Jingtai Emperor
| Jingtai Emperor | |||||||||||||||||
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| 7th Emperor of the Ming dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 22 September 1449 – 11 February 1457 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Zhengtong Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Tianshun Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 September 1428 | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 14 March 1457 (aged 28) | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Empress Xiaoyuanjing Empress Suxiao Imperial Noble Consort Tang, concubine Consort Gongjingxian, concubine Li Xi'er, concubine |
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| Issue | Zhu Jianji, Crown Prince Huaixian Priness Gu'an unnamed daughter |
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| House | House of Zhu | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Xuande Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Dowager Xiaoyi | ||||||||||||||||
| Full name | |
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Family name: Zhu (朱) Given name: Qiyu (祁鈺) |
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| Era name and dates | |
| Jingtai (景泰): 14 January 1450 – 14 February 1457 | |
| Posthumous name | |
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Emperor Gongren Kangding Jing 恭仁康定景皇帝 |
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| Temple name | |
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Ming Daizong 明代宗 |
The Jingtai Emperor (景泰 IPA: [tɕìŋtʰâɪ]) (21 September 1428 – 14 March 1457), born Zhu Qiyu, 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. He reigned for 8 years before being removed from the throne by his brother, who was restored as the Tianshun Emperor. The Jingtai Emperor's era name, "Jingtai", means "Exalted View".
Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne in 1449 after his older brother, the Zhengtong Emperor, was defeated and taken prisoner by the Oirat Mongols of Esen Khan.
The Zhengtong Emperor was eventually released in 1450 after the Mongols learned that the Ming government had installed Zhu Qiyu as the new emperor. After that, the Jingtai Emperor continued to rule as emperor while his brother was granted a technical title of "grand-emperor" and was forced to live in obscurity.
During the Jingtai Emperor's reign, aided by the prominent minister Yu Qian, he paid particular attention to matters affecting his country. He repaired the Grand Canal as well as the system of dykes along the Yellow River. As a result of his administration, the economy prospered and the dynasty was further strengthened.
The Jingtai Emperor reigned for eight years. When his death was imminent in 1457, he refused to name an heir, particularly because his own son had died mysteriously — perhaps poisoned. The sidelined Zhengtong Emperor saw an opportunity to regain the throne and through a military coup overthrew the Jingtai Emperor and declared himself his successor. The former Zhengtong Emperor, now emperor again, adopted a new era name, "Tianshun", and is hence also known as the Tianshun Emperor. The Jingtai Emperor was demoted to the rank of Prince of Cheng, which was the title he had held before ascending the throne, and was placed under house arrest in Xiyuan (西苑). The Jingtai Emperor died a month later with some sources hinting that he was murdered by eunuchs on the order of the Tianshun Emperor.
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Wikipedia