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Cao Cao (155-220) was a powerful statesman and military leader who controlled the Han central government and founded the state of Cao Wei. He is known for his achievements, his cruelty, and his poems, and is often portrayed as a villain in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Cao Cao was one of the greatest of the generals at the end of the Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce) of China. Cao’s father was the adopted son of the chief eunuch of the imperial court. Cao was initially a minor garrison commander and rose to prominence as a general when he suppressed the Yellow Turban
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Early Life & Family
- Yellow Turban Rebellion
- Cao Cao's Reforms
- Death & Legacy
- Cao Cao's Tomb
The early life and biographical details of Cao Cao are sketchy and disputed, facts being difficult to separate from legend. Cao Cao was born in c. 155 CE, the son of Lady Ding and Cao Song, who was himself the adopted son of Cao Teng, an influential and powerful eunuch at the Han court. The association with the eunuchs, who pulled the strings of im...
Cao Cao's first role of note was as Commandant and police chief at Luoyang, the capital, during the 170s CE. He early-on established a reputation for being a stickler with the law and was not afraid to challenge the rich and powerful. He came to wider prominence when he famously put down the Yellow Turban rebellion in the second half of the 2nd cen...
Cao Cao, although having conquered the Yellow River valley, the Wuhuan in the northeast (207 CE), and now holding much of northern China, struggled to control all of the former Han territories. Large areas under the jurisdiction of rival warlords still remained. His attempts to unify a greater area of China met with spectacular failure in the form ...
Cao Cao died in 220 CE but his second son, Cao Pi, would go on to outdo his father. Forcing the last Han emperor to abdicate, he then founded the Wei dynasty (221-265 CE). Calling himself Emperor Wen, he also became an accomplished and pioneering poet and literary critic. Cao Cao was, meanwhile, given the posthumous title of Emperor Wu of Wei, but ...
Interest in Cao Cao was further piqued in 2008 CE by Chinese archaeologists claiming they had discovered his tomb. Excavated near Xigaoxue in Henan province, the tomb consists of two main chambers connected by an arched doorway and covers 750 square metres (8,000 square feet). Unfortunately, the tomb had already been looted and its connection with ...
- Mark Cartwright
Learn about Cao Cao, one of the most capable generals of ancient China who rose to power during the Han Dynasty. Discover his achievements, controversies, and legacy through 42 misunderstood facts.
May 30, 2024 · Cao Cao, the "Father of the Three Kingdoms," was a renowned warlord and statesman during the late Eastern Han Dynasty in China. Known for his military genius and political cunning, he founded the state of Wei and played a pivotal role in the power struggles following the Han Dynasty's collapse.
Learn about Cao Cao, a prominent figure of the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. He was a skilled general, a reformer, a poet and the founder of the Wei Kingdom.
Portrait of Cao Cao from a Qing Dynasty edition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the hunched figure clearly portraying him as a villain. Cáo Cāo (曹操; 155 – March 15, 220) was a warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during its final years in ancient China.
