Jianwen Emperor

Emperor of China from 1398 to 1402

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Lived 1377–1402, aged 25China

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Wikipedia
45 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1377–1402
Aged 25

Summary

Updated 2026-06-11

He ruled China for four years, tried to cut his uncles' power, and sparked a civil war that ended with his palace in flames and his body never confirmed — then spent two centuries erased from the record.

Biography

About

Zhu Yunwen became the second Ming emperor in 1398 after his father, the designated heir, died six years earlier and his grandfather named him successor. He moved quickly to curb the princes — sons of the dynasty's founder — which provoked his uncle Zhu Di into open rebellion in 1399 under the pretense of clearing out corrupt officials. The Jingnan campaign ended in 1402 when Zhu Di took Nanjing and the palace burned; three bodies were found and declared to be the emperor, his wife, and their son, but rumors immediately surfaced that he'd escaped to a monastery. Zhu Di took the throne as the Yo…

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