The Great Rites Controversy, which took place from 1521 to 1524 in the Ming dynasty of China, was a dispute between the Jiajing Emperor and his grand secretaries, who were supported by most officials. The disagreement centered around the status of the emperor's parents. In 1521, the childless Zhengde Emperor died and was succeeded by his cousin, the Jiajing Emperor. The grand secretaries, led by Yang Tinghe, and most officials advocated for the posthumous adoption of the Jiajing Emperor by the Hongzhi Emperor, who was the father of the Zhengde Emperor and had been deceased for almost two decades. This would have made the Jiajing Emperor the younger brother of his predecessor. The Jiajing Emperor refused the adoption and instead demanded that his parents be posthumously granted imperial rank. This disagreement dragged on for some time until the emperor ultimately resolved it by forcing Yang Tinghe to resign and imprisoning, beating, or exiling other opponents to the outskirts of the empire.