Today is the birthday of Zhu Yunwen, the second emperor of the Ming dynasty, born December 5, 1377. The first son of the first son of the Ming dynastic founder Zhu Yuanzhang (Ming Taizu/The Hongwu Emperor), Zhu Yunwen took the throne following the death of his grandfather in 1398. Not that everybody was happy about the arrangement. Zhu Yuanzhang had decreed that imperial succession would automatically fall to the first son of the emperor or, as in the case of Zhu Yunwen, if the first son was no longer living then the crown would pass to the first son of the first son.
As might be expected, ancestral injunctions notwithstanding, Zhu Yunwen’s ascension to the throne as the Jianwen Emperor at the tender age of 21 was going to cause some grumbling in the ranks, particularly from Zhu Yuanzhang’s fourth son, Zhu Di (1360-1424). Zhu Di was a capable general and had been charged with commanding the Ming northern defenses around Beijing and generally keeping an eye on those pesky Mongols. (Apparently, Zhu Yuanzhang didn’t get the memo from CCP propaganda HQ that the Mongols and the Ming were really part of one united family – either that, or he never saw the Mongol soldiers dancing in costume during a TV gala. Pity.)
Sensing an opportunity to grab power — and perhaps legitimately fearing the consequences of a young emperor taking the throne — Zhu Di launched a rebellion/coup against his nephew. After four years of fighting, Zhu Di marched his troops southward from his base in Beijing and took the Ming capital of Nanjing. At some point in the fighting, the imperial palace caught fire, and most historians believe that Zhu Yunwen died in the fire along with several of his concubines and servants. There are other versions of course. One popular story has Zhu Yunwen suriviving and dropping off the radar to become a Buddhist monk, spending the rest of his life dodging attempts by his uncle’s agents to find him.
Zhu Di went on to consolidate his control over the Ming Empire, brutally eliminating any officials still loyal to Zhu Yunwen and finally deciding to move his capital out of Nanjing and up to his base of power, Beijing. As most people know, Zhu Di — crowned the Yongle Emperor on July 17, 1402 — was the man behind the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, as well as sponsoring the naval expeditions of Zheng He. He reigned until 1424.