Chongzhen Emperor
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| Chongzhen Emperor | |
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| Birth and death: | February 6, 1611–April 25, 1644 (aged 33) |
| Family name: | Zhu (朱) |
| Given name: | Youjian (由檢) |
| Dates of reign: | 2 October 1627–25 April 1644 |
| Dynasty: | Ming (明) |
| Era name: | Chongzhen (崇禎) |
| Era dates: | 5 February 1628–25 April 1644 |
| Temple name: | Sizong¹ (思宗) |
| Posthumous name: (short) |
Emperor Zhuanglie² (莊烈帝) |
| Posthumous name: (full) |
Emperor Zhuanglie Min 莊烈愍皇帝 |
| General note: Dates given here are in the Gregorian calendar. They are not in the Julian calendar that was in use in England until 1752. ——— 1. Temple name given in 1644 by the prince of Fu (福王), the new self-proclaimed emperor of the Southern Ming. This is the temple name most often found in history books, despite the fact that the Southern Ming soon changed the temple name into Yizong (毅宗), and later Weizong (威宗). The new rulers of the Qing Dynasty conferred upon Chongzhen the temple name Huaizong (懷宗), probably in an effort to win over their recently conquered subjects. |
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The Chongzhen Emperor (pinyin: Chóngzhēn; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-chen) (February 6, 1611 - April 25, 1644) was the 16th and last emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China between 1627 and 1644. Born Zhu Youjian, he was emperor Taichang's son.
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[edit] Early reign
Chongzhen grew up in a relatively quiet environment, because, as the younger son of the Taichang Emperor, he was not a part of the power struggle his elder brother Tianqi endured. He succeeded his brother to the throne at age 17 and immediately eliminated the eunuch Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke, who had become de facto rulers of the empire.
Unlike his predecessor, Chongzhen tried to rule by himself and did his best to salvage the dynasty. However, years of internal corruption and an empty treasury made it almost impossible to find capable ministers to fill important government posts. Chongzhen also tended to be suspicious of the few skilled subordinates he did have, executing the famous general Yuan Chonghuan, who had almost single-handedly maintained the northern frontier against the Manchus, in 1630.
[edit] Fall of the Ming Dynasty
The collapse of the Ming intensified during Chongzhen's reign. Popular uprisings broke out throughout China, including those of Zhang Xianzhong and the more important Li Zicheng. These could not be put down by the already hard-pressed Ming armies, who had to contend with the Manchu threat to the north.
In April 1644, Li prepared to take the Ming capital of Beijing. Rather than face capture and probable execution at the hands of the newly-proclaimed Shun Dynasty, Chongzhen gathered all members of the imperial household aside from his sons and ordered them to commit suicide. All did aside from one of his daughters, Princess Changping; the emperor ordered her arm severed in retaliation. Then, still wearing his imperial attire, Chongzhen fled to Jingshan hill and hanged himself on a tree.
[edit] Legacy and personality
While Chongzhen was not especially incompetent by the standards of the later Ming- most direct blame for the dynasty's fall being laid at the feet of the Wanli Emperor- he has been criticized by his paranoia and inflexibility. Chongzhen's attempts at reform did not take into account the considerable decline of Ming power, which was already far advanced at the time of his ascension. His betrayal of Yuan Chonghuan, in particular, has greatly damaged his contemporary reputation.
[edit] References
- Chao, Zhongchen (2000). Chongzhen zhuan (崇禎傳) ISBN 957-05-1612-7
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Chongzhen Emperor
Born: 6 February 1611 Died: 25 April 1644 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by The Tianqi Emperor |
Emperor of the Ming Dynasty 1627-1644 |
Succeeded by The Hongguang Emperor |
| Emperor of China 1627-1644 |
Succeeded by The Shunzhi Emperor |
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