Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220)

One of the most notable dynasties in Chinese history was the Han Dynasty, which lasted over four hundred years in its entirety. The Han ruled contemporaneously with the Roman Republic and the empire.

The fall of the Qin Empire in 206 BC was followed by a civil war until Liu Bang became king of Han, taking the title of the first Emperor of the Han Dynasty in 202 BC. Liu Bang was posthumously known as Gaodi and ruled from 206 BC to 195 BC. Historians divide the Han Dynasty into three periods: the Western Han (also known as Former Han) dating from 206 BC to AD 9, followed by a short interregnum during which China was ruled by Wang Mang until AD 23; in AD 25 the Liu family reasserted itself as the Eastern Han Dynasty (also known as Later Han) until its fall in 220.