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Three Kingdoms

184 CE – 280 CE

The fracturing of Han China into the rival states of Wei, Shu, and Wu — the age of Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang, and the Battle of Red Cliffs, immortalised in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

74 events · 186 people · 1 eras

Key events

1. Yellow Turban Rebellion184 CE
   Zhang Jiao's millenarian uprising shattered Han authority and began the warlord era.
2. Battle of Red Cliffs208 CE
   The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in China that took place during the winter of 208–209 AD. It was fought on the Yangtze River between the forces of warlords controlling different parts of the country during the end of the Han dynasty. The allied forces of Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and Liu Qi based south of the Yangtze defeated the numerically superior forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao. By doing so, Liu Bei and Sun Quan prevented Cao Cao from conquering any lands south of the Yangtze, frustrating Cao Cao's efforts to reunify the territories formerly held by the Eastern Han dynasty.
3. Cao Pi founds the Wei dynasty220 CE
   Cao Pi accepted the Han emperor's abdication and proclaimed the Wei dynasty, ending the Han.
4. Jin's conquest of Wu reunifies China279 CE
   Jin launched its grand offensive against Wu in 279; Jianye fell and Sun Hao surrendered in 280, ending the Three Kingdoms.
5. Battle of Wuchao200 CE
   The Battle of Wuchao was part of the conflict between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao's armies, and was the most crucial phase in the Battle of Guandu. The event resulted in Yuan Shao's large army collapsing due to lack of provisions, further strengthening Cao Cao's power.
6. Liu Bei proclaims the Shu Han221 CE
   Liu Bei declared himself emperor at Chengdu, claiming the Han mandate as Shu Han.
7. Death of Zhuge Liang at the Wuzhang Plains234 CE
   Zhuge Liang died on campaign at the Wuzhang Plains, ending Shu's northern expeditions.
8. Battle of Guandu200 CE
   The Battle of Guandu was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in 200 AD in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Cao Cao's decisive victory against Yuan Shao's numerically superior forces marked the turning point in their war. The victory was also the point at which Cao Cao became the dominant power in northern China, leading to the establishment of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period.
9. Battle of Tong Pass211 CE
   The Battle of Tong Pass, also known as the Battle of Weinan, was fought between the warlord Cao Cao and a coalition of forces from Guanxi between April and November 211 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle was initiated by Cao Cao's western expansion, which triggered uprisings in Guanxi. Cao Cao scored a decisive victory over the Guanxi coalition and established a hold of the Guanzhong region.
10. Sun Quan proclaims the Eastern Wu229 CE
    Sun Quan declared himself emperor at Wuchang, completing the three-way division of the empire.
11. Battle of Boma200 CE
    The Battle of Boma or Battle of Baima was the first of a series of battles that led to the decisive Battle of Guandu between the warlords Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in northern China in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Although Cao Cao won the battle and Yuan Shao lost his elite general Yan Liang, Cao eventually abandoned his position in Boma to entrench at the strategically important Guandu.
12. Wei conquers Shu Han263 CE
    Deng Ai's march on Chengdu forced Liu Shan's surrender, ending the state of Shu.

Notable people

• Cao Cao155 CE – 220 CE
• Zhuge Liang181 CE – 234 CE
• Guan Yu162 CE – 220 CE
• Cao Pi187 CE – 226 CE
• Emperor Wu of Jin236 CE – 290 CE
• Liu Bei161 CE – 223 CE
• Sun Quan182 CE – 252 CE
• Liu Shan207 CE – 271 CE
• Sima Guang1019 CE – 1086 CE
• Lü Bu160 CE –
• Emperor Xian of Han181 CE – 234 CE
• Zhang Fei167 CE – 221 CE

Eras spanning this view

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• Tang Dynasty China
• East Asia

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Events from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA); base map © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); era boundaries are a hand-curated set in v1. Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].