Yongle Emperor

Yongle Emperor
Emperor of the Ming Empire
Reign	17 July 1402 – 12 August 1424
Predecessor	The Jianwen Emperor
Successor	The Hongxi Emperor
Born	(1360-05-02)2 May 1360 Yingtian, Yuan Empire
Died	12 August 1424(1424-08-12) (aged 64) Yumuchuan, Inner Mongolia, Ming Empire
Burial	19 December 1424 Changling Mausoleum, Ming Dynasty Tombs, Beijing
Spouse	Empress Renxiaowen
Concubine	Noble Consort Zhaoxian Noble Consort Zhaoyi Consort Gongxianxian Consort Zhongjingzhaoshunxian Consort Kangmuyigonghui Consort Gongshunrongmuli Consort Kangjingzhuanghehui Consort Duanjinggonghuishu Consort Gongherongshunxian Consort Zhaosujinghuixian Consort Zhaohuigongyishun Consort Huimuzhaojingshun Consort Kanghuizhuangshuli Consort Anshunhui Consort Gongyihui Consort Zhaoshunde Consort Kangyishun Consort Huimushun Consort Zhenjingshun Consort Shun Lee Zhaoyi Ryeo Jieyu Lee Yonger Beauty Lady Choi Beauty Lady Gongrong Beauty Lady Jinghui Beauty Lady Zhuanghui
Issue	Zhu Gaochi, the Hongxi Emperor Princess Yong'an Princess Yongping Zhu Gaoxu, Prince of Han Zhu Gaosui, Prince Jian of Zhao Princess Ancheng Princess Xianning Princess Changning Zhu Gaoxi
Full name Family name: Zhu (朱) Given name: Di (棣) Era name and dates Yongle (永樂): 23 January 1403 – 19 January 1425 Posthumous name Emperor Qitian Hongdao Gaoming Zhaoyun Shengwu Shengong Chunren Zhixiao Wen 啓天弘道高明肇運聖武神功純仁至孝文皇帝 Temple name Míng Chengzu 明成祖
House	House of Zhu
Father	Hongwu Emperor
Mother	Empress Xiaocigao

Yongle Emperor
"Yongle Emperor" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	永樂帝
Simplified Chinese	永乐帝
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yǒnglè dì Wade–Giles Yung3-le4 ti4 IPA [jʊ̀ŋ.lɤ̂ tî] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Wing5-lok6 dai3 Southern Min Tâi-lô Íng-lo̍k tē

The Yongle Emperor (Yung-lo in Wade–Giles; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (WG: Chu Ti), was the third emperor of the Ming dynasty in China, reigning from 1402 to 1424.

Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dynasty. He was originally enfeoffed as the Prince of Yan () in May 1370, with the capital of his princedom at Beiping (modern Beijing). Amid the continuing struggle against the Mongols of the Northern Yuan dynasty, Zhu Di consolidated his own power and eliminated rivals such as the general Lan Yu. He initially accepted his father's appointment of his eldest brother Zhu Biao and then his nephew Zhu Yunwen as crown prince, but when Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne as the Jianwen Emperor and began executing and demoting his powerful uncles, Zhu Di found pretext for rising in rebellion against his nephew. Assisted in large part by eunuchs mistreated by the Hongwu and Jianwen Emperors, who both favored the Confucian scholar-bureaucrats, Zhu Di survived the initial attacks on his princedom and drove south to launch the Jingnan Campaign against the Jianwen Emperor in Nanjing. In 1402, he successfully overthrew his nephew and occupied the imperial capital, Nanjing, after which he was proclaimed Emperor and adopted the era name Yongle, which means "perpetual happiness".

Eager to establish his own legitimacy, Zhu Di voided the Jianwen Emperor's reign and established a wide-ranging effort to destroy or falsify records concerning his childhood and rebellion. This included a massive purge of the Confucian scholars in Nanjing and grants of extraordinary extralegal authority to the eunuch secret police. One favorite was Zheng He, who employed his authority to launch major voyages of exploration into the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The difficulties in Nanjing also led the Yongle Emperor to re-establish Beiping (present-day Beijing) as the new imperial capital. He repaired and reopened the Grand Canal and, between 1406 and 1420, directed the construction of the Forbidden City. He was also responsible for the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, considered one of the wonders of the world before its destruction by the Taiping rebels in 1856. As part of his continuing attempt to control the Confucian scholar-bureaucrats, the Yongle Emperor also greatly expanded the imperial examination system in place of his father's use of personal recommendation and appointment. These scholars completed the monumental Yongle Encyclopedia during his reign.