Former Yan
Former Yan (前 燕) was a Chinese state during the Sixteen Kingdoms . 337 was Murong Huang (慕容璜) King of Yan and founded the state. Its starting area was today's Liaoning Province . In 352 his son Murong Jun (慕容 俊) could take advantage of the chaos of the later Zhao and destroy Ran Min . As a result, the state extended its sphere of influence to the north bank of the Yangtze River . Due to internal corruption and power struggles, however, the state soon disintegrated and finally fell in the attack of the Former Qin . In 370 , the third ruler of Yan Murong Wei (慕容 玮) was captured by the Former Qin , causing the state to fall.
Earlier Yan had three rulers in its 34-year history.
kingdom
The Imperial House of the Former Yan was originally a family of chiefs of the Xianbei people . During the Western Jin Dynasty , the Xianbei tribal area was what is now Liaoning Province. It belonged to the edge of the Chinese Empire. The chiefs of the Xianbei recognized the supremacy of the Jin emperors and were appointed local governors by them. While the Western Jin Dynasty was shaken by internal unrest, Xianbei was able to assert itself against the other tribes on the edge of the empire and steadily expand its territory. After the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty and the establishment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty , Xianbei remained loyal to the Jin Dynasty. They were able to repel attacks by the Later Zhao successfully.
In 333 Murong Huang took over the leadership of the Xianbei after the death of his father. Compared to shattered China, the Xianbei ruled area was relatively peaceful, so that many people fled there. As in the area of the Earlier Liang , these refugees brought growth and prosperity thanks to a relatively calm environment and open politics.
Murong Huang was considered a very benevolent ruler. For example, he had a board set up in front of his court so that his subjects could anonymously post their complaints there. He also promoted agriculture as the base of the country. So he had the farmers' taxes reduced, and in dry years he had the taxes completely suspended. And when he was not on a campaign, he traveled restlessly around the country, inspecting everything personally. As one of the very few rulers of the period, he took care of the education of his subjects. He personally took student exams and employed the talented at his court.
In 337 Murong Huang had himself proclaimed king of Yan. In terms of foreign policy, Murong Huang continued to swear allegiance to the Jin Emperor. He bribed the Jin emperor's chancellors to get the Jin court to grant him the self-proclaimed royal title. This led to considerable resentment among the ruler of the former Liang , who was denied this title by the Jin Emperor until the end. Compared to the later Zhao, he drove an increasingly tougher course of confrontation, which also led to armed conflicts. Later he even went on the attack and conquered the area around what is now Beijing and Hebei .
He also waged wars against Goguryeo , conquering the capital of the Goguryeo. He opened the tomb of the previous king and had the body taken away as booty. Only when the fled King of Goguryeo swore allegiance to him did he return the corpse.
Empire
Murong Huang died in 348 ; his second son Murong Jun took over the affairs of state as his successor. The next year, the Later Emperor Zhao Shi Hu (石虎) died, causing the Later Zhao to sink into chaos. Murong Jun took the chance and started attacking the rest of the Later Zhao. In 350 , Murong Jun captured the later usurper Zhao Ran Min (冉 und) and thus absorbed the rest of the Later Zhao. After this success, Murong Jun was proclaimed emperor. This destroyed the previous alliance between the Earlier Yan and the Western Jin , since the Jin emperors viewed themselves as the sole emperors. Now, Yan was viewed as a renegade by the Jin emperors.
The area of the Earlier Yan encompassed present-day Jiangsu Province in the south from its origin in today's Liaoning Province in the north and extended to Shaanxi Province in the west. In order to better manage the area, Murong Jun moved his capital south to what is now Beijing .
Around this time, a new state, the Former Qin , arose on the western border of Yan , which the Former Yan would one day inherit. However, at the time of Former Yan's height in power, Former Qin was more than willing to swear allegiance to the Yan emperor. In addition to the external threat from Jin in the south, the migrating peoples in the north and the new Qin in the west, the Yan was plagued by the same problem that led to constant unrest among their predecessors: even in their heyday, there were repeated uprisings and rebellions. The rapid expansion after the collapse of the Later Zhao did not make the situation any easier.
Downfall
After Murong Jun's death, his third son and designated successor Murong Wei easily ascended the throne. The rebellions that Jin instigated were also quickly suppressed. The campaigns north of the Yangtsi were initially very promising for Yan. The only problem for the government was the inconsistent weather, which very often led to drought or floods in those years.
The situation began to deteriorate after Murong Wei's right-hand man, his uncle and grand vizier Murong Ge (慕容 恪) died. For lack of determination, Former Yan lost the ability to destroy Earlier Qin in its beginnings. The turn to stricter legislation also destroyed internal peace, which was only superficially preserved after the rapid expansion of the national territory.
Jin took the opportunity to attack, but Yan was able to repel the attack. After the victory, however, a bitter power struggle broke out at court; the successful general in national defense was not rewarded, instead even threatened with death. As a result, the general escaped and went over to Qin. On this occasion, Qin positioned his army on the border between the two states, on the pretext that Yan would better come to the aid if Jin should plan another campaign in the north. Although the military sounded the alarm, the Yan emperor ignored all warning signs. He cradled himself in security, firmly believing that Qin was not strong enough to threaten Yan.
It came as it had to, the ambitious Qin Emperor Fu Jian (苻 坚) attacked. Although the Yan Army lost all battles, Murong Wei continued to feel safe while his generals argued over the correct strategy against Qin and could not get beyond their own vanity. However, his local officials quickly fell away from Yan. When the Qin Army reached the Yan capital, some nobles secretly opened the city gates at night and simply let the enemy march into it. Murong Wei escaped but was quickly arrested. With that, Former Yan collapsed like a house of cards.
Ruler of the Former Yan
| Honorary name 1 | Name 2 | Temple name 3 | Reign | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor Wen-Ming (文明 皇帝) |
Murong Huang (慕容 璜) |
Ancestor Tai (太祖) |
337 - 348 | Called himself King of Yan from 337 |
| Emperor Jing-Zhao (景 昭 皇帝) |
Murong Jun (慕容 俊) | Ancestor Lie (烈祖) | 348- 360 | Son and designated successor of Murong Huang, called himself emperor from 352 onwards |
| Emperor You (幽 皇帝) |
Murong Wei (慕容 玮) | 360- 370 | Son and intended successor of Murong Jun. Was captured and killed by Fu Jian in 370 |
- The honorary name is the name of the ruler that he received for honor after his death. This is also the common name of the ruler that most Chinese people know.
- The correct name (the real name, so to speak) of the ruler. This name is known relatively rarely. According to Chinese tradition, the family name comes first, followed by the first name.
- The temple name is given to an emperor posthumously when he is placed as an ancestor in the imperial ancestral temple. Not all previous Yan rulers have a temple name.