Yellow Turban Rebellion

The Yellow Turban Rebellion (Chinese: 黃巾之亂; pinyin: Huángjīn zhī luàn), alternatively translated as the Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt during the late Eastern Han dynasty of ancient China. The uprising broke out in 184 AD, during the reign of Emperor Ling. Although the main rebellion was suppressed by 185 AD, it took 21 years to fully subdue resisting areas and emerging rebellions, which was only achieved in 205 AD. The weakening of the imperial court and the rising political influence of autonomous regional military-governors, who helped suppress the rebellion, eventually led to rampant warlord dominance and the resultant Three Kingdoms period.

The rebellion, which took its name from the colour of the rebels' headwear (巾 jīn, defined as more of a scarf than a turban) marked an important point in the history of Taoism due to the rebel leaders' association with the then secret Taoist societies. The revolt was also used as the inciting event in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Background

By 184 AD, the Han Dynasty's central government was weakened by court eunuchs abusing their power over the emperor to enrich themselves. Twelve of the most powerful eunuchs were referred to as the Ten Attendants with Emperor Ling once claiming that "Regular Attendant Zhang Rang is my father and Regular Attendant Zhao Zhong is my mother". The government corruption was perceived as causing plagues, natural disasters, and poor agricultural yields, reflecting that the emperor had lost his Mandate of Heaven.

As flooding along the Yellow River forced farmers and military settlers south, the labor surplus incentivized exploitation. Disease outbreaks were reported in 171, 173, 179, 182, and 185 AD, with the potential cause theorized as the Antonine Plague of 165 to 181CE of smallpox or measles spreading along the Silk Road.