kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Huan Chu

403 CE – 404 CE · capital Jiankang

The brief usurping dynasty of Huan Xuan, who seized the Eastern Jin throne at Jiankang in 403 and was overthrown by Liu Yu within months.

Origins

Huan Xuan was the son of the great general Huan Wen and controlled Jing province on the middle Yangtze. In 402 he marched on Jiankang, overthrowing the regent Sima Daozi's family, and in 403 he forced Emperor An of the Eastern Jin to abdicate and proclaimed himself emperor of Chu.

Rule and society

Huan Xuan was a cultivated aristocrat and collector of calligraphy, but his rule was erratic, marked by grandiose building and constant changes of policy. He lacked the loyalty of the Beifu army, the main northern military force.

Decline and legacy

In 404 Liu Yu and other Beifu officers rose at Jingkou and took Jiankang. Huan Xuan fled west with the captive Emperor An and was killed. The Eastern Jin was restored under Liu Yu's control, the first step towards his founding of the Liu Song.

Lineage

Eastern Jin 317 CE – 420 CEHuan ChuEastern Jin 317 CE – 420 CE

More states of China, Tibet and Mongolia →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻