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Wang Mang's Usurpation and the Xin Dynasty

Type Event Region China Time 9–23

At the end of the Western Han, the powerful minister Wang Mang deposed the infant emperor Ruzi Ying in the name of abdication, declared himself emper…

Timeline

  1. 9Chang'an · GuanzhongWang Mang deposed Ruzi Ying in the name of abdication, changed the dynastic name to Xin, declared himself emperor, established the capital at Chang'an, and the Western Han officially ended.
  2. 9–17Chang'an · GuanzhongWang Mang implemented reforms modeled on antiquity such as the royal field system, currency reform, and official system changes, intending to restore the order of Zhou rites, but disrupted the economic and social structure, and popular resentment gradually arose.
  3. 17–23Guanzhong and the Central Plains · ChinaRebel armies such as the Green Forest and Red Eyebrows swept across the land, and Wang Mang's forces suffered repeated defeats. In 23 CE the Green Forest army captured Chang'an, Wang Mang was killed, and the Xin Dynasty collapsed.

Sources