Chen Dynasty

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Asia in 565 AD, showing Chen territory.

Chen Dynasty (陳朝 (Pinyin: Chén cháo)) (557-589) was the fourth and the last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty.

When the dynasty was founded by Emperor Wu, it was exceedingly weak, possessing only a small portion of the territory once held by its predecessor Liang Dynasty -- and that portion was devastated by wars that had doomed Liang. However, Emperor Wu's successors Emperor Wen and Emperor Xuan were capable rulers, and the state gradually solidified and strengthened, becoming roughly equal in power to rivals Northern Zhou and Northern Qi. After Northern Zhou destroyed Northern Qi in 577, however, Chen became cornered. Worse, its final emperor Chen Shubao was an incompetent and indulgent ruler, and Chen was eventually destroyed by Northern Zhou's successor state Sui.

[edit] Sovereigns of Chen Dynasty (557-589)

|Emperor Eric Chen (後主 hòu zhǔ) |Chen Shubao (陳叔寶 chén shú bǎo) |583-589 |Zhide (至德 zhì dé) 583-586
Zhenming (禎明 zhēn míng) 587-589 |}

[edit] References

• Book of Chen.
• History of Southern Dynasties.
• Zizhi Tongjian.