April 1, 139 - Dong Zhuo
His seizure of the Han imperial court in 189 CE marked one of the more consequential power grabs in Chinese history, toppling a reigning emperor and installing a child in his place to serve as cover for direct rule. The coalition that rose against him fractured the empire into competing factions that would persist for decades, making his brief tenure an inflection point toward the end of unified Han governance. What distinguished his ascent was less military genius than a willingness to discard the political conventions that had constrained others before him.
From Wikipedia
Dong Zhuo () (c. 140s – 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minister of the imperial government. Originally from Liang Province, Dong Zhuo seized control of the imperial capital Luoyang in 189 when it entered a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling of Han and a massacre of the eunuch faction by the court officials.
Dong Zhuo subsequently deposed Liu Bian (Emperor Shao) and replaced him with his half-brother, the puppet Emperor Xian to make him become the de facto ruler of China in the boy-emperor's name. The Eastern Han dynasty regime survived in name only. Dong Zhuo's rule was brief and characterized by cruelty and tyranny. In the following year, a coalition of regional officials (刺史; cishi) and warlords launched a campaign against him.
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