Ming succession dispute
| Ming succession dispute | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 國本之爭 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国本之争 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | "dispute over the foundation of the state", or "struggle over the root of the state" | ||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 爭國本 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 争国本 | ||||||
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The Ming succession dispute from 1586 to 1614 was a conflict between the Wanli Emperor, the emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, and a significant group of Ming officials. The disagreement centered around the appointment of the crown prince. While officials argued for the legal principle of primogeniture and the appointment of the emperor's eldest son, Zhu Changluo, as crown prince, the emperor seemed to favor his favorite concubine Lady Zheng's son, Zhu Changxun, as his successor. Despite pressure from officials, the emperor delayed making a decision until 1601, when he finally named Zhu Changluo as his successor and Zhu Changxun as the prince. However, the emperor kept Zhu Changxun in Beijing until 1614, when he was supposed to be sent to his regional seat after turning eighteen in 1604. This decision raised suspicions about the emperor's intentions and sparked further protests from opposition officials.
In 1615, disputes over the succession resurfaced in relation to the infamous "case of the attack with the stick", which may have been an attempted assassination of Zhu Changluo.
In the political terminology of that time, the heir to the throne was referred to as the "foundation of the state" (simplified Chinese: 国本; traditional Chinese: 國本; pinyin: Guóběn).