War of The Eight Princes

The War of the Eight Princes, Rebellion of the Eight Kings or Rebellion of the Eight Princes (simplified Chinese: 八王之乱; traditional Chinese: 八王之亂; pinyin: bā wáng zhī luàn; Wade–Giles: pa wang chih luan) was a civil war for power among princes and dukes (wang ch. 王) of the Chinese Jin Dynasty from AD 291 to AD 306. The term stems from biographies of eight princes collected in chapter 59 of the "History of Jin Dynasty" (Jinshu).

Technically, the term "War of the Eight Princes" is somewhat of a misnomer: rather than one continuous conflict, the War of the Eight Princes saw intervals of peace interposed with short and intense periods of internecine conflict. At no point in the whole conflict were all of the eight princes on one side of the fighting (as opposed to, for example, the Rebellion of the Seven States). The literal Chinese translation, Disorder of the Eight Princes, may be more appropriate in this regard.

While initial conflicts were relatively minor and confined to the imperial capital of Luoyang and its surroundings, the scope of the war expanded with each new prince that entered the struggle. At its conclusion, the War devastated the Jin heartlands in northern China, and was a major cause of the Wu Hu ravaging that ended the Western Jin.