Former Qin
Encyclopedia
The Former Qin was a state
of the Sixteen Kingdoms
in China. Founded by the Fu
family of the Di
ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an
up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān
. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than the Qin Dynasty
which ruled all of China during the 3rd century BCE. The adjective "former" is used to distinguish it from the "Later Qin
" state (384-417).
The defeat of the Former Qin in the Battle of Fei River
and the subsequent uprisings split the Former Qin territory into two noncontiguous pieces after the death of Fu Jiān: one located at present day Taiyuan
, Shanxi
and was soon overwhelmed in 386 by the Xianbei
under the Later Yan
and the Dingling
. The other struggled in its greatly reduced territories around the border of present day Shaanxi
and Gansu
until disintegration in 394 under years of invasions by the Western Qin
and the Later Qin
.
In 327, the Gaochang
commandery was created by the Former Liang
under the Han chinese ruler Zhang Gui
. After this, significant Han chinese
settlement occurred, a major, large part of the population becoming Chinese. In 383 The General Lu Guang of the Former Qin seized control of the region.
All rulers of the Former Qin proclaimed themselves "Emperor
" except for Fu Jiān, who claimed the title "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang
) but was posthumoustly considered an emperor.
¹ Fu Sheng was posthumously given the title "wang" even though he had reigned as emperor.
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
of the Sixteen Kingdoms
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 AD after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties...
in China. Founded by the Fu
Fu
Fu may refer to:*Fu , a common pronunciation for some Chinese surnames, such as 傅, 符, 付, 扶 and 伏.*Fu , a Chinese genre of rhymed prose*Fu , ancient Chinese item*Fu , a symbol in Japanese syllabaries...
family of the Di
Di (ethnic group)
The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...
ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān
Fu Jian
Fu Jian may refer to:* Fú Jiàn , founding emperor of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Jingming* Fú Jiān , ruler of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Xuanzhao-See also:...
. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than the Qin Dynasty
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
which ruled all of China during the 3rd century BCE. The adjective "former" is used to distinguish it from the "Later Qin
Later Qin
The Later Qin was a state of Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
" state (384-417).
The defeat of the Former Qin in the Battle of Fei River
Battle of Fei River
The Battle of Fei River or “Feishui” was a battle in 383, where Fu Jiān of the Di Former Qin Empire was decisively defeated by the numerically inferior Jin army of Eastern Jin....
and the subsequent uprisings split the Former Qin territory into two noncontiguous pieces after the death of Fu Jiān: one located at present day Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and was soon overwhelmed in 386 by the Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
under the Later Yan
Later Yan
The Later Yan was a Murong-Xianbei state, located in modern day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.All rulers of the Later Yan declared themselves "emperors". Later Yan fell to the Goguryeo dynasty.-Rulers of the Later Yan:...
and the Dingling
Dingling
The Dingling were an ancient Siberian people. They originally lived on the bank of the Lena River in the area west of Lake Baikal, gradually moving southward to Mongolia and northern China...
. The other struggled in its greatly reduced territories around the border of present day Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
until disintegration in 394 under years of invasions by the Western Qin
Western Qin
The Western Qin was a state of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Note that the Western Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Later Qin....
and the Later Qin
Later Qin
The Later Qin was a state of Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
.
In 327, the Gaochang
Gaochang
Gaochang is the site of an ancient oasis city built on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. A busy trading center, it was a stopping point for merchant traders traveling on the Silk Road...
commandery was created by the Former Liang
Former Liang
The Former Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin dynasty in China. It was founded by the Zhang family of the Han Chinese...
under the Han chinese ruler Zhang Gui
Zhang Gui
Zhang Gui was the governor of Liang province and first Duke of Xiping under Western Jin. He was the seventeenth generation descendant of King of Changshan Zhang Erh from the Chu–Han Contention era. In 301, appointed as governor of the Liang province. In 313, granted the title Duke of Xiping...
. After this, significant Han chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
settlement occurred, a major, large part of the population becoming Chinese. In 383 The General Lu Guang of the Former Qin seized control of the region.
All rulers of the Former Qin proclaimed themselves "Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
" except for Fu Jiān, who claimed the title "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang
Tian Wang
Tian Wang , translatable as either "heavenly prince" or "heavenly king," was a Chinese regal title that was most frequently used during the Sixteen Kingdoms era, among the kingdoms founded by members of the Wu Hu tribes, often used as an intermediate stage from claiming a prince/king title to an...
) but was posthumoustly considered an emperor.
Rulers of the Former Qin
| Temple name Temple name Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive... s | Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... s | Family names and given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... | Durations of reigns | Era names and their according durations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese convention: use family and given names | ||||
| Gaozu (高祖 Gāozǔ) | Jingming (景明 Jǐngmíng) | Fu Jiàn Fu Jiàn Fú Jiàn , originally named Pú Jiàn , courtesy name Jianye , formally Emperor Jingming of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin.... (苻健 Fú Jiàn) | 351-355 | Huangshi (皇始 Huángshǐ) 351-355 |
| Did not exist | King Li (厲王 Lìwáng) ¹ | Fu Sheng Fu Sheng Fu Sheng , originally named Pu Sheng , courtesy name Changsheng , formally Prince Li of Yue , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin... (苻生 Fú Shēng) | 355-357 | Shouguang (壽光 Shòuguāng) 355-357 |
| Shizu (世祖 Shìzǔ) | Xuanzhao (宣昭 Xuānzhāo) | Fu Jiān Fu Jian Fu Jian may refer to:* Fú Jiàn , founding emperor of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Jingming* Fú Jiān , ruler of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Xuanzhao-See also:... (苻堅 Fú Jiān) | 357-385 | Yongxing (永興 Yǒngxīng) 357-359 Ganlu (甘露 Gānlù) 359-364 Jianyuan (建元 Jiànyuán) 365-385 |
| Did not exist | Aiping (哀平 āipíng) | Fu Pi Fu Pi Fu Pi , courtesy name Yongshu , formally Emperor Aiping of Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin... (苻丕 Fú Pī) | 385-386 | Taian (太安 Tàiān) 385-386 |
| Taizong (太宗 Tàizōng) | Gao (高 Gāo) | Fu Deng Fu Deng Fu Deng was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. He assumed the throne in 386 after the deaths of Fu Jiān and Fu Jiān's son Fu Pi , even though he was only a distant relative of theirs, as by that time Former Qin's territory had largely been reduced to the territory under his control... (苻登 Fú Dēng) | 386-394 | Taichu (太初 Tàichū) 386-394 |
| Did not exist | Houzhu (後主 Hòuzhǔ) | Fu Chong Fu Chong Fu Chong was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. He assumed the throne in 394 after the death of his father, Fu Deng... (苻崇 Fú Chóng) | several months in 394 | Yanchu (延初 Yán Chū) 394 |
¹ Fu Sheng was posthumously given the title "wang" even though he had reigned as emperor.
See also
- Chinese history
- Chinese sovereignChinese sovereignChinese sovereign is the ruler of a particular period in ancient China. Several titles and naming schemes have been used throughout history.-Emperor Title:...
- DiDiDi may refer to:* The diminutive form of the name Diana, Diane and Dianne. Dai is the Welsh diminutive form of the name David.*Diana, Princess of Wales.*Di , an ancient ethnic group in China....
- Fu Jian (disambiguation)
- Wang Meng
- Battle of Fei RiverBattle of Fei RiverThe Battle of Fei River or “Feishui” was a battle in 383, where Fu Jiān of the Di Former Qin Empire was decisively defeated by the numerically inferior Jin army of Eastern Jin....