The Tianqi Emperor (23 December 1605 – 30 September 1627), personal name Zhu Youjiao (), was the 16th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1620 to 1627. He was the eldest son of the Taichang Emperor and a elder brother of the

Chongzhen Emperor The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德� ...

, who succeeded him. " Tianqi", the

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 ...

of his reign, means "heavenly opening".

Biography

Zhu Youjiao became emperor at the age of 15, following the death of his father, the Taichang Emperor, who ruled less than a month. He did not pay much attention to state affairs, and was accused of failing in his filial duties to his late father by not continuing the latter's wishes. It is possible that Zhu Youjiao suffered from a learning disability or something more. He was illiterate and showed no interest in his studies. However, he was an outstanding carpenter and craftsman, often spending vast amounts of time on woodworking and instructing his servants to sell his creations undercover on the market just to see how much they were worth. Because the Tianqi Emperor was unable to read court memorials and uninterested in state affairs, the court

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...

Wei Zhongxian Wei Zhongxian (1568 – December 12, 1627), born Wei Si (魏四), was a Chinese court eunuch who lived in the late Ming dynasty. As a eunuch he used the name Li Jinzhong (李进忠). He is considered by most historians as the most notorious eunuc ...

and the emperor's

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, or if she is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cu ...

Madam Ke seized power and controlled the Ming imperial court, with the Tianqi Emperor as merely a puppet ruler. The Tianqi Emperor apparently devoted his time to

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...

. Wei Zhongxian took advantage of the situation and began appointing the people he trusted to important positions in the imperial court. Meanwhile, Madam Ke sought to retain power by removing all other women from the emperor's harem by locking away the emperor's concubines and starving them to death. It is believed that he had two private palaces; one for his female lovers and one for his male lovers. One

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

moralist group, the

Donglin Movement The Donglin movement () was an ideological and philosophical movement of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties of China. The movement was established in 1604, during the Wanli era of Ming, when Gu Xiancheng (1550–1612), a Grand Secretary, and G ...

, expressed distress at the conditions of the government. In response, the imperial court, under Wei Zhongxian's control, covertly ordered the execution of a number of officials associated with the Donglin Movement. Living conditions worsened during the Tianqi Emperor's reign. The Ming dynasty also faced several popular uprisings. Mingdeling

The Tianqi Emperor died heirless on 30 September 1627 due to his only son having died in the

Wanggongchang Explosion The Wanggongchang Explosion ( zh, t=王恭廠大爆炸), also known as the Great Tianqi Explosion ( zh, t=天啟大爆炸, labels=no), Wanggongchang Calamity ( zh, t=王恭廠之變, labels=no) or Beijing Explosive Incident in the late Ming dy ...

and was succeeded by his fifth and sole surviving brother, Zhu Youjian, because he had no sons to succeed him. Zhu Youjian was enthroned as the

. As both the Tianqi Emperor's daughters died early too, it seems that there are no natural heirs from the emperor left alive.

Family

Consorts and Issue: *

Empress Xiao'aizhe Empress Yi'an (Empress Xiao'aizhe) (1606–1644), of the Zhang clan, was the empress consort of the Tianqi Emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty. Empress Empress Zhang was selected to be the primary spouse and empress of the emperor in 1621. Her o ...

, of the Zhang clan (; 1610–1644), personal name Yan () ** Zhu Ciran, Crown Prince Huaichong (; 4 November 1623), first son * Consort Hui, of the Fan clan (), later Imperial Noble Consort ** Princess Yongning (; 1622–1624), personal name Shu'e (), first daughter ** Zhu Ciyu, Crown Prince Daohuai (; 1623–1624), second son * Consort Rong, of the Ren clan (), later Imperial Noble Consort ** Zhu Cijiong, Crown Prince Xianhuai (; 31 October 1625 – 30 May 1626), third son, died during the

* Consort Gonghuichun, of the Duan clan (; 10 May 1607 – 3 July 1629) * Consort Cheng, of the Li clan (; 1605 – 21 December 1637) ** Princess Huaining (; 1624), personal name Shumo (), second daughter * Consort Daoshunyu, of the Zhang clan (; 22 August 1606 – 16 September 1623) * Consort Liang, of the Wang clan () * Noble Lady, of the Feng clan () * Noble Lady, of the Hu clan (; d. 1623)

Ancestry

Portrayals in the media

In August and September 2009, a 42-hour television series dramatising the events during the reign of the Tianqi Emperor was shown on Chinese television – two hours per night for 21 days. It vividly showed how a hereditary monarchy can lead to the rampant abuse of power. The series ended on 17 September, just two weeks before the 60th anniversary (five 12-year cycles) of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Biography

Family

Ancestry

Portrayals in the media

See also

References

Further reading