The Three Kingdoms Period refers to the era of Chinese history from 220 to 280 CE, following the collapse of the Han dynasty, during which China was divided among three rival states: Cao Wei in the north, Shu Han in the southwest and Eastern Wu in the south. The period began when the last Han emperor was forced to abdicate in 220 CE and the warlord families who had already effectively ruled their own territories for decades formally proclaimed independent kingdoms, and it is marked by near-constant warfare among the three states as each sought to reunify China under its own rule. Though militarily and politically turbulent, the period produced a lasting body of history and legend, most famously through the later historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," which turned its generals and strategists into some of the most enduring figures in Chinese popular culture. The period ended in 280 CE when the Jin dynasty reunified China.
Facts
Geographic ScopeChina, divided among Wei in the north, Shu in the southwest and Wu in the southeast 1 The Three Kingdoms Period
Filter Results1 entry
FAQs
Did the Three Kingdoms period really begin in 220 and end in 280?
In a strict sense it ran from 220 to 265 CE, but historians usually stretch it from 190 to 280 CE.
Those dates are the common shorthand, and the sources treat the edges differently. In a strict academic sense the period lasted from 220 CE, when the founding of Wei put an end to the Han regime, to 265 CE, when Wei was replaced by the Jin regime. Historians usually extend the starting point to 190 CE, when Dong Zhuo abducted Emperor Xian from the capital at Luoyang, and the end point to 280 CE, when Wu was conquered by Jin.
Connections
Associated With
In Era
Placed in its broad period by the atlas SubLabel and dated range
Includes
General historical classification: Zhuge Liang served as chancellor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms, until his death in 234.
Preceded By
Why this is disputed. Period boundaries and the exact sequence are debated among historians.
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 CE), Berkshire Publishing ECPH China
opening paragraph
The Three Kingdoms period (220-280) was an era of disunity following the Eastern Han dynasty, during which there arose three powerful kingdoms: Wei, Shu, and Wu.
paragraph on the three states' territory
The three-way hegemony lasted more than fourty years, with Wei in the north, Shu in the southwest and Wu in the southeast.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.