Jianwen
Jianwen建 文 (* December 5, 1377 ; † July 13, 1402 ), maiden name: Zhu Yunwen朱允炆, temple name : Huidi惠帝, was the second Chinese emperor of the Ming Dynasty .
Life
Emperor Jianwen was the son of Crown Prince Zhu Biao and thus a grandson of Emperor Hongwu . His father died before he could inherit the throne. So his grandfather decided to make him his heir, simply bypassing his living sons.
When Hongwu died, Jianwen was still very young and inexperienced, so that he quickly fell under the influence of his counselors. His reign (1398–1402) was very short, as he was overthrown by a civil war : The reason for this revolt was the attempt by Jianwen and his advisors to curtail the privileges and income of the other Ming princes. Jianwen made a serious mistake when he released the sons of Zhu Dis , the prince of Yan, who lived as prisoners at the imperial court of Nanjing , and let them move to their father in Beijing. Zhu Di, Hongwu's eldest son who was still alive at the time, viewed this as the emperor's weakness, so he headed an army and marched against Nanjing. With the help of corrupt courtiers who opened the gates of the city for him, he conquered Nanjing with his army, deposed his nephew and ascended the throne as Emperor Yongle himself .
Jianwen was killed when the Imperial Palace sank in a sea of flames. His body and that of his wife were found cremated beyond recognition. He was given an honorable but humble burial. But there was a popular legend that Jianwen escaped through a secret passage and went through the country disguised as a poor mendicant monk or hid in a monastery. Emperor Yongle is also said to have tormented himself throughout his tenure with the thought that Jianwen was still alive and that he would eventually take revenge on his uncle.
According to another version of the legend, he was captured in 1441 and released on condition that he remained in secret, because Yongle had already died. He is also said to have spoken briefly with agents of the search party that Emperor Yongle sent out for him. Yongle had the advisors and high officials of Emperor Jianwen executed without exception, condemned the memory of his predecessor for incompetence and denied him a temple name that was only granted to him by later generations. In 1595 his title of ruler was restored by Emperor Wanli , which led to the formation of legends as a legitimate ruler over Yongle as a usurper. Emperor Hongguang (Prince of Fu) of the Southern Ming Dynasty rehabilitated him in 1644 with the posthumous title : Emperor Sitian Zhangdao Chengyi Juangong Guanwen Jangwu Keren Du-Xiao Rang (嗣 天 章 道 誠 懿 淵 功 觀 文 揚 武克仁 篤 孝 讓 皇帝). In 1736, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty decided by imperial decree to include Jianwen with his legitimate status as the second Ming emperor in the rulers' lists.
literature
- Arthur Cotterell: Imperial Capitals of China: An Inside View of the Celestial Empire . Pimlico Books, London 2007 a. 2008; ISBN 1-8459-50-100
Web links
- Emperor Ming Jianwen (English)
Individual evidence
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Hongwu |
Emperor of China 1398–1402 |
Yongle |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jianwen |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Zhu Yunwen (maiden name); 朱允炆 (maiden name); Huidi (temple name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese emperor of the Ming Dynasty |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 5, 1377 |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 13, 1402 |