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Emperor Wu of Jin (simplified Chinese: 晋武帝; traditional Chinese: 晉武帝; pinyin: Jìn Wǔ Dì; Wade–Giles: Chin Wu-Ti; 236 – 16 May 290), personal name Sima Yan, courtesy name Anshi, was the first emperor of the Jin dynasty after forcing Cao Huan, the last emperor of the state of Cao Wei, to abdicate in his favor. He reigned from 266 to 290, and after conquering the state of Eastern Wu in 280, was the emperor of a reunified China. He was a grandson of Sima Yi, nephew of Sima Shi and son of Sima Zhao. Emperor Wu was also known for his lust, especially after the unification of China; legends boasted of his incredible potency among ten thousand concubines.
Emperor Wu was commonly viewed as benevolent, but also wasteful. His generosity and kindness undermined his rule, as he became overly tolerant of the aristocratic clans' (世族 or 士族; a political/bureaucratic landlord class from Eastern Han to the Tang dynasty) corruption and extravagance, which drained the people's resources. Further, when Emperor Wu established the Jin dynasty, he was concerned about his regime's stability, and, believing that the predecessor state, Cao Wei, had been doomed by its policy of constraining the princes of the imperial clan, he delegated great authority to his uncles, cousins and sons, including independent military power. This ironically caused to the destabilization of the Western Jin, as the princes engaged in an internecine struggle known as the War of the Eight Princes soon after his death. This conflict led to the uprisings of the Five Barbarians that destroyed the Western Jin and forced its successor, Eastern Jin, to relocate to the region south of the Huai River.
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