Disaster of Yongjia


The Disaster of Yongjia refers to events in Chinese history that occurred in 311 CE, when the Han Zhao forces, mostly of Xiongnu and other ethnic groups, captured and sacked Luoyang, the capital of the Jin dynasty. After this victory, the Han Zhao army committed a massacre when entering the city, killing the Jin crown prince, a host of ministers, and over 30,000 civilians. They also burnt down the palaces and dug up Jin mausoleums. This was seen as the event that led to the fall of the unified Western Jin dynasty and its re-establishment as the Eastern Jin dynasty, as well as the loss of northern China to the Sixteen Kingdoms.