Person

Sima Yuanxian

382–402 · 4th century

Sima Yuanxian was a prince of the Eastern Jin dynasty and son of Sima Daozi, whom he displaced as the effective ruler of the court in 399 under the disabled Emperor An. His conscription of the dependants of eastern landholders provoked the rebellion of Sun En. In 402 he launched a campaign against Huan Xuan, but the Beifu general Liu Laozhi defected, and Huan Xuan took Jiankang and had him executed.

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻