The Wang clan of Langya (or Langye) (Chinese: 琅琊王氏) was a Chinese clan which gained political prominence during the Han dynasty and became one of the most powerful non-imperial clans during the Eastern Jin period.

Wang
Clan
Former residence of Wang Xizhi in Linyi, Shandong
Place of originLangya Commandery
Foundedlate Qin dynasty (c. 207 BC)
FounderWang Yuan
TitlesVarious
Connected familiesWang clan of Taiyuan
DissolutionFive Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (c. 900s AD)

History

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Origins

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According to the New Book of Tang, the Wang clan was founded in Langya by Wang Yuan, a great-grandson of Wang Jian, who fled the collapsing Qin dynasty after the death of his father Wang Li (王離) in the battle of Julu. Wang Ji [zh], a fourth-generation descendant of Wang Yuan (王元), served as an official in the Western Han dynasty, becoming the first recorded member of the clan to hold a position in the imperial bureaucracy.[1]

Jin dynasty

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During the Western Jin period, Wang Rong was a prominent scion of the clan, reaching the rank of Situ. He was also the youngest member of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.

After the Disaster of Yongjia, when the Jin capital of Luoyang was sacked by Former Zhao forces, the Langya Wang clan, led by the brothers Wang Dao and Wang Dun, played an instrumental role in the preservation of the Jin dynasty, accompanying the future Emperor Yuan of Jin in leaving Luoyang and heading south to Jiankang (modern day Nanjing).[2] Such was their influence in ensuring stability during the transition from Western to Eastern Jin, and in managing both local rebellions and the interests of refugee clans fleeing from the north, that it was said that "All Under Heaven is jointly ruled by the Wang and Sima clans" (王与马,共天下).[3]

Prominent members

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Qin dynasty

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Han dynasty

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Jin dynasty

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Northern and Southern dynasties

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Tang dynasty

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Ouyang, Xiu; et al. "Book 72". New Book of Tang.
  2. ^ a b Fang, Xuanling; et al. "Book 65". Book of Jin.
  3. ^ a b Fang, Xuanling; et al. "Book 98". Book of Jin.
  4. ^ Fang, Xuanling; et al. "Book 43". Book of Jin.
  5. ^ Fang, Xuanling; et al. "Book 80". Book of Jin.