Chenghua Emperor
Encyclopedia
The Chenghua Emperor was Emperor
of the Ming dynasty
in China
, between 1464 and 1487. His era name means "Accomplished change".
's son. He was only 2 years old when his father, the Zhengtong emperor, was captured by the Oirat
Mongols and held captive in 1449. After that his uncle, the Jingtai Emperor
took over whilst his father was put under house arrest for almost 7 years. During this time, Chenghua lived under his uncle's shadow and even had his title of crown prince removed while Jingtai installed his own son as heir. Chenghua was only reinstated as crown prince on the eve of the death of Emperor Jingtai in 1457.
Chenghua was also under the influence of Lady Wan who was an imperial concubine more than twice his age. Lady Wan had been a mother figure to young Chenghua but after ascending the throne she quickly became Chenghua's favourite consort after giving birth to a child in 1464. The child soon died however Lady Wan held sway over the imperial harem and prevented the young emperor from bearing any offspring. Lady Wan and her eunuchs would either induce abortion to those who were about to bear the emperor's child or administer poison to mother and child if birth had occurred ¹.
It was not until 1475 that Chenghua discovered that he had a son (later Hongzhi Emperor) who survived and was raised in secrecy.
Chenghua died in 1487, after 23 years on the throne. He was buried in Maoling (茂陵)。
dominating the academic scene.
However Chenghua's reign was prone to dominating individuals in the government and Chenghua was easily influenced into granting favours based on who he liked rather than their abilities. This led to the degradation of the ruling class and wasteful spending by corrupt individuals which eventually depleted the empire's coffer.
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
of the Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, between 1464 and 1487. His era name means "Accomplished change".
Childhood
Born Zhu Jianshen, he was the Zhengtong EmperorZhengtong Emperor
Zhu Qizhen was an emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He ruled as the Zhengtong Emperor from 1435 to 1449, and as the Tianshun Emperor from 1457 to 1464....
's son. He was only 2 years old when his father, the Zhengtong emperor, was captured by the Oirat
Oirats
Oirats are the westernmost group of the Mongols who unified several tribes origin whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of western Mongolia. Although the Oirats originated in the eastern parts of Central Asia, the most prominent group today is located in the Republic of Kalmykia, a federal...
Mongols and held captive in 1449. After that his uncle, the Jingtai Emperor
Jingtai Emperor
The Jingtai Emperor was Emperor of China from 1449 to 1457. The second son of the Xuande Emperor, he was selected in 1449 to succeed his older brother, the Zhengtong Emperor, when the latter was captured by Mongols following the Tumu Crisis...
took over whilst his father was put under house arrest for almost 7 years. During this time, Chenghua lived under his uncle's shadow and even had his title of crown prince removed while Jingtai installed his own son as heir. Chenghua was only reinstated as crown prince on the eve of the death of Emperor Jingtai in 1457.
Reign as Emperor
Chenghua ascended the throne at the age of 16. During the early part of his administration, Chenghua carried out new government policies to reduce tax and strengthen the dynasty. However these did not last and by the closing years of his reign, governmental affairs once again fell into the hands of eunuchs, notably Wang Zhi. Peasant uprisings occurred throughout the country; however, they were violently suppressed. Chenghua's reign was also more autocratic than his predecessors' and freedom was sharply curtailed when Chenghua established institutes such as the Xi Chang (to complement the existing Dong Chang), monitoring all civilians' actions and words. This institute, not unlike a spy agency, would administer punishment to those whom they suspected of treason. The Xi Chang would eventually be shut down but it was the start of a dangerous trend and Chenghua's descendants would again revive the Xi Chang during the 16th century.Chenghua was also under the influence of Lady Wan who was an imperial concubine more than twice his age. Lady Wan had been a mother figure to young Chenghua but after ascending the throne she quickly became Chenghua's favourite consort after giving birth to a child in 1464. The child soon died however Lady Wan held sway over the imperial harem and prevented the young emperor from bearing any offspring. Lady Wan and her eunuchs would either induce abortion to those who were about to bear the emperor's child or administer poison to mother and child if birth had occurred ¹.
Chenghua died in 1487, after 23 years on the throne. He was buried in Maoling (茂陵)。
Empress
- Empress WuEmpress Wu (Chenghua)Empress Wu was a Chinese Empress consort of the Ming Dynasty, married to the Chenghua Emperor.- Sources :...
, deposed but outlived him - Empress Wang, later honored Empress Dowager, posthumously honored Empress Xiaozhenchun(孝贞纯皇后) and buried with him
Consorts
- Consort Ji, mother of Hongzhi EmperorHongzhi EmperorThe Hongzhi Emperor was emperor of the Ming dynasty in China between 1487 and 1505. Born Zhu Youcheng , he was the son of the Chenghua Emperor and his reign as emperor of China is called the Hongzhi...
, posthumously honored Empress Xiaomu(孝穆皇后) - Consort Shao, before her death her paternal grandson became Jiajing EmperorJiajing EmperorThe Jiajing Emperor was the 11th Ming Dynasty Emperor of China who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin...
, and she was posthumously honored Empress Xiaohui(孝惠皇后) - Consort Wan Zhen'er
- Consort Bai
- Consort Zhang (张)
- Consort Yao
- Consort Wang, styled Consort Jing
- Consort Yang
- Consort Pan
- Consort Wang, styled Consort Shun
- Consort Tang
- Consort Zhang (章) (note different character than the Consort Zhang above)
- Consort Liang
- Consort Guo
- Consort Yue
- Consort Wang, styled Consort Zhao
- Lady Han
Sons
- Unnamed son, born by Consort Wan Zhen'er, died early
- Zhu Youji, born by Consort Bai, died 1472, posthumously honored Crown Prince Daogong
- Hongzhi EmperorHongzhi EmperorThe Hongzhi Emperor was emperor of the Ming dynasty in China between 1487 and 1505. Born Zhu Youcheng , he was the son of the Chenghua Emperor and his reign as emperor of China is called the Hongzhi...
- Zhu Youyuan, Prince Xian of Xing, born by Consort Shao and fathered Jiajing EmperorJiajing EmperorThe Jiajing Emperor was the 11th Ming Dynasty Emperor of China who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin...
, posthumously honored Emperor Xian of Xing and Emperor Ruizong of Ming - Zhu Youlun, Prince Hui of Qi, born by Consort Shao
- Zhu Youbin, Prince Duan of Yi, born by Consort Zhang (张)
- Zhu Youhui, Prince Gong of Heng, born by Consort Zhang (张)
- Zhu Youyun, Prince Jing of Yong, born by Consort Shao
- Zhu Youqi, Prince Ding of Shou, born by Consort Yao
- Unnamed son, born by Consort Zhang with the style Consort Jing on August 19, 1483 and died October 8 the same year
- Zhu Youheng, Prince An of Ru, born by Consort Zhang (张)
- Zhu Youshun, Prince Jian of Jing, born by Consort Yang
- Zhu Youshu, Prince Zhuang of Rong, born by Consort Pan
- Zhu Youkai, Prince Yi of Shen, born by Consort Yang
Daughters
- Princess Renhe, married Qi Shimei in 1489 and died 1544
- Princess Yongkang, married Cui Yuan
- Princess Deqing, married Lin Yue
- Princess, died early
- Princess Changtai, died 1487
- Princess Xianyou, died 1492
Legacy
Emperor Chenghua's reign can be distinguished by his early attempts to reform the government and trying his best to rule the country. His reign also saw a cultural flourishing with famous Ming personnel such as Hu Juren and Chen BaishaChen Baisha
Chen Baisha is one of China's most famous Confucian scholars, poets, and calligraphers, during the Ming Dynasty. He was born in Xinhui and was considered to be the first scholar to coming out from Xinhui and Guangdong. As early as 1464, when Chen was teaching in Baisha Guangdong, his scholarship...
dominating the academic scene.
However Chenghua's reign was prone to dominating individuals in the government and Chenghua was easily influenced into granting favours based on who he liked rather than their abilities. This led to the degradation of the ruling class and wasteful spending by corrupt individuals which eventually depleted the empire's coffer.