The Hongxi Emperor (16 August 1378 – 29 May 1425), personal name Zhu Gaochi (朱高熾), was the fourth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1424 to 1425. He succeeded his father, the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

, in 1424. His

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of ...

Hongxi Hongxi () (20 January 1425 – 7 February 1426) was the era name of the Hongxi Emperor The Hongxi Emperor (16 August 1378 – 29 May 1425), personal name Zhu Gaochi (朱高熾), was the fourth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1424 t ...

" means "vastly bright".

Biography

Zhu Gaochi was born on 16 August 1378 and was educated by prominent Confucian tutors. He often acted as regent in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

during his father's northern military campaigns. He was uninterested in military matters but had prowess in archery. Already in May 1421, during the reign of the

, an order was issued for the suspension of

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferr ...

's maritime expeditions, apparently on account of their cost (although the order apparently did not affect the 6th voyage of Zheng He, staged around that time). Zhu Gaochi, as soon as he was enthroned as the Hongxi Emperor in September 1424, cancelled

's maritime expeditions permanently, arguably burned down the fleet or left the ships to decompose, and abolished frontier trade of tea for horses as well as missions for gold and pearls to

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

. He restored disgraced Confucian officials, such as the Yongle Emperor's minister of revenue

Xia Yuanji Xia Yuanji (; 1366–1430) was a Ming dynasty government minister. He was born in Xiangyin County, Hunan Province, which was then part of Huguang Province. His ancestral home was Dexing, Jiangxi. Xia read the ''Classic of Poetry'' and became a ...

(imprisoned since 1421), and reorganized the administration to give high ranks to his close advisors. Hanlin academicians became grand secretaries, and they dismantled his father's unpopular militaristic policies to restore civil government. The Hongxi Emperor improved finances by canceling requisitions for lumber, gold, and silver. Taxes were remitted so that vagrant farmers could return home, especially in the overburdened

Yangtze River Delta The Yangtze Delta or Yangtze River Delta (YRD, or simply ) is a triangle-shaped megalopolis generally comprising the Wu Chinese-speaking areas of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. The area lies in the heart of the Jiangnan re ...

. The Hongxi Emperor appointed a commission to investigate taxes. He overruled his secretaries by ordering that grain should be sent immediately to relieve disaster areas. The Hongxi Emperor ordered that the capital be moved back to

from Beijing (which had been made the capital by the Yongle Emperor in 1421). However he died, probably of a heart attack, a month later in May 1425. His son had been declared heir apparent and became the Xuande Emperor at age 26. Although the Hongxi Emperor had a short reign, he is credited with reforms that made lasting improvements, and his liberal policies were continued by his son.

Family

Consorts and Issue: * Empress Chengxiaozhao, of the Zhang clan (; 1379 – 20 November 1442) ** Zhu Zhanji, the Xuande Emperor (; 16 March 1399 – 31 January 1435), first son ** Zhu Zhanyong, Prince Jing of Yue (; 9 February 1405 – 5 August 1439), third son ** Zhu Zhanshan, Prince Xian of Xiang (; 4 April 1406 – 18 February 1478), fifth son ** Princess Jiaxing (; 1409 – 9 March 1439), first daughter *** Married Jing Yuan (; d. 1449) in 1428 * Noble Consort Gongsu, of the Guo clan (; 1392–1425) ** Princess De'an (; b. 1409), fourth daughter ** Zhu Zhankai, Prince Huai of Teng (; 1409 – 26 August 1425), eighth son ** Zhu Zhanji, Prince Zhuang of Liang (; 7 July 1411 – 3 February 1441), ninth son ** Zhu Zhanyan, Prince Gong of Wei (; 9 January 1417 – 3 January 1439), tenth son * Consort Gongjingxian, of the Li clan () ** Zhu Zhanjun, Prince Jing of Zheng (; 27 March 1404 – 8 June 1466), second son ** Zhu Zhanyin, Prince Xian of Qi (; 1406 – 7 November 1421), fourth son ** Zhu Zhan'ao, Prince Jing of Huai (; 28 January 1409 – 30 November 1446), seventh son ** Princess Zhending (; d. 1450), seventh daughter *** Married Wang Yi () in 1429, and had issue (one son) * Consort Zhenjingshun, of the Zhang clan (; d. 1419) ** Zhu Zhangang, Prince Xian of Jing (; 4 November 1406 – 11 December 1453), sixth son * Consort Gongyihui, of the Zhao clan () ** Princess Qingdu (; 9 October 1409 – 12 June 1440), personal name Yuantong (), second daughter *** Married Jiao Jing (; d. 20 January 1467) in 1428 * Consort Zhenhuishu, of the Wang clan (; d. 1425) ** ''Unnamed daughter'' * Consort Hui'anli, of the Wang clan (; d. 1425) * Consort Gongxishun, of the Tan clan (; d. 1425) * Consort Gongjingchong, of the Huang clan (; 1396–1425), personal name Jindi () * Consort Daoxili, of the Li clan () * Consort Zhenjingjing, of the Zhang clan (; d. 1440) * Unknown ** Princess Qinghe (; 1409–1433), third daughter *** Married Li Ming (; d. 1435) in 1429 ** Princess Yanping (), fifth daughter ** Princess Deqing (), sixth daughter

Ancestry

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hongxi Emperor 1378 births 1425 deaths Ming dynasty emperors 15th-century Chinese monarchs Yongle Emperor

Biography

Family

Ancestry

See also

References