Emperor Yingzong of Ming

Zhu Qizhen (1427–1464), known by his temple name Yingzong, is the only Ming emperor who reigned twice. He came to the throne in 1435 at the age of seven and ruled under the era name Zhengtong until 1449. In that year he was captured by the Oirat Mongols at Tumu, and his half-brother took the throne as the Jingtai Emperor.

Released in 1450, Zhu Qizhen spent almost seven years under guard in Beijing. A palace coup restored him in 1457, and he reigned again under the era name Tianshun until his death in 1464.

For collectors, his reigns pose a particular puzzle. Imperial porcelain of the Zhengtong, Jingtai and Tianshun eras almost never carries a reign mark, and the years from 1436 to 1464 are often called the "Interregnum". The last section of this page explains what is known about it.

The Zhengtong Reign, 1435–1449

Zhu Qizhen was the eldest son of the Xuande Emperor. His mother, Lady Sun, became empress in 1428, when Xuande's first empress was made to step aside, and the infant was named heir in the same year. When Xuande died early in 1435, the boy became the first Ming emperor to succeed as a child.

At first the government was guided by his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Zhang, and by three experienced grand secretaries: Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong and Yang Pu, known together as the Three Yangs. They continued the steady policies of Xuande's reign.

That generation soon passed. Yang Rong died in 1440 and the grand empress dowager in 1442, and Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu followed in 1444 and 1446. Their place at the young emperor's side was taken more and more by Wang Zhen. This eunuch had been his tutor in childhood and now headed the powerful Directorate of Ceremonial.

Wang Zhen backed a long and costly series of campaigns against the Shan chieftains of Luchuan, on the south-western frontier. Meanwhile, in the north, the Oirat Mongols under their leader Esen grew stronger and more demanding.

The Tumu Crisis of 1449

In the summer of 1449 Esen invaded Ming territory. Against the advice of many officials, Wang Zhen persuaded the emperor to lead an army against him in person. The expedition was hastily prepared and poorly supplied. After marching towards Datong, it turned back towards Beijing.

In September 1449 the retreating army was surrounded at the fortified post of Tumu, north-west of Beijing, and destroyed. Many senior ministers and commanders died there, Wang Zhen among them, and the emperor was taken prisoner. The Tumu Crisis was one of the worst defeats in Ming history.

In Beijing, Yu Qian, then in charge of the Ministry of War, refused calls to abandon the capital. Within weeks the emperor's half-brother, Zhu Qiyu, was enthroned as the Jingtai Emperor, so that Esen could not use his captive to extract concessions. When the Oirats reached Beijing in October, they were driven off.

Zhu Qizhen was treated with respect in captivity, and he is recorded as forming a friendship with Esen's brother, Bayan Temür. With a new emperor on the throne he had little value as a hostage, and in 1450 Esen let him go.

Confinement and Restoration

Zhu Qizhen returned to Beijing in 1450 with the title Taishang Huang, or retired emperor. His brother had no intention of giving up the throne. Jingtai confined him to the Southern Palace, in the imperial city, and kept him cut off from the court for almost seven years.

In 1452 Jingtai removed Zhu Qizhen's son, Zhu Jianshen, from the position of heir and put his own son in his place. The new heir died the following year, and Jingtai named no other.

Early in 1457 Jingtai fell seriously ill. One night in February the general Shi Heng, the eunuch Cao Jixiang and the official Xu Youzhen led troops into the palace, freed Zhu Qizhen and put him back on the throne. Chinese historians call this the duomen coup, the "seizing of the gate".

He took the new era name Tianshun, "in accord with Heaven". Jingtai was demoted to Prince of Cheng and died within weeks, amid rumours that he had been murdered. Yu Qian, who had saved the capital in 1449, was executed on a false charge of treason, a verdict reversed in the next reign.

The Tianshun Reign, 1457–1464

The men who had restored him expected their reward, and for a time they dominated the court. Their power did not last. Xu Youzhen was soon sent into exile, and Shi Heng died in prison in 1460. In 1461 Cao Jixiang's adopted son, Cao Qin, led a mutiny in Beijing. It failed, and Cao Jixiang was executed.

In his later years the emperor relied on the grand secretary Li Xian, and the last years of the reign were comparatively calm.

Death and the Porcelain of His Reigns

Zhu Qizhen died early in 1464, aged thirty-six. He was buried in the Yuling tomb at the Ming Tombs north of Beijing. His son Zhu Jianshen succeeded him as the Chenghua Emperor.

His final instructions are remembered for one humane act. Earlier Ming emperors had been followed in death by palace women who were compelled to take their own lives. Zhu Qizhen ordered that the custom should end, and later Ming emperors did not revive it.

The "Interregnum" in Ming Porcelain

Ceramic historians use the term "Interregnum" for the years from 1436 to 1464, covering the Zhengtong, Jingtai and Tianshun eras. The name reflects a gap in the record rather than in production. Xuande porcelain regularly bears the six-character reign mark, and so does Chenghua porcelain. Marked imperial pieces from the three eras between them are almost unknown.

The kilns at Jingdezhen did not stop working. Excavations at the site of the imperial kilns have recovered unmarked wares from these years. This material has made the period easier to recognise, although its wares were often attributed to neighbouring reigns in the past.

Blue and white of the period is associated above all with large jars and meiping vases painted with figures in landscapes, often set among swirling bands of cloud. Without marks, dating depends on shape, painting style, glaze and body, and attributions can differ from one specialist to another.

The period also left its name on another art. Chinese cloisonné enamel is still called jingtailan, "Jingtai blue", after the reign of Zhu Qizhen's brother. For the wider history of these decades, see our article on the middle Ming dynasty. Ming pieces from several periods are in our Ming dynasty porcelain collection.