southern campaign as the cover for moving Northern Wei to Luoyang.

Southern Qi survived Liu Song's collapse, but its own succession crises and palace killings opened the road for Xiao Yan.

After Emperor Xiaowen's reforms, Northern Wei looked powerful, but old frontier tensions turned into rebellion and split the empire.

As the north split into Eastern Wei and Western Wei, one northern defector dragged Southern Liang into a catastrophe.

After Hou Jing's rebellion, Liang could not restore its old order. Chen Baxian turned military survival into a new southern dynasty.

Northern Zhou rose from Western Wei, but real power first belonged to Yuwen Hu, the minister who controlled and killed emperors.

After killing Yuwen Hu, Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou strengthened the state and turned again toward Northern Qi.