He Jin

He Jin
何進
General-in-Chief (大將軍)
In office
184 (184) – 22 September 189 (22 September 189)
MonarchEmperor Ling of Han / Emperor Shao of Han
Intendant of Henan (河南尹)
In office
180–184
MonarchEmperor Ling of Han
Court Architect (將作大匠)
In office
180–184
MonarchEmperor Ling of Han
Palace Attendant (侍中)
In office
180–184
MonarchEmperor Ling of Han
Administrator of Yingchuan (潁川太守)
In office
?–180
MonarchEmperor Ling of Han
Personal details
BornUnknown
Nanyang, Henan
Died(189-09-22)22 September 189[1]
Luoyang, Henan
Parent
  • He Zhen (father)
Relatives
OccupationMilitary general, politician
Courtesy nameSuigao (遂高)
PeerageMarquis of Shen (慎侯)
Military service
AllegianceHan Empire
UnitHan Imperial Forces
Battles/warsYellow Turban Rebellion
Massacre of the Eunuchs

He Jin (pronunciation) (died 22 September 189), courtesy name Suigao, was a Chinese military general and politician. He was the military Grand Marshal and regent of the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.[1] He was an elder half-brother of Empress He (the empress consort of Emperor Ling), and a maternal uncle of Emperor Shao. In 189, he and his sister shared power as regents when the young Emperor Shao was put on the throne following Emperor Ling's death. During the time, the conflict between He Jin and the influential eunuch faction intensified. After they overheard a conversation between He Jin and the empress dowager, the eunuch faction lured him into a trap in the imperial palace and assassinated him. While He Jin's subordinates, led by the warlord Yuan Shao, slaughtered the eunuch faction in revenge, the warlord Dong Zhuo took advantage of the power vacuum to enter the imperial capital Luoyang and seize control of the Han central government. Dong Zhuo's seizure of control and the subsequent breakdown of central command that followed brought forth the beginning of massive civil wars that lasted for nearly a century, during which time the Han dynasty came to an end and the Three Kingdoms period began in its place.

  1. ^ a b de Crespigny (2007), p. 312.
  2. ^ He Miao had no blood relations with He Jin, as He Miao shared the same mother with Empress Lingsi; his original surname was Zhu. (皇后兄何进,异父兄朱苗,...) Houhanshu vol.104. He Zhen was Zhu Miao's mother's second husband.
  3. ^ (張讓子婦,太后之妹也。) Houhanshu vol. 69.