Person

Liu Bei

161–223 · 3rd century

Liu Bei was a warlord of the late Eastern Han who claimed descent from the Han imperial house. With the strategist Zhuge Liang and in alliance with Sun Quan, he defeated Cao Cao at Red Cliffs in 208, then took Jing and Yi provinces. In 221 he proclaimed himself emperor of Han, known as Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms. His invasion of Wu to avenge Guan Yu ended in defeat at Xiaoting, and he died in 223.

Liu Bei
Image: Yan Liben (閻立本) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Shu HanEastern Wu

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Liu Bei. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/liu-bei
MLA
“Liu Bei.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/liu-bei. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Liu Bei.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/liu-bei.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Liu Bei’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/liu-bei (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻