Summary
Sima You (246[1] – 27 April 283[2]), courtesy name Dayou, was an imperial prince of the Western Jin dynasty of China. He was the second son of Sima Zhao, a regent of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, and Zhao's wife Wang Yuanji.
| Sima You 司馬攸 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Qi (齊王) | |||||||||
| Tenure | 9 February 266 – 27 April 283 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Cao Fang | ||||||||
| Successor | Sima Jiong | ||||||||
| Born | 248? (246) | ||||||||
| Died | 27 April 283 (aged 37) | ||||||||
| Spouse | Jia Bao | ||||||||
| Issue Detail |
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| House | House of Sima | ||||||||
| Father | Sima Zhao | ||||||||
| Mother | Wang Yuanji | ||||||||
Sima You became the heir to his uncle, Sima Shi, who eventually died without any sons. It is known that Sima You was a person of mild-mannered character, who was expected to become King of Jin, but ended up being passed over due to his young age. The heir that was eventually chosen was Sima Zhao's first son, Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), who usurped the Cao Wei throne and established the Jin dynasty with himself as the new emperor in February 266. Sima You was made Prince of Qi on 9 February 266.[3]
When Emperor Wu appointed his developmentally disabled son heir apparent, he was concerned that his subjects viewed Sima You too favourably. In order to strengthen his son's position, he ordered Sima You away from Luoyang in 282 to his fiefdom of Qi, despite protestations from their sisters, Princess Jingzhao and Princess Changshan.[4] Sima You fell ill from the stress and died soon after at the age of 36 (by East Asian age reckoning).[5]
Sima You's son, Sima Jiong, was one of the eight princes involved in the War of the Eight Princes during the reign of Emperor Hui, the second emperor of the Jin dynasty.
References edit
- ^ Although Sima You's biography in Book of Jin indicated that he was 36 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died, his biography also indicated that he was 10 (by East Asian reckoning) when Sima Shi died (in March 255). In addition, his biography also indicated that he was older than 18 (by East Asian reckoning) when the "five-rank peerage" system was reinstated (in 264), which would not be the case if his birth year is 248. Thus, his age at death should be greater than 36 (by East Asian reckoning).
- ^ According to Sima Yan's biography in Book of Jin, Sima You died on the guichou day of the 3rd month of the 4th year of the Taikang era of his reign. This corresponds to 27 Apr 283 on the Julian calendar. [(太康四年三月)癸丑，大司马齐王攸薨。 ] Jin Shu, vol.03
- ^ dingmao day of the 12th month of the 1st year of the Taishi era, per Sima Yan's biography in Book of Jin.
- ^ Fang, Xuanling, ed. (648). "列傳第十二" [Historical Biography 12]. 晉書 [Book of Jin] (in Chinese).
- ^ Fang, Xuanling, ed. (648). "帝纪第三" [Chronicles of the Emperor]. 晉書 [Book of Jin] (in Chinese).
- Chen, Shou. Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Fang, Xuanling. Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
- Pei, Songzhi. Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).
- Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian.