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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

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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
    battle fought at the end of the 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
    Cao Cao's night raid burned Yuan Shao's granary at Wuchao, the decisive stroke of the Guandu war.
  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
    Cao Cao crossed the Wei River and crushed the Guanzhong coalition of Ma Chao and Han Sui.
  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
    Opening clash of the Guandu campaign, where Guan Yu slew Yuan Shao's general Yan Liang.
  12. Wei conquers Shu Han263 CE
    Deng Ai's march on Chengdu forced Liu Shan's surrender, ending the state of Shu.

Notable people

Eras spanning this view

Three Kingdoms184 CE – 280 CE

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Events from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA); boundaries from OpenHistoricalMap (ODbL). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].