Editing Han-Zhao (section)

=== Han (304–319) ===
The Five Divisions and other non-affiliated ''[[Hu (people)|hu]]'' tribes in Bing began staging revolts against the Jin. Their close proximity to the Chinese heartland worried a few ministers in the court, who unsuccessfully pushed for their resettlement outside the frontiers. Developments in the [[War of the Eight Princes]] finally favored the Five Divisions, as infighting between the Jin princes over control of [[Emperor Hui of Jin|Emperor Hui]] led to civil wars and widespread famines in northern China. In 304, the Five Division's elites contacted Liu Yuan, who was serving as a general under the Prince of Chengdu, [[Sima Ying]] at [[Ye (Hebei)|Ye]], and offered him to become their rebellion's leader. Liu Yuan agreed and took advantage of a commission from the desperate Sima Ying who was just being driven out of his base to gather 50,000 warriors. At [[Lishi District|Lishi]], Liu Yuan declared himself the Grand ''Chanyu''.

Later that year, Liu Yuan proclaimed himself the "King of Han," the same first title used by [[Emperor Gaozu of Han]]. As a descendant of the ''chanyu'', Liu Yuan also claimed descent from the [[Han dynasty]], as the ''chanyus'' used to marry Han princesses through marriage alliances (''[[heqin]]''). By portraying his state as a restoration of the Han, Liu Yuan was able to establish his legitimacy and potentially win over support from the Han Chinese. Liu Yuan honored the emperors of Western, Eastern and [[Shu Han]], and in 308, he elevated himself to Emperor of Han.

Anti-Jin sentiment grew as the civil wars continued, leading to more rebellions on the [[North China Plain]]. To bolster their numbers, Liu Yuan welcomed these rebels to join his ranks regardless of their ethnicity, such as the Chinese bandit, [[Wang Mi]] and the [[Jie people|Jie]] former slave, [[Shi Le]]. To ensure their loyalty, they were given high ranks and full command over their armies, but this practice also meant that they were also essentially warlords as the Han court had no actual means to restrain them. In 308, the Han conquered Pingyang Commandery, where they moved their capital to Puzi (in modern [[Linfen]], [[Shanxi]]) and then to Pingyang city (also in modern Linfen), pressuring the Jin as they brought themselves closer to [[Luoyang]].

Liu Yuan died in 310 and was succeeded by his son [[Liu He (Han-Zhao)|Liu He]]. A week into his reign, He attempted to purge all his brothers before one of them, [[Liu Cong (Han-Zhao)|Liu Cong]], retaliated and killed him. He offered the throne to his half-brother, Liu Ai, who rejected it. After, Liu Cong took the throne for himself while appointing Ai as his crown prince. He then intensified his attack on Luoyang, which had been left exposed by the departure of the Jin imperial army and a deadly famine. In 311, Shi Le annihilated the Jin imperial army at the Battle of Ningping, depriving Jin of its main force in the north. Han forces led by [[Wang Mi]], [[Huyan Yan]] and [[Liu Yao]] then descended upon Luoyang, capturing the defenseless city and Emperor Huai in an event known as the [[Disaster of Yongjia]].

Despite the symbolic victory, Jin forces continued to resist in northern China, with [[Emperor Min of Jin|Emperor Min]] being installed at [[Chang'an]] in 312. More concerning was Shi Le gaining control of a significant part of the eastern empire after assassinating his fellow warlord, Wang Mi, and absorbing his army. Liu Cong, fearing that Shi Le may outright rebel, did not punish him, while Wang Mi's subordinate, [[Cao Ni]] continued to hold on to the [[Shandong]] region. In the west, Liu Cong heavily entrusted his cousin, Liu Yao, to lead the war against Emperor Min. After several years of campaigning, Liu Yao captured Chang'an in 316, ending the Western Jin dynasty. Both Emperor Huai and Min suffered similar fates; they were forced to serve as cupbearers for Liu Cong before they were executed out of fear they would rebel. After Emperor Min's capture, the imperial Sima family reestablished itself as the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Eastern Jin dynasty]] in 318 at [[Jiankang]], south of the [[Yangtze|Yangtze river]].

Within the Han court, Liu Cong also faced strong dissidence from his own ministers. Records depict him as a hedonistic ruler with a violent temperament, but restrained himself under pressure from his officials during his early reign. In his later reign, he had the unusual practice of having [[Liu Cong's later empresses|three empresses]] at a time, and he entrusted political affairs to his [[Eunuchs in China|eunuchs]] and [[consort kin]]s, which severely divided the court. He also began empowering his eldest son, [[Liu Can]], threatening Liu Ai's position as crown prince. This power struggle culminated in a brutal purge in 317 orchestrated by Liu Can and Liu Cong's consort kins which saw Liu Ai and several prominent ministers executed.

After Liu Cong's death in 318, his successor, Liu Can and the rest of the imperial family in Pingyang were massacred in a coup by a powerful consort kin, [[Jin Zhun]]. Jin Zhun declared himself [[Heavenly King]] of Han and invited the Eastern Jin court to assist him, but was ignored. Meanwhile, both Liu Yao and Shi Le combined their forces to oppose Jin Zhun. During the campaign, Liu Yao was acclaimed the new emperor by surviving Han officials fleeing from Pingyang. The rebellion was quickly defeated by the alliance, and Jin Zhun and his family were all killed.