Wang Mang's Usurpation and Xin Dynasty
9 CE · Classical Antiquity
In 9 CE, Wang Mang, a Han dynasty court official and regent, usurped the throne from the Liu family and established the Xin dynasty in Chang'an. This split the Han dynasty into Western Han (206 BCE-9 CE) and Eastern Han (25-220 CE) periods. Wang Mang implemented land redistribution, abolished slavery, and introduced new currency. His reign faced natural disasters, economic instability, and peasant unrest, leading to the Red Eyebrows Rebellion. The Xin dynasty collapsed in 23 CE when rebels executed Wang Mang. Liu Xiu restored the Han dynasty.
Key Figures
Wang MangEmperor Ping of Han
Locations
Chang'an
Topics
ancient chinahan dynastyusurpationconfucianismland reform
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Wang Mang usurpation caused loss of Han control over the Western Regions, directly motivating the Eastern Han court to dispatch Ban Chao to re-establish Silk Road dominance Ban Chao's Silk Road Missions
Wang Mang's reign suffered devastating earthquakes that contributed to his downfall; the restored Eastern Han dynasty's traumatic memory of natural disasters motivated imperial investment in Zhang Heng's earthquake detection technology Zhang Heng's Seismoscope Invention
Wang Mang's 9 CE usurpation interrupted the Han imperial line that Liu Bang founded; the dynasty restored under the Eastern Han demonstrates how durable the founding institutions proved Liu Bang Founds the Han Dynasty
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