Chen dynasty
This article is about the dynasty in southern China. For the medieval dynasty in Vietnam founded by a Chinese family, see
Trần dynasty.
The Chen dynasty (simplified Chinese: 陈朝; traditional Chinese: 陳朝; pinyin: Chén Cháo; 557-589), also known as the Southern Chen dynasty, was the fourth and last of the Southern Dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui dynasty. Chen is the only dynasty named after the ruling house in Chinese history.
When the dynasty was founded by Emperor Wu, it was exceedingly weak, possessing only a small portion of the territory once held by its predecessor Liang dynasty—and that portion was devastated by wars that had doomed Liang. However, Emperor Wu's successors Emperor Wen and Emperor Xuan were capable rulers, and the state gradually solidified and strengthened, becoming roughly equal in power to rivals Northern Zhou and Northern Qi. After Northern Zhou destroyed Northern Qi in 577, Chen was cornered. To make matters worse, its final emperor Chen Shubao was an incompetent and indulgent ruler, and Chen was eventually destroyed by Northern Zhou's successor state Sui.
During the short-lived dynasty, the Chams to the south resumed raids against the region of Jiaozhi, perceiving the dynasty to be weak. The raids ended with the conquest of the Southern Chen by the Sui.[4] The Sui general Yang Su suppressed various Chen rebels in campaigns during the early 590s.
Sovereigns of Chen dynasty (557-589)
| Posthumous name | Family name and given names | Period of Reigns | Era names and corresponding range of years |
| Convention: Chen + posthumous name |
| Emperor Wu of Chen - Wu Di (武帝 wǔ dì) |
Chen Baxian (陳霸先 Chén Bàxiān) |
557-559 |
Yongding (永定 Yǒngdìng) 557-559 |
| Emperor Wen of Chen - Wen Di (文帝 wén dì) |
Chen Qian (陳蒨 Chén Qiàn) |
559-566 |
Tianjia (天嘉 Tiānjiā) 560-566
Tiankang (天康 Tiānkāng) 566 |
| Emperor Fei of Chen - Fei Di (廢帝 fèi dì) |
Chen Bozong (陳伯宗 Chén Bózōng) |
566-568 |
Guangda (光大 Guāngdà) 566-568 |
| Emperor Xuan of Chen - Xuan Di (宣帝 Xuān Dì) |
Chen Xu (陳頊 Chén Xù |
569-582 |
Taijian (太建 Tài Jiàn) 569-582 |
| Houzhu (後主 Hòuzhǔ) |
Chen Shubao (陳叔寶 Chén Shūbǎo) |
583-589 |
Zhide (至德 Zhìdé) 583-586
Zhenming (禎明 Zhēnmíng) 587-589 |
Sovereigns family tree
| Chen dynasty emperors family tree |
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Notes
References
External links
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| Northern dynasties | |
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| Southern dynasties | |
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Xia → Shang → Zhou → Qin → Han → 3 Kingdoms → Jìn / 16 Kingdoms → N. & S. Dynasties → Sui → Tang → 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms → Liao / Song / W. Xia / Jīn → Yuan → Ming → Qing → Modern China |
