Taichang Emperor
| Taichang Emperor 泰昌帝 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Emperor of the Ming dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 28 August 1620 – 26 September 1620 | ||||||||||||||||
| Enthronement | 28 August 1620 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Wanli Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Tianqi Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Crown Prince of the Ming dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Tenure | 1601–1620 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Crown Prince Zhu Yijun | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Crown Prince Zhu Cilang | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 August 1582 | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 September 1620 (aged 38) | ||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Qing Mausoleum, Ming tombs, Beijing | ||||||||||||||||
| Consorts | |||||||||||||||||
| Issue Detail | |||||||||||||||||
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| House | Zhu | ||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Ming | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Wanli Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Dowager Xiaojing | ||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 泰昌帝 | ||||||||||||||||
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The Taichang Emperor (28 August 1582 – 26 September 1620), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Guangzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Changluo, was the 15th emperor of the Ming dynasty. He was the eldest son of the Wanli Emperor and succeeded his father as emperor in 1620. However, his reign came to an abrupt end less than one month after his enthronement when he was found dead one morning in the palace following a bout of diarrhea. His reign was the shortest in Ming history.
The Taichang Emperor was born in 1582, during the tenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign. His mother, Lady Wang, was a servant of the emperor's mother. Lady Wang was promoted, but did not gain the favor of the Wanli Emperor, and the emperor ignored their son. Instead, the Wanli Emperor showed preference towards Zhu Changxun, the son of his favorite concubine, Lady Zheng. The Wanli Emperor intended to appoint Zhu Changxun as crown prince, but this choice faced strong opposition from the ministers. As a result, the matter remained at a standstill for many years due to the stubbornness of both sides.
In 1601, the Wanli Emperor finally succumbed to the pressure of ministers, officials, and above all his mother, and officially appointed nineteen-year-old Zhu Changluo as the crown prince. However, even with this formal recognition, intrigue and the emperor's dissatisfaction with the succession persisted. In 1615, the court was rocked by an unusual scandal when a man named Zhang Chai armed himself with a wooden staff and broke into the Forbidden City, specifically targeting the Crown Prince's palace. While the initial investigation deemed him insane, another investigator suggested the involvement of two eunuchs close to Lady Zheng. Both eunuchs were swiftly executed, but speculation about the true perpetrators of the plot continued to circulate.
The Wanli Emperor died on 18 August 1620, and Zhu Changluo officially ascended the throne as the Taichang Emperor on 28 August. However, just a few days after his coronation, he fell ill and died on 26 September 1620, despite attempts at treatment. The Taichang Emperor's eldest son, Zhu Youjiao, was then enthroned as the Tianqi Emperor. The death of the relatively young emperor sparked suspicion, speculation, and recrimination among different court factions.