kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia
Southern Yan
Origins
When Northern Wei took the Later Yan capital Zhongshan in 397, Murong De, a younger brother of Murong Chui, led followers south to Huatai, proclaiming himself King of Yan in 398. In 399 he moved east to Guanggu (near Qingzhou, Shandong) and in 400 declared himself emperor.
Rule and society
Southern Yan ruled the Shandong region with a Xianbei military elite and Chinese officials. Murong De's nephew and successor Murong Chao alienated the court and raided the Eastern Jin, seizing captives to train as court musicians.
Decline and legacy
The raids provoked the Eastern Jin general Liu Yu, who invaded in 409, besieged Guanggu and took it in 410. Murong Chao was executed at Jiankang and thousands of Xianbei nobles were killed, ending the Murong states.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Southern Yan was conquered by Eastern Jin410 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Southern Yan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-yan
- MLA
- “Southern Yan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-yan. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Southern Yan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-yan.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Southern Yan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-yan (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻