Early life

Sima Dewen was the second son of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin and his concubine Consort Chen Guinü in 386, born four years after Consort Chen had given birth to their oldest son, Sima Dezong. Contrary to his older brother who was described as so developmentally disabled that he was unable to speak, clothe himself, or express whether he was hungry or full, Sima Dewen was described as an intelligent child. From childhood, he became accustomed to care for his brother, especially after their mother's death in 390. Their father did not have any other sons. Despite Sima Dezong's severe developmental disability, he was made crown prince in 387 at the age of five by Emperor Xiaowu. In 392, Emperor Xiaowu bestowed upon Sima Dewen the title of "Prince of Langya" — the second most prestigious title for a prince after "Crown Prince". In 396, Emperor Xiaowu was strangled by his favorite concubine Honoured Lady Zhang after making an offensive remark about her age, and in 397 Sima Dezong succeeded the throne as Emperor An of Jin. Sima Dewen continued to care for his brother after his ascension to the throne.

During Emperor Ans reign

Sometime during Emperor An's reign, Sima Dewen married his wife, Chu Lingyuan, who was from an aristocratic family. She bore him two daughters, Sima Maoying, later created the Princess Haiyan, and the later Princess Fuyang.

Throughout Emperor An's early reign, Sima Dewen received increasingly honorific offices, but had little actual power, as the power was initially in the hands of his uncle, the regent Sima Daozi the Prince of Kuaiji, and later in the hands of Sima Daozi's son Sima Yuanxian. The situation continued after Sima Yuanxian was overthrown by the warlord Huan Xuan in 402.

In 403, Huan Xuan forced Emperor An to yield the throne to him, temporarily ending Jin. Huan Xuan established a new state of Chu, and he created Emperor An the Prince of Pinggu and Sima Dewen the Duke of Shiyang, but kept them close to him to watch them. In 404, however, a rebellion by the general Liu Yu quickly led to Huan Xuan's destruction and Emperor An's restoration. When, however, later that year Emperor An and Sima Dewen fell into the hands of Huan Xuan's nephew Huan Zhen (桓振), Huan Zhen considered executing Emperor An to avenge Huan Xuan's young son Huan Sheng (桓昇), who was killed by the rebels. It took great pleading on Sima Dewen's part, explaining that neither he nor Emperor An had had anything to do with Huan Sheng's death, for Huan Zhen to spare Emperor An. In early 405, Huan Zhen was defeated, and Emperor An and Sima Dewen returned to the capital Jiankang, but by this point power was in Liu Yu's hands, albeit in a power-sharing agreement with a number of allies whom he had had to recruit in his campaign against Huan Xuan.

As the years went by, Liu Yu gradually concentrated more and more power in his hands, destroying rivals including Liu Yi, Zhuge Zhangmin (諸葛長民), and Sima Xiuzhi, while greatly showing his strength in campaigns destroying rival states Southern Yan, Western Shu, and Later Qin. Sima Dewen continued to be largely ceremonially honored but actually powerless during this period. In 416, during Liu Yu's campaign against Later Qin, Sima Dewen asked to undertake a mission in Luoyang, recently captured from Later Qin, to try to restore the imperial tombs of the early Jin emperors, but it is not known what came of the mission. He returned to Jiankang in 418 after Liu Yu destroyed Later Qin.

Late that year, Liu Yu, intending to seize the throne and believing a prophecy stating, "There will be two more emperors after Changming" (Changming, which meant "dawn," was the courtesy name of Emperor Xiaowu), became intent on killing Emperor An and replacing him with Sima Dewen. However, because Sima Dewen continuously attended to his brother, assassins whom Liu Yu sent to poison Emperor An did not have the opportunity to do so. However, around the new year 419, Sima Dewen was ill and had to be at his own house, and Liu Yu's assassin Wang Shaozhi (王韶之) took the opportunity to kill Emperor An. Liu Yu then declared Sima Dewen emperor, as Emperor Gong.

Reign

Emperor Gong's reign was a brief and powerless one. He created his wife Princess Chu empress in spring 419. He also promoted Liu Yu, then carrying the title Duke of Song, to the Prince of Song, which Liu Yu initially declined but accepted in fall 419. In spring 420, Liu Yu, then at Shouyang sent his assistant Fu Liang to Jiankang to pressure Emperor Gong to yield the throne. Emperor Gong responded by summoning Liu Yu back to the capital in summer 419, and Fu then offered him a draft of an abdication edict, requesting that he write it personally. Sima Dewen did so, and then left the palace and went to his old house while he was Prince of Langya. Three days later, Liu Yu took the throne and established Liu Song, ending Jin.

After abdication

Liu Yu created Sima Dewen the Prince of Lingling and built a palace for him near Jiankang. He had the general Liu Zunkao, a distant cousin, lead a group of guards, ostensibly to protect the prince but instead to keep him under watch.

Soon, Liu Yu, still believing Sima Dewen to be a threat, sent Sima Dewen's former attendant Zhang Wei a bottle of poisoned wine, ordering him to poison Sima Dewen. Zhang, not wanting to carry out the order, drank the wine himself and died. Meanwhile, however, in order to prevent any likelihood that Sima Dewen would have a male heir, Liu Yu ordered Princess Chu's brothers Chu Xiuzhi (褚秀之) and Chu Danzhi (褚淡之) to poison any male children whom Princess Chu or Sima Dewen's concubines would bear. Sima Dewen himself feared death greatly, and he and Princess Chu remained in the same house, cooking their own meals, with Princess Chu paying for the material herself. Assassins whom Liu Yu sent initially could find no chance to kill the former emperor.

In fall 421, Liu Yu sent Chu Danzhi and his brother Chu Shudu (褚叔度) to visit their sister. As Princess Chu came out to meet her brothers in a different house, soldiers sent by Liu Yu intruded into Sima Dewen's house and ordered him to take poison. He refused, stating that Buddhist doctrines prohibit suicide and that those who commit suicide could not be reborn as humans in their next lives. The assassins therefore used a blanket to cover his head and asphyxiated him. He was buried with imperial honors.

Era name

• Yuanxi (元熙 Yuánxī) 11 February 419 – 10 July 420

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Gongsi, of the Chu clan of Henan (恭思皇后 河南褚氏; 384–436), personal name Lingyuan (靈媛)

　• Princess Haiyan (海鹽公主; 403–439), personal name Maoying (茂英)

　　• Married Liu Yifu (406–424)

　• Princess Fuyang (富陽公主)

Ancestry

生平

受封琅邪

太元十七年十一月庚寅日（392年12月27日）受封為琅邪王，後又拜中軍將軍、散騎常侍。隆安二年（398年）轉衞將軍、開府儀同三司。隆安三年（399年）遷侍中，領司徒、錄尚書六條事。元興元年（402年），桓玄擊敗司馬道子父子，掌握朝政，改以司馬德文為太宰。

桓玄篡逆

元興二年十二月壬辰日（404年1月1日），桓玄篡位稱帝，貶晉安帝為平固王，司馬德文亦因而降封「石陽縣公」。不久桓玄遷安帝至尋陽（今江西九江市），司馬德文亦跟隨。元興三年（404年），劉裕起兵討伐桓玄，桓玄兵敗逃到尋陽，得郭昶之給予器具及士兵後再逼晉安帝與其同至江陵（今湖北江陵）；及至桓玄敗死於逃往益州途中，荊州別駕王康產及南郡太守王騰之迎晉安帝至南郡府舍時，司馬德文亦緊隨。然而，桓振等桓楚餘眾趁劉毅等軍未及趕至江陵，乘虛來襲，最終江陵城陷，王康產及王騰之遇害，桓振亦騎馬揮戈直入，問桓玄子桓昇下落，並在得知其死訊後大怒，指責他們屠殺桓氏。當時司馬德文辯護道：「這又豈會是我們兄弟的意思！」在桓謙苦勸下，桓振才沒有加害安帝。隨後桓振繼續控制江陵，並以司馬德文為徐州刺史，繼續對抗由劉毅所統領的討伐軍隊。

義熙元年（405年），劉毅等軍攻下江陵，司馬德文亦與安帝一同在何無忌護送下返回建康。回建康後，司馬德文遷大司馬，並於義熙四年（408年）加領司徒。

參與北伐

義熙十二年（416年），劉裕預備北伐後秦，時劉裕圖以晉室名聲安撫北方人民，故想奉司馬德文之名北伐，司馬德文因而上書出兵，以修謁晉室山陵，最終劉裕就與司馬德文一同率兵出發。義熙十三年（417年），劉裕成功滅亡後秦，同年年末班師東歸，司馬德文亦跟隨，至次年（418年）夏季，劉裕到達彭城（今江蘇徐州市），司馬德文先回建康。不久，劉裕受九錫，封宋王。

登位讓國

劉裕當時指派了中書侍郎王韶之圖謀殺害晉安帝，立司馬德文為帝，以應「昌明之後尚有二帝」的預言。不過因司馬德文無論飲食還是睡覺都和晉安帝在一起，王韶之無法下手。可是司馬德文卻於當年年末患病，離開了安帝，王韶之趁機會下手，將安帝殺死。劉裕則假稱遺詔，以司馬德文繼位。

元熙二年六月壬戌（420年7月5日），劉裕入朝，傅亮暗示司馬德文禪讓帝位給劉裕，並將禪讓詔書的草稿上呈，要他抄寫。司馬德文欣然接受，執筆抄寫，並說：「桓玄篡位那時，晉室經已失去天下了，又因劉公延長了國祚，至今已將近二十年了；今日作這種事，是心甘情願的。」兩日後，司馬德文退居琅邪王府，百官向晉帝告別，東晉至此滅亡。又三日後，劉裕正式登位，並奉司馬德文為零陵王，讓他遷至秣陵縣（今江蘇江寧縣）的舊縣治作為其府第，正朔、車駕、衣服等都依晉朝規格，正如昔日晉篡魏的先例，並命劉遵派兵守衞。

被殺

及後劉裕就有殺害司馬德文的意圖，最初就命前琅邪國郎中令張禕拿毒酒去殺司馬德文，但張禕就嘆道：「要毒殺主君去讓自己活下去，不如死了！」竟在路上喝下毒酒自盡。司馬德文自己也十分害怕會遭毒手，於是起居飲食都由王妃褚靈媛打點，食物也在自己面前烹煮，令加害者無從下手。不過，褚靈媛兄褚秀之及褚淡之都忠於劉裕，一直以來司馬德文生下的男嬰都被二人藉故害死。至永初二年（421年）九月，劉裕即命褚淡之及褚叔度去見褚靈媛，乘機支開她到另一個房間。及後士兵就翻過牆進入府內，逼司馬德文服食毒藥。但司馬德文不肯，更說：「佛教所稱，自殺的人都不能輪迴再生為人。」士兵於是用被褥將其悶死，享年三十六歲。司馬德文以晉禮下葬於沖平陵，諡恭皇帝。

性格特徵

• 史載，晉安帝司馬德宗從小到大都不會說話，甚至連冬夏的氣侯轉變也不能分辨。而司馬德文一直侍奉左右，打理他的生活起居，以恭敬謹慎而聞名，亦得當時人們稱許。

• 司馬德文信奉佛教，曾下令打造了一個高一丈六寸的黃金佛像，並親身到瓦官寺迎其上位。其死前所言亦証其篤信佛教。

逸事

• 據說司馬德文年幼時頗為殘忍急躁，在琅邪國時更曾命擅長射箭的人射擊馬匹作為娛樂。當時有人說：「馬是國姓，而你自己就去殺牠，這是很不祥的事呀！」司馬德文明白此言，亦甚為後悔。

大臣

• 劉裕，相國，宋公。

• 謝澹，太保。

• 劉宣范，尚書兼太尉。元熙二年六月十一日（420年7月7日），晉恭帝派遣使持節、兼太保、散騎常侍、光祿大夫謝澹，兼太尉、尚書劉宣范向劉裕送上璽書，轉交皇帝的玉璽。

• 劉道鄰，司空。

• 劉叡，侍中。劉裕將要接受晉恭帝禪讓的時候，有關部門建議派劉叡進獻玉璽，劉裕認為應該選擇有人望的官員，于是就讓太保謝澹代理。

家世

妻

• 褚靈媛，褚爽女，初為琅邪王妃，司馬德文為帝時封皇后，退位後降為零陵王妃。

女

• 司馬茂英，初封海鹽公主，嫁宋少帝劉義符，為太子妃，少帝即位後立為皇后。少帝被廢後降為營陽王妃。後宋文帝以劉朗為南豐王，出繼少帝後嗣，又為南豐王太妃。

• 富陽公主。