Liú Bèi (Chinese: 劉備; pinyin: Liú Bèi) (161 – 223), courtesy name Xuándé (玄徳), was a powerful warlord and the founding emperor of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. Having risen up from the commoner class, he was initially a small player in the massive civil war leading up to the collapse of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In 214, using the stratagems of his chief advisor Zhuge Liang, Liú Bèi conquered Yizhou (益州, present day Sichuan and Guizhou) and at last established the foundation for his kingdom. In 221, Liú Bèi declared himself emperor in an effort to carry on the lineage of the Han Dynasty. He was succeeded by Liú Shan, who eventually surrendered to the Kingdom of Wei in 263.