Jiajing Emperor
| Jiajing Emperor | |||||||||||||||||
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| 11th Emperor of the Ming dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 27 May 1521 – 23 January 1567 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Zhengde Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Longqing Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 16 September 1507 | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 January 1567 (aged 59) | ||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Yongling, Ming Dynasty Tombs, Beijing | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Empress Xiaojiesu Empress Zhang Empress Xiaolie Empress Xiaoke |
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| Issue | 8 sons and 5 daughters | ||||||||||||||||
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| House | Ming dynasty | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Zhu Youyuan | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Cixiaoxian | ||||||||||||||||
| Full name | |
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Family name: Zhu (朱; Chu in Wade-Giles spelling) Given name: Houcong (厚熜; Hou-tsung in Wade-Giles spelling) |
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| Era name and dates | |
| Jiajing (Chia-ching; 嘉靖): 28 January 1522 – 8 February 1567 | |
| Posthumous name | |
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Emperor Qintian Lüdao Yingyi Shengshen Xuanwen Guangwu Hongren Daxiao Su 欽天履道英毅聖神宣文廣武洪仁大孝肅皇帝 |
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| Temple name | |
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Ming Shizong 明世宗 |
The Jiajing Emperor (Chinese: 嘉靖; pinyin: Jiājìng; Wade–Giles: Chia-ching; 16 September 1507 – 23 January 1567) was the 11th emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin. His father, Zhu Youyuan (1476–1519), the Prince of Xing, was the fourth son of the Chenghua Emperor (r. 1465–1487) and the eldest son of three sons born to the emperor's concubine, Lady Shao. The Jiajing Emperor's regnal name, "Jiajing", means "admirable tranquility".
Born as heir apparent of a vassal prince, Zhu Houcong was not brought up to succeed to the throne. However, the throne became vacant in 1521 with the sudden death of the Hongzhi Emperor's son, the Zhengde Emperor, who did not leave an heir. Prior to Zhengde Emperor's death, the line of succession was as follows:
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The 14-year-old Zhu Houcong, then heir presumptive, succeeded to the throne, and so relocated from his father's princedom (near present-day Zhongxiang, Hubei) to the capital, Beijing. As the Jiajing Emperor, Zhu Houcong had his parents posthumously elevated to an "honorary" imperial rank, and had an imperial-style Xianling Mausoleum built for them near Zhongxiang.
Custom dictated that an emperor who was not an immediate descendant of the previous one should be adopted by the previous one, to maintain an unbroken line. Such a posthumous adoption of Zhu Houcong by the Hongzhi Emperor was proposed, but he resisted, preferring instead to have his father declared emperor posthumously. This conflict is known as the "Great Rites Controversy." The Jiajing Emperor prevailed and hundreds of his opponents were banished, flogged in the imperial court (廷杖), or executed. Among the banished was the poet Yang Shen.
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Wikipedia