Jianwen Emperor

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The Jianwen Emperor (December 5, 1377–July 13, 1402), with the personal name Zhu Yunwen, reigned as the second Emperor of the Ming dynasty.

His father, Crown Prince Zhu Biao (朱標), was the son and designated heir of the Hongwu Emperor. When Zhu Biao died in 1392 before ascending to the throne, the Hongwu emperor made Zhu Biao's son Zhu Yunwen his successor, rather than Zhu Biao's younger brother Zhu Di.

The Jianwen reign was short (1398–1402). After he assumed the throne, Zhu Yunwen began to suppress feudal lords which included Zhu Yunwen's uncle Zhu Di. Feeling threatened, in 1399 Zhu Di raised an army and began to march towards Nanjing from his northern base in Beijing under the banner of the Jingnan campaign. In 1402 Zhu Di's army finally reached Nanjing and after a brief fight Zhu Di was finally able to usurped Zhu Yunwen's throne. To avoid capture, Zhu Yunwen and his concubines is said to have died in a fire of the palace during the coup. The Jianwen emperor was advised by a group of scholars, later known as the Four Martyrs, who were killed by Yongle. The record of Jianwen's rule was systematically erased by Yongle and no temple name was given to Jianwen.

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Last updated on Tuesday January 22, 2008 at 21:38:41 PST (GMT -0800)
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