Some remarks about acts of grace during the Jin dynasty

Basic data for this talk

Type of talkscientific talk
Name der VortragendenNagel-Angermann, Monique
Date of talk26/07/2019
Talk languageEnglish

Information about the event

Name of the eventLaw and Society in Premodern East Asia
Event period26/07/2019 - 28/07/2019
Event locationWWU Münster, Münster, Deutschland
Event websitehttps://www.uni-muenster.de/Sinologie/forschung/konferenzen/law_society_premodern_east_asia.html
Organised byWWU Münster, Institut für Sinologie und Ostasienkunde

Abstract

The time of the Western Jin (265-316) and Eastern Jin 東晉 (317-420) is characterized by great political and social instability. The invasion of foreign mounted tribes and internal struggles led to several waves of massive migration, especially to the south, where the Eastern Jin 317 reconstituted its realm after the downfall of the Western Jin. At the same time, the north was dominated by several short-lived regimes known as the "Sixteen States" Shiliuguo 十六國. They were mostly led by rulers of the Xiongnu Group, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang. The emperors of the Jin Dynasty as well as the rulers of the Sixteen States proclaimed a large number of amnesties. By means of amnesties, penalties were cancelled or mitigated as acts of mercy. Records of the practice of amnesty during the Jin Dynasty therefore provide a valuable basis for studying this phenomenon in Chinese legal history. The presentation will focus on two aspects. It begins with a critical input of Liu Song 劉頌(died 300) to Jin Huidi 晉惠帝 (reigned 290-306), whose reign is characterized by a particularly high number of amnesties. Another focus will be on dealing with amnesties among the rulers of the Sixteen States, as recorded by historiography.

Speakers from the University of Münster

Nagel-Angermann, Monique
Institute of Sinology and East Asian Studies