Chronologic Timeline Ming Emperors and Summaries of Reign Periods 1368 AD

After the Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) wrested power from his Nephew the 2nd Emperor in 1403 AD

Life 1360 - 1424 AD

Reign 1402 - 1424 AD , Reign Period Name Yongle

Zhu Di , Name as Emperor Chengzhu

Zhu Di was the Uncle of Zhu Yunwen, who was chosen by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as his named Heir.

Deposed Zhu Yunwen, the Gongmin Emperor in a short, 4 year civil war.

First receiving the title "Prince of Yan", Zhu Di was given command of the Beijing Garrison in North China during

the reign of first Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Experienced in protecting the Chinese heartland from raids by the

ever present Northern Tribes (Manchu,Mongol, etc) and remaining armies of the fallen Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Di

remains an active Miltary Leader riding out on 5 expeditions during his Reign.

Yongle means "Forever Happy"or "Everlasting Joy". The reign however started with another

bout of revenge killings. The court eunuchs, maids and other personel that served the Jianwen

Emperor were killed, often after torture, within a few days. Another victim was the Literary Scholar

Fang Xiaoru. Refusing Zhu Di's "request" to write out a declaration of Enthronement of Zhu Di,

the apsiring Emperor threatened him with the Death of his family and clan up to the 9Th degree.

Replying with the writing of 4 caracters reading "The Thief of Yan has Stolen the Throne" on the

paper and throwing it at Zhu Di, Fang then declared no threat would be enough to make him write

the declaration. Enraged, the cruel Zhu Di had the scholar's mouth slashed from ear to ear. He

then had the homes of Fang's family, relatives, students and any other contacts searched. No

less then 873 people were brought up in this way, ten clans altogether, led before Fang and killed in front of him in

an attempt to convince him to write the enthronement document. But Fang stayed refused throughout the ordeal,

ending up not signing or writing anything. His eventual fate is unkown, but his death must have been slow and

painful. Confronted with his approaching doom, another devoted servant of Yungwen the Jianwen Emperor, Jing

Qing tried to assasinate the self-appointed Emperor Zhu Di. His attempt

however failed miserably and Jing Qing and his entire family met with

disaster. In this ruthless way, dubbed by himself "The uprooting of the

creeping Vine", Zhu Di became a notorious ruler, feared by many.

Strong leader, often leading his troops out in the

field and the vast northern areas , ... Kalgan,

Datong. Thoroughly trained in the martial arts, led no less than five military campaigns in the in the North against remnants of the mongol Yuan Dynasty. During the reign of

the Emperors succeeding Zhu Yuanzhang the Hongwu Emperor, the Confucian scholar

gentry, marginalized under the Yuan for nearly a century and mistrusted and

suppressed by the first Emperor, once again assumed their predominant role in

running the empire. Among things the strong confucian influence at court has been

reflected in the layout and architecture of one of the Ming's finest Monuments, the Ming

Dynasty Mausoleum Valley outside being. Some of the best preserved examples of

confucian stone sculpting can be found flanking the spirit way, and adorning the White

Marble LingXing Gate, both on the route leading to the heart of the Valley. The confucianists set in motion a campaign of repression against other religions, marginilising them. As a natural counter-policy the religious lobbies alligned themselves with the confucianists' enemies, among which the commercial lobbies. Thus interests of the commercial lobbies and those of the religious lobbies were linked. Both groups were working against the interests

of the neo-Confucian sensibilities of the scholarly elite. Religious lobbies encouraged commercialism and

exploration, which benefited commercial interests. However they did this not so much of interest for the

explorations, but mainly in order to divert state funds, which could then not become available from the anti- clerical efforts of the Confucian scholar gentry.

Achievements : The Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty had it's achievements. Revision of the City of Beijing, who's monuments still stand as a tribute to the vision of the early Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He tribute- and peace-missions, reaching the Coast of East Africa, establishing new Trade Routes, making available new spices and goods and stimulating new maritime inventions.

Grand restorations of the Great Wall of China after thoroughly establishing Capital at the now expanded city of Beijing. Compiling "The great encyclopedia of the Reign of Yongle", the first and most comprehensive encyclopedia in Chinese History.

Water conservation projects, encouraged agriculture and stimulated the handicrafts industry. The entire Chinese canal system was reviewed and reconstructed between 1411 and 1415 during the reign of Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor. The resulting Grand Canal of China would connect the Capital of Beijing with the City of Haunzhou in the lower reaches of the Jiangtse River, creating the longest artificial river in world history.

Life XXXX - 1398 AD

Reign 1368 - 1398 AD , Reign Period Hong Wu (meaning "Inundating Martiality")

Zhu Yuanzhang , Name as Emperor (Ming) TaiZu (meaning "Great Forefather of the Ming".

Zhu Yuanzhang, a Han Chinese, was born a poor peasant in one of China's Provinces. Later he became a devout Buddhist Monk. Thus, when even later in life Zhu Yuanzhang joined the HongJin Rebellion against the Ming Dynasty he was a poor Man.

In 1355 AD Zhu Yuanzhang came to power as General and Supreme Commander of the HongJin rebel army, the Red

Turbans, after the death of his superior and predecessor Lu Tzu Hsing. Thoroughly indignant about the discrimination and social exclusion that were practiced by the Mongol Yuan rulung class, the "Red Turbans" or "HongJin" were a rebel group operating in a large area in the lower reaches of the Jiangtse River. Other rebel groups were present in other parts of the Yuan Empire. Final War broke out when hundreds of thousands of civilians were called upon to work on the construction of dikes, canals and other defenses on the Yellow River. A number of Han Chinese groups revolted, but the group led by excellent strategist Zhu Yuanzhang prevailed, dominating over the rival rebel groups assisted by an ancient and secret intellectual fraternity called the Summer Palace people.

After organising a massive revolt in the Yuan Capital City of Beijing, the armies of Zhu Yuanzhang swept in and drove the Mongols from the City, effecting the downfall of the Yuan Dynasty. Many remnant Yuan Dynasty armies remained however, continually causing problems along the Northern Frontier. Rivalling rebel parties also attempted to move into power. All however failed against the strategic talents of Zhu Yuanzhang. Only in 1387 AD, would the whole of chinese territory be recovered for the new Ming Dynasty.

Similar to the founder of the Han Dynasty, the Hong Wu Emperor was deeply suspicious of the educated courtiers around him, often suspecting them of intrigue or plotting. A brutal ruler, he thus initiated a thorough clean-up of the Empire and throughout his Reign Period exerted an extremely authoritarian regime ("the tyrant of Nanjing"). Furthermore, upon taking head of the of the imperial administration he started immediate rigorous reforms by abolishing crucial ministries and secretaries. To control the highest officials at the court, he installed the so-called Brocade Guards (Jinyiwei), a kind of secret service staffed with the only powergroup at Court that were beyond his suspicions he trusted. These were the eunuchs.

Thus, the eunuchs once more rose in power at Court, becoming a group that would eventually ensure the fall of the Dynasty.

The following Reign of Hong Wu was a violent one. After establishing the Dynasty and naming it "Ming" ("Bright" in mandarin Chinese), the Emperor set about stabilizing his rule. Among his methods, the ruthless elimination of anyone suspected of threatening his rule and reforms. Both the suspect officials and their families and even remotely connected relations were eliminated entirely. The Emperor being a very suspicious man, especially of court gentry, the list was long, very long. In the clensing campaign, a process in which The Yinjiwei were instrumental, hords of chinese lost their lives. In one case alone, over 20,000 people were killed. Due to earlier experiences and familiar with the history of earlier dynasties Hong Wu had a loathing of Confucian Officials. This group had however already been marginilised and disempowered during the later years of the preceeding Yuan Dynasty, buddhism being favored by Mongolian Tribes of the Time.

Along with the political clensing campaign a system of strict laws and state controlled censorship was instituted ("Benevolent tutelage by Governement"), judicial authority was strengthened further stabilising the Empire politically. For administrative purposes the Ming Empire was divided into 13 provinces, each with a governor who directly answered to the Emperor.

Furthermore, under Hongwu the Military was significally strengthened in position. While retaining the Confucian view that being a merchant is an inferior occupation, Hongwu abandonned the tradition and belief that military men were inferior in social rank. Instead developed a militant military class giving them positions ranking higher than any civil servant.

Achievements: As a result of his peasant origins, he Emperor had great sympathy for their plight and a hatred of the misdoings of the landowning gentry. Hongwu created laws that improved life of the majority of his citizens, the peasants. Land taxes were kept low, and granaries were constructed and stocked to guard against famine. Hong Wu also engaged in maintaining dikes on the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers continuing earlier attempts to tame the rivers and avoid yearly flooding disasters. However, economically he lacked the vision to push trade.

Viewing things from a typically Confucian viewpoint, Hongwu felt agriculture should be the country's source of wealth and that trade was ignoble and parasitic. One of the results was the simulation of agriculture by the creation of self-supporting agricultural communities as a governement policy during the HongWu Reign. Great land estates were confiscated by the government, fragmented and rented out to free private citizens; private slavery having been outlawed. These policies would be followed by succeeding Emperors, familiar with the family history. Consequently, by the time of the death of the Yongle Emperor (1424 AD), independent peasant landholders predominated in Chinese agriculture.

As another result of the Emperors lack of economic insight, from the very beginning of the Hongwu Reign, money posed a problem and a challenge. As a solution to the scarcety of circulating coins, paper currency was invented in China. However, such fenomenon as inflation were not yet understood. In fact, The Emperor handed out so much paper money as rewards that by 1425 A.D. the currency was worth 1/70 of its original value. The ensuing crisis inevitably led to a return to the use of copper coins. However, with the government still unable to produce enough coins for circulation, economic growth faltered. Counterfeiting began occuring becaming another problem burden. At this point, the provinces were required to mint their own coins. Unfortunately, some of them added lead to the coins, which depleted their value. Due to the abundance of counterfeit and inadequate lead coins, the value of currency once again declined. Spiraling out of control the coin problem was amplified by an increasing need for money due to the growth of trade.

As expected from a Military Man and trained Martial Artist, Hongwu kept a powerful army organized on a military system known as the Wei-so system. The essence of this system is to maintain a strong army while avoiding bonds between commanding officers and soldiers. Thus, it was an elitist and rigid system, rather than a democratizing one.

Death & Succession : There is a chinese tale regarding the succession of Zhu Yuanzhang, founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. According to this legend .... Which ever way it was, after the death of Zhu Yuanzhang, problems soon arose for the Ming.

Life XXXX - 1402 AD, Suicide.

Reign 1399 - 1402 AD , Reign Period Jianwen

Zhu Yunwen , Name as Emperor GongMin

The traditional rule of preseding Dynasties had been to make the eldest son or the eldest son of the eldest son the heir apparent. Thus, his father too old, Grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang (First Son of Eldest Son of Zhu Yuanzhang) was chosen Crown Prince to become Emperor. Earlier Zhu Di had won himself much respect by succesfully leading military campaigns in the North against remnants of the Yuan Dynasty military. Winning the Title of "Prince of Yan" and given the (later Capital) City of Beijing, the 2nd most important city in the Empire as personal fiefdom, Zhu Di led further military expeditions in the North, gaining new territory and making himself essential to the continuing conquest. Zhu Di had thus hoped to win the Emperors Favor enough to convince the Emperor to change the rules of Imperial Succesion and name him, Zhu Di the powerful, as Crown Prince and heir to the Throne. Yuanzhang the HongWu Emperor, an astute military man aware of the importance of strategic and military skills initially responded by doing exactly so. Zhu Di was promoted to be the new Crown Prince, leaving Zhu Yunwen demoted to mere Prince. Only after lenghty complaints of the Imperial Advisors and Courtiers warning against any change in the imperial primogeniture was the old situation restored, leaving Zhu Di disgruntled. Thus, two factions arose, one supporting the heir apparent, the Grandson. The others supporting the powerful and wealthy Zhu Di, who had proven his worth in Battle. In the future this would prove a recepy for disaster.

Upon the death of Zhu Yuanzhang, the new Emperor, grandson Zhu Yunwen, fearing an attempt to usurp his Throne in the chaos and instability of a change of rule, sent out an order forbidding the Rulers of the "Vasal States" (13 Provinces) to travel to the Capital Nanjing for the event of the Grand Imperial Burial. The ruler of Beijing however, Zhu Di, the person for whom the order had been given, ignored the Imperial Order and immediatly rode out with an army heading for Nanjing, ostensably to pay Tribute to the fallen Ruler. When the new Emperor Zhu Yunwen heard of the news, seeing his earlier fears confirmed, he ordered a countermove. Zhu Di and his accompanying army were turned back at the Huai'An Fortress in today's Jiangsu Province, leading to further strain, emnity and mistrust between the two power-factions and rulers but ending any opportunity for Zhu Di to try a coup d état for the moment.

In the first year of his reign, Zhu Yunwen, the Jianwen Emperor, tried to consolidate his reign by attacking and diminishing the powers of the individual provinces or "vassal states". Using this method the Emperor hoped to erode the powers of Zhu Di, his faction, and other rival Uncles with an eye on the Throne enough to eventually overturn them, using one against the other to eliminate the rest. Feeling the Emperors hand around his neck Zhu Di had to draw up his own plans. His first action was to secretly enlarge his armies, arming his state to the teeth while feigning a severe illness, mental weakness and states of confusion. Using his supposed disabilities as a smoke screen for the Emperor Zhu Di prepared himself. When the experienced military decided the time had come, he declared a state of emergency and led his armies south to Nanjing. The ensuing war between Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Di lasted a long 4 years becoming known as the "Pacifying the Misfortune (Jingnan)" Incident. In June 1402, supported by a majority of his loyal Beijing troops, in a giant gamble that left his key city protected by a mere 10.000 strong garrison, Zhu Di finally captured the Ming Capital of Nanjing and the Imperial Throne.

Achievements: The Reign of Jianwen was a short and chaotic one. His reign of Jianwen was overthrown in a 4 year Civil War, ending with his uncle, Zhu Di rising to The Dragon Throne as Emperor .

Death & Succession : Zhu Yunwen, the Jianwen Emperor committed suicide, setting himself afire and burning to death inside his Imperial Palace at Nanjing.

Life 1378 - 1425 AD

Reign 1424 - 1425 AD , Reign Period HongXi

Zhu Gaochi , Name as Emperor Renzhong

Eldest son of Zhu Di. ZHu Gaochi was known as a Generous Man.

Achievements: Zhu Gaochi was the eldest son of Emperor Zhu Di who was an intelligent Man and an excellent

military leader. In his role as eldest Son , Zhu Gaochi was regularly left in charge of the Beijing Garrison, when his

father was out, leading his armies in the field at war with Northern Tribes, remnants of the Yuan Dynasty Army or

out conquering new lands for China.

The Reign of HongXi was too short to achieve anything much. However Zhu Gaochi did leave his mark on history,

when during the Civil War against the Jianwen Emperor, his father Zhu Di, left him in charge of the Beijing Garrison. While his father Zhu Di was attacking the Imperial Capital of Nanjing with the majority of the Ming troops, the Beijing Garrison was attacked in a counter-move by the Jianwen Emperor. As such, Zhu Gaochi, found himself defending his fathers main base against an overwhelming majority of no less then 500.000 troops. All seemed lost for the Ming. Zhu Gaochi however forever found his fathers' favor when he won a crucial victory in the war, managing to hold the City with his garrison of only 10.000 loyal troops. Father Zhu Di was then able to conquer Nanjing and establish a new Dynasty.

The main historically known achievement of Zhu Gaochi in his short career as

Renzhong Emperor was the pardon of several high officials who had been serving the

deposed Jianwen Emperor. Restoring their titles and duties, and often counting their

expert advice into his decision making, the HongXi Emperor showed himself a wise

politican and a generous man, setting the political scene for reconciliation within the

renewed Empire. The Ming Dynasty entered a stable period with the actions of the HongXi

Emperor. As Emperor HongXi recognised the plight of the poor, under his orders relief

policies for stricken groups were established.

Death & Succession : The death of the Emperor only one year after taking power left little

time for intrigue. Zhu Gaochi fell seriously ill and soon after died at the Imperial Palace in

Beijing. As a result the eldest son of the Renzhong Emperor and Crown Prince, Zhu Zhanji

became the new Emperor.

Life 1398 - 1435 AD

Reign 1426 - 1435 AD , Reign Period XuanDe

Zhu Zhanji , Name as Emperor XuanZong

At the time of the death of his Father, only a year after his coming to power, the Crown Prince was away on an urgent mission to the South. An earthquake ravaged the city of Nanjing and area, a notoriously bad Omen concerning the mandate of Heaven and the city and needed to be reenforced and Garrisoned to stabilize matters. Soon after this event and the arrival of the Crown Prince at the former Southern Capital the Emperor fell seriously ill at the Imperial Palace in the Capital of Beijing. Very shortly after the news of the death of the Emperor arrived, forcing the heir apparent to return to Beijing as soon as possible. According to legend the crown prince was told of a rumor that he would been ambushed on his return to the Capital, the principal culprit being his Uncle Zhu GaoXu, who had earlier missed his opportunity at being Emperor. However, no such ambush took place. Upon his return to Beijing in that same year, Zhu Zhanji was crowned Emperor Xuanzhong, naming his reign Period XuanDe in the following year of 1426 AD.

Achievements: The Reign of Zhu Zhanji is mainly recognized for his good governance and relatively stable reign, as was the short period of his fathers'. The new Emperor kept most of his Fathers' Courtiers and Advisers making good use of them, building strong alliances with them and making sure there were as few axes to grind as possible. The new Emperor distanced himself quite sharply from those whom he perceived as corrupt and surrounded himself with trusted his advisors. One such famous advisor and leader of a "Vasal State" in the south was Kuang Zhong, the prefect of Suzhou. Kuang Zhong's policies in the south stand as an example for the policies of the period, giving tax exemptions to the poor, and sending debt relief, finance and help to areas hit by natural disasters.

The Emperor himself cut his staff of courtiers at the Imperial Palace in an effort to preserve money of the citizenry. As such, the reign was prosperous for many and there was little reason to revolt.

There was however an incident. In 1426 AD, not long after the Xuanzong Emperor had taken power, his uncle, the earlier mentioned Zhu GaoXu inspired a revolt in the remote southern city of Yue'An (today's Guangrao county, Guangdong Province) in an attempt to establish a rebel base. In the succeeding period the Imperial Troops descended on the far southern city, eventually quelling the uprising. Zhu GaoXu, the uncle, was captured and led before the Emperor with the imperial advisors wanting to have him executed for his treasonous acts. The Emperor however chose to ignore his advisors words and placed Zhu GaoXu under house arrest. GaoXu was left to rot there for a number of years, the Emperor completely ignoring his plight or any made on his behalf. A Few years later the life of GaoXu was nevertheless violently ended when the he chose to continue his resistance during a reconciliatory visit of the Xuanzong Emperor (XuanDe). After repeating acts of disrespect, the Emperor could find no further sympathy for his fathers brother and Zhu GaoXu was ordered to be slowly roasted to death.

Death & Succession : Died at the age of 38. By the age of 30, Zhu Zhani had still not produced any Sons, therefor having no heirs. It is said that, realising this, one of the Emperors' concubines, the lady Sun informed the Emperor that she was happily expecting. According to the tale the lady then waited for 8 months and snatched a baby boy from one of the Palace servants. Presenting the baby to the Emperor, Lady Sun than pretended the newborn baby was their Son. As a result, the now very blissful Emperor named the baby Crown Prince only 4 months later and Lady Sun became his Empress. The stolen baby was named Zhu QiZhen, and would become the Yingzong Emperor at the age 9.

Life 1428 - 1457 AD

Reign 1450 - 1456 AD , Reign Period Jingtai

Zhu QiYu , Name as Emperor Daizong / GongReng Kangding

The half brother of YingZong who usurped the Throne during the 6 year imprisonment of the YingZhong Emperor by the Wala Tribe(s) of the North.

Achievements: The Jingtai Reign of the Ming Dynasty is really an interlude period in the reign of Zhu Qizhen Emperor YingZong.

After an unfortunate northern frontier clash between the annoying wala tribe and Ming

troops, among whom Zhu Qizhen Emperor YingZong, the Chinese Emperor was captured and taken hostage. Following this so called "Tumubao Incident" a temporary ruler, -the Regent Prince- , had to be appointed. The Empress Dowagers' choice for the job was Zhu Qiyu, the half brother of the hostaged Emperor. This turned out to be a rather unfortunate choice, as in the following period Zhu QiYu usurped the Dragon Throne and named himself Emperor Daizong.

Death & Succession : Death came fast to this Emperor, leaving him dead at the relatively young Age of 30. According to legend, the Daizong Emperor was placed under house arrest and soon after either fell ill and died, or was tortured to death on orders from a revenguous YingZhong Emperor. Which ever is the truth, after the return of the Yingzong Emperor, the end of Zhu QiYu came rather quickly. His body was not enshrined in the Mong Tomb Valley, but he received a small and uneventful burial fit for someone with the rank of Prince. His grave lies somewhere in the Western Hills outside Beijing.

Life 1491 - 1525 AD

Reign 1506 - 1521 AD , Reign Period Zhengde

Zhu Houzhao , Name as Emperor WuZong

The only Son of Zhu Jianshen, named Crown Prince in the year 1492 AD. Ascended the Throne in 1505 AD, naming reign period Zhengde in 1506 AD.

Achievements: The Zhengde Reign of the Ming Dynasty is considered an absolute lowpoint in Imperial Prestige and authority. The Emperor was promiscuous, decadent, only interested in pleasure and had a lust for women. A weakling as a leader, Zhu Haozhao, unlike many predecessors trusted his shrude Eunuchs and Courtiers. With his taste for pleasure Zhu Haozhao found it a burden to be obliged to read stacks of State Affair related documents, taking decisions and signing more documents. Dismissing himself from these tiring byt crucial tasks, he soon he instuted a system manned by 8 trusted Eunuchs, the so called "8 Tigers", who could manage most daily State Matters for him. Occupying the 8 most important positions, and backed by lazy and morally destitude Emperor, the 8 eunuchs reigned brutally and tyranically. In a consilidation move by the eunuchs, 53 officials were identified as traitors, then banished from the Empire. Thereafter power was in the hands of eunuchs who reigned Supreme over all at Court.

After some more maneuvering by his Courtiers the Emperor was further persuaded to hand over All remaining State Matters to his Chief Eunuch Liu Jin, so as to have all time to indulge himself in Carnal Pleasures. The Emperor set off on a decadent pleasure trip trying out all the women-folk he could find, inside the Palace and later outside of it. Not surprisingly, the Chief Eunuch Liu Jin was left plotting, selectively passing information to the Emperor, who would rather have undisturbed. This was a public secret, the word on the street in Beijing being that there were really two Emperors, one named Zhu and on named Liu. The Chief Eunuch took his chance and severely abused his near autocratic power, greatly enriching himself and his family. At the end however, both the Emperor and tragedy caught up with the Chief Tiger Eunuch. In 1510 AD Liu Jing was executed for plotting a Coup D'Etat. When the Emperor and his bodyguards searched the House of Liu Jin, a large amount of jewelry was recovered.

The Emperor, himself of questionable moral stature, made more mistakes in trusting Officials or Simply didn't care. Among them the corrupt Qian Ning and Jiang Bin. Greatly favoring such Men led the Ming fast to impopularity and the Empire to Disaster. Another unpopular move was the adoption of one hundred sons by the Great Emperor. These were then dispatched to the Provinces, unjustly seizing lands for the Emperor. The lands would be used to buuild leisure Estates for the pleasure seeking Emperor and his large following of parasites. Not surprisingly the move futher plummeted sympathy for the Ming, especially under the suffering Peasantry and common Folk.

Zhu Haochao, The Wuzong Emperor, was a spoiled child, not too bright, and was further known for a number of ridiculous incidents. In an earlier period of his life he had led his troops to inspect the border near Datong (A small trading city near a Pass on the Great Wall of China). While at Datong

underneath the Great Wall, some 50.000 Tartar Troops

led by their "Khan" decided to descend to the South

and harass the border area. On the occasion of the

meeting of the two armies, the Ming Emperor, Zhu

Haochao lost his calm. As always overconfident of

himself, the Emperor went as far as to ride out and

personally tout the Tartars to Battle. Luckily, by that time

the fast moving Tartars had just withdrawn their Troops.

Mistaking the Tartar withdraw for a defeat in Battle, the

Emperor, against advise from his Military Advisors, set

out in pursuit of the Tartars, eventually doing Battle with

a small rearguard army. It was only a minor clash and

nothing like the real battle that could have taken place.

Only 16 Tartars were killed, but on the Chinese side

hundreds lost their lives, mainly protecting their

exposed Emperor. Regardless of these facts, the

Emperor thought he had won a major Victory and went

on for a long time bragging about his achievement of

killing an enemy soldier with his own sword. Zhu

Haozhao was simply elated. The Imperial Military

Advisors however, remembering the TumuBao Incident

in which the 6Th Ming Emperor (YingZong) had been

captured and hostaged were horrified by the risks the

Emperor had taken. Submitting a jointly signed letter

soon after the border incident they urged him not to

engage in such acts, and never to personally do battle with enemy soldiers again. A wise leader might have listened

to such a united request, however the proud and vain Zhu Houzhao responded by having his advisors either arrested, beaten to death, executed or in the mildest case dismissed from Office.

With an incompetent, overconfident, lazy and vain Emperor in charge, by the Time of the second half of the 16Th Century corruption and misrule had large consumed the Empire and the Chinese Political situation was a shambles. The Death of Zhu Haozhao came as great relief to many within the Empire.

Death & Succession : Regardles of his immense sexual appetites, the Wuzong Emperor Zhu Houzhao never produced an elligable male heir. As such, their was no Crown Prince. In 1519 AD a rebellion arose in the South. After a military expedition to the South near Nanjing, winning a victory against the Rebellion led by the Prince of Ning, the Emperor decided to keep this Victory a secret and used the opportunity to press on with his army. This time however the whole party would be in search of Southern Women for the Emperor to have pleasurable times with. The Emperor stayed on expedition for an entire year, only returning to the Beijing Palace in 1520 AD. Soon after this southern expedition the Emperor fell seriously ill. He never recovered and died in the following year of 1521 AD.

Life 1585 - 1620 AD

Reign One month in the year 1620 AD , Reign Period Taichang

Zhu Changluo , Name as Emperor GuangZong

Son of Zhu Yijun, the previous Emperor.

Achievements: The GuangZong Reign of the Ming Dynasty was the shortest reign of an Emperor in Chinese History, accept perhaps for the even shorter-lived attempt at restauration of the Ching Dynasty by traitor-general Yuan Shi-Kai who crowned himself Emperor but failed after one week. The Emperor reigned for only 29 days after rising to the Throne, dieing at the young age of 36. His short reign however was filled with scandal and mysterious intrigue.

In accordance with the rules of imperial primogeniture, when his Father the Shenzong Emperor died, the eldest Son Zhu ChangLuo was expected to succeed to the Throne. In this case however the succesion could not been taken for granted beforehand. During his earliest life, Wanli the Shenzong Emperor had not favored Zhu ChangLuo as a Son or Heir. As the old Emperor was greatly devoted to one of his Ladies, a concubine by the name of Cheng, he was inclined to have her eldest son named Crown Prince. The Ministers however thought otherwise and demanded the Emperor adhere to the ancient succession rules. In dillema, the Emperor took years to decide on his succession, continually questioning himself which appointment would be his "Key to Preserving the Empire". Could the eldest Son become the powerful ruler the Empire needed, or was the Son of Lady Cheng more suitable as Crown Prince ? In the end, the Shenzong Emperor reluctantly agreed to go along with the ancient primogeniture rules, and Zhu Changluo was named Crown Prince at the late Age of 20 Years, favoring him over Lady Cheng's eldest son, Zhu Changxun. The whole lengthy affair would become known in history as the "Struggle over the Key to the Empire". More was to follow. The Lady Cheng, disempowered and disgruntled by the Emperors decision launched an attack plot against the Crown Prince, who was nearly killed.

On a nice day in the May Month of 1615, Zhu Changluo the Crown Prince was reading in the CiQing Palace (Forbidden City) when a rough looking customer with an enormous wooden club burst into the room.The fellow then proceeded to attack the Crown Prince but was prevented from doing so by nearby Guards, who arrested the attacker and led him away. It was a bizarre incident as the Imperial Palace City grounds were off limits to any commoners. The most private Inner Court of which the CiQing Palace is part, should certainly have been unreachable for the assailant. Later the would be assasin. one Zhang Cha, would confess that it was Lady Cheng who, in cooperation with her two trusted eunuchs Pang Bao and Liu Cheng, had put him up to his task. This brought the truth out in the whole affair, however, the Lady Cheng being the absolute favorite of the Emperor, the official that uncovered the true nature of the plot, feared of having to inform the Emperor. Untold things could happen, including to his own person and family. As a way out of the situation the official wound up the attack case with a quick execution of Zhang Cha, explaining Zhang's action as those of an insane Man. In the period following the incident, the two eunuchs of Lady Cheng, Pang Bao and Liu Cheng were quietly eliminated, disappearing from history. Only Lady Cheng remained in her position at Court. The plot would go down in history as "The case of the club attack".

Following these strange incidents, a period of calm set in for the Crown Prince untill his Father Emperor Shenzong died and he, Zhu Changluo, was crowned Emperor. Rising to the throne at the late age of 36, the new Emperor immediatly had to deal with ongoing power struggles within the elite ruling class of the Time. However, the prudent doubts of Emperor Shenzong proved to be no mistake and as a result of his sons poor skills and lack of caracter the whole reign-period succeeding the Shenzong period was a farce. The Emperor had no eye for the acute political matters and instead spent nearly all his daily time with the Palace Ladies while indulging in food, drink and carnal pleasures. The Lady of the East and the Lady of the West were his favorite maids of honor. Soon the new Emperors' already poor health declined even further making it impossible for him to sit on his Throne not long after his Crowning. The Emperors' complaining about his health to his ministers then created a final incident.

Among the officials who had learned of the Emperors' weakness and poor health was one named Li Kezhuo. During a Court meeting of minsters and Emperor Li stepped forward offering some mysterious red colored pills to the Emperor as a cure for his problems. Reflecting the ongoing power struggle at Court, the other ministers immediatly grew jealous and suspicious of Li's intentions. En bloque they demanded Li swallow a pill before the Emperor did so, proving that Li wasn't attempting to poison the Emperor. Being left little choice, Li now had to swallow his own pill or cast serious doubt upon himself in front of his enemies and the Emperor. The red pill semmed to have no effect on Li, who remained healthy. Strangely however, the Emperor died the next morning, having ingested two of Li's red pills. Untill today, the "Red Pill Incident" remains a mystery of Chinese History. Did one power group at Court poison Emperor Guangzong through the red pills of Li Kezhuo or did the Emperor die of other causes ?

Death & Succession : The death of Emperor Guangzhong was a relief for the Nation, his short reign marking a sharp decline of Ming authority within the Empire. Marred with ongoing intrigue and power brokering at court, the Ming Dynasty was going through a period a relative chaos entering what would prove it's final years. The new Emperor, rising to the throne at the vulnerable young age of 15 would have a serious challenge on his hands in leading the Empire to more stability and prosperity.

Life 1611 - 1644 AD

Reign 1628 - 1644 AD , Reign Period ChongZen

Zhu Youjian , Name as Emperor SiZong

5Th Son of Zhu Yijun, the Wanli Emperor. The younger brother of the previous Emperor Zhu Youqiao.

Lasting for 17 years, the Chongzen Reign was the last reign period of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youjian was determined to eliminate the eunuch power-group headed by Wei Zhongxian and arduously set to work on this task immediatly after his coronation. On his Imperial Authority he had the eunuch banished to the city of Fengyang in far Anhui Province, where he was to guard the Imperial Mausolea. Wei never even reached Fengyang. Realising his career was over and he was personally doomed, the formerly powerful eunuch ended his life by hanging himself from a tree at the roadside. The next targets of the Emperor would be Wei's clique of trusted followers still installed in high positions. All 262 officials installed under orders of Wei Zhongxian were punished by the Emperor, either being tortured and executed, banished, or simply demoted and dismissed from office.

Achievements: The Chongzen Reign was the last Reign Period of the Ming Dynasty. Contrary to his predecessor Emperors, the young Emperor was diligent and serious with State Affairs. Overcoming the eunuch power-clique that had ravaged the Empire, Zhu Youjian tried to stabilize the Empire by improving the lives of the ordinary peasant citizen. In one case of famine, the Emperor went as far as to economize the Imperial Court, saving money to set an example and show his sympathy for his people. Unfortunatly all of these measures would come too late. Multiple rebellions had arisen around the Empire, the south and the North alike. The Former Northern Territories were already under control of a Tungusic People, who had conquered neighboring tribes and had established a parallel Dynasty in the North. Crowning himself Emperor of the Manchu and establishing a power base in the North, Prince Nuerhachi captured Shandong province. With the encirclement complete the Manchu were now in a good position to strike at the Imperial Capital of Beijing.

Death & Succession : Beijing, the Ming Capital, finally

fell in 1644 AD, after the citizens revolted and were

joined by the Armies of Prince Nuerhachi, the military

and political leader of the newly arriving Manchu, who

had already established a parallel Dynasty in the North.

Faced with a United Manchu army to overthrow his

weakened reign, Zhou Youjian Emperor Sizong

dispaired. Fleeing from the Palace through it's North

Gate (nearest the Imperial Quarters - the Nei Ting) he

killed then killed himself at Jingshan Hill (located due

North of Shen Wu Men, the North Gate to the Imperial

Palace (Forbidden City). By commiting suicide outside

his palace rather than making a stand for his hopeless

case, the Ming Emperor saved himself from the disgrace

of capture and the Imperial Palace from destruction by

enemy fire. With the Emperor and Dynasty dead, the

Imperial Palace would serve as a home to the Ching

Dynasty for another 455 years, surviving as a Ming

Monument to Feudal History and achievement untill

today. A monument has been erected at the site where

Emperor Chongzen hanged himself from a Scholar

Tree, east of the entrance, at the base of

Jingshan Hill.