The Three Kingdoms Period

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.