The Gaopingling Incident (高平陵之变) of 254 was the coup in which Sima Shi deposed Cao Fang and placed Cao Mao on the Wei throne. Cao Fang had attempted to remove Sima Shi from power; the plot was discovered or forestalled, and Sima Shi used his control of the army and the capital to depose the emperor.
Context
Sima Yi had eliminated Cao Shuang in 249 (Gaoping Tombs Coup) and taken control of the Wei court. After Sima Yi’s death, Sima Shi inherited that power. Cao Fang’s reign was marked by further Sima consolidation. The Gaopingling Incident—named after the tomb or location associated with the events—was the moment when Sima Shi formally removed an emperor who had tried to resist, establishing the pattern that would lead to Sima Yan’s founding of the Jin dynasty after Sima Zhao’s death.
See also
- Gaoping Tombs Coup (249)
- Sima Shi
- Cao Fang
- Cao Mao
- Cao Wei