kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Han Zhao

304 CE – 329 CE · capital Pingyang, Chang'an

The first of the Sixteen Kingdoms, founded by the Xiongnu noble Liu Yuan, whose armies sacked Luoyang in 311 and destroyed the Western Jin.

Origins

Liu Yuan, a descendant of the Southern Xiongnu shanyus educated in the Chinese classics, rebelled during the War of the Eight Princes. In 304 he proclaimed himself King of Han, claiming the Han Dynasty's legacy through ancestral marriages between Han princesses and shanyus. He became emperor in 308 and in 309 moved his capital to Pingyang in Shanxi.

Rule and society

The state ruled Chinese subjects through a Chinese-style bureaucracy and the tribes through a separate Xiongnu hierarchy. Liu Cong's generals, including Shi Le and Liu Yao, captured Luoyang in 311 and Chang'an in 316, taking two Jin emperors prisoner. After a coup in 318, Liu Yao moved the capital to Chang'an and renamed the state Zhao.

Decline and legacy

Shi Le, who had broken away to found Later Zhao, captured Liu Yao at Luoyang in 328. Chang'an fell in 329 and the dynasty was wiped out. Han Zhao began three centuries in which northern China was ruled by dynasties of steppe origin.

Connections (3)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Han Zhao. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/han-zhao
MLA
“Han Zhao.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/han-zhao. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Han Zhao.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/han-zhao.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Han Zhao’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/han-zhao (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻