Chongzhen Emperor

Chongzhen Emperor – Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian or Emperor Chongzhen was the Ming Dynasty’s 17th and last emperor. He was also the last Han-Chinese who ruled as China’s emperor.

His rule began in 1627 and lasted until 1644. His era name, Chongzhen, means honorable & auspicious.

Zhu Youjian of the Ming Dynasty wasn’t an extraordinary monarch. He wasn’t even a pioneer that made a huge change to the kingdom. Despite that, he focused and dedicated his life wholeheartedly to protect the falling Ming Dynasty.

The Life of Zhu Youjian before becoming Emperor Chongzhen

Zhu Youjian was Emperor Taichang’s son to a low-ranking concubine named Lady Liu. He was also the younger sibling of Emperor Tianqi who eventually became his predecessor.

When the future Emperor Chongzhen was only 4-years-old, his mother was killed by his own father for unknown reasons. She was even buried secretly to avoid any further issues or gossip.

Since then, Zhu Youjian was adopted by the other concubines of his father. First, he was raised by Consort Kang. After she adopted Zhu Youjiao, his eldest brother, Consort Zhuang, took over and cared for him.

All the other sons of Emperor Taichang died before they reached adulthood except for Zhu Youjian and Zhu Youjiao. The future Ming Dynasty emperor relatively grew up in a lonely yet quiet environment.

After Emperor Taichang died in 1620, Zhu Youjiao succeeded the emperor’s throne as Emperor Tiangqi. He gave the title of Prince of Xin to Youjian and even posthumously honored his brother’s mother as Consort Xian.

The Enthronement of Emperor Chongzhen

When Emperor Tianqi died in 1627, he didn’t have any heirs who survived. His son died a year before due to a mysterious explosion known as the Great Tianqi Explosion in 1626. That time, Zhu Youjian was only 16-years-old, and clearly, he didn’t wish to be the successor to Emperor Tiangqi.

As a regular prince who was disliked by his grandfather and father, Youjian never knew how to be an emperor. He didn’t even have any support from the current politicians within the empire.

Yet the queen of that time urged him to succeed the throne. If he didn’t, the eunuch Wei Zhongxian would rule the Ming Dynasty. When that happens, Zhongxian would support a child as the puppet monarch.

Since Zhu Youjian was a Ming prince, he shouldn’t allow that to happen and take responsibility. So, the 16-year-old prince agreed and promised to function well as a Ming Dynasty emperor. There, he ascended as Emperor Chongzhen.

The Reign of Emperor Chongzhen

During the first days after moving to the Forbidden City as Emperor Chongzhen, he stayed extremely vigilant. He purchased food on his own, held a sword every night, and stayed within a crowd. It was mainly to avoid being assassinated by Wei.

Simultaneously, Zhu Youjian acted like he was submissive, polite, and respectful towards Wei; something that his older brother did too. It took Emperor Chongzhen about a month to acquire Wei’s trust while observing and testing the loyalty of other officials.

From the start of his rule, the Ming Dynasty emperor tried his best to stem the decrease of the empire. For reform, he focused at the top ranks of the military and civil establishments.

But with unending internal corruption and an empty coffer, it was nearly impossible to find efficient ministers. They were necessary to complete the vital posts in the government.

Emperor Chongzhen was also suspicious and cautious when it came to his subordinates. He executed lots of field commanders like General Yuan Chonghuan – the defense director of the north frontier against the Manchus.

The Ming Dynasty emperor was marked by his apprehension towards factionalism among the officials. This had been a serious and continuous problem during Emperor Tiangqi’s reign.

Problems during Emperor Chongzhen’s Regime

After the Ming Dynasty emperor Zhu Youjian returned centralized power, he also began concentrating on governing the empire. As he progressed, Chongzhen also learned that his brother and grandfather left him a dynasty filled with crisis and chaos.

He wasn’t able to stop partisan strife in the army and bureaucracy. Plus, imperial generals were more preoccupied with quarreling with each other than stopping rebellions and such. They didn’t even bother preventing the invasions of the Manchus on the empire’s northeastern border.

Corruption from the earlier rulers depleted the treasury of his empire. So, Emperor Chongzhen wasn’t able to supply his troops with their needs, leading them to join enemy forces instead.

Out of desperation, Zhu Youjian demanded more conscripts and taxes from the people, who were already over-oppressed. Because of this additional burden, the people began joining rebel groups in growing numbers.