Sun Jian

Sun Jian (Chinese: 孫堅; pinyin: Sūn Jiān) () (155–191?), courtesy name Wentai, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian of Han in his power. Although he controlled neither many troops nor much land, Sun Jian's personal bravery and resourcefulness were feared by Dong Zhuo, who placed him among Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and Liu Biao as the most influential men at that time. After the coalition disbanded in the next year, China fell into civil war. In 191, Sun Jian was killed in battle during an offensive campaign against Liu Biao. Sun Jian was the father of Sun Quan, one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms era who eventually established the Eastern Wu dynasty in 222. Sun Jian was given the posthumous name Emperor Wulie (武烈皇帝) and the temple name Shizu (始祖).