Zhengtong Emperor
Zhengtong正统(birth name: Zhu Qizhen朱祁镇, Temple name: Yingzong英宗; * November 29, 1427, † February 23, 1464 ) was the sixth Chinese emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He reigned as Zhengtong 1435-1449 and a second time as Tianshun天顺1457-1464.
Zhengtong was the eldest son of the Xuande Emperor and Empress Sun. Already at the age of eight he ascended the throne, and was under the regency of his grandmother enabled, the Grand Empress Dowager Zhang. Nevertheless, he got well under the influence of the eunuch Wang Zhen. Under Emperor Zhengtongs reign the definitive abandonment of the great Chinese Seeexpeditionen falls. These were dropped because the whole of China was hit in the period 1430-1450 of serious natural disasters; first drought, then heavy famine and finally violently to rampant plague that claimed the lives of millions of people. Given these problems, the enormous cost of government-funded commercial fleets were unacceptable and had to be used for damage containment. Added to this was an ongoing power struggle between the followers of Confucianism, which rejected the fleets and the imperial eunuchs who controlled the sea trade in many parts.
At the age of 22 years ( 1449 ) Zhengtong took on the advice of Wang Zhen's an ill-prepared campaign against the Mongols and was taken prisoner at the Battle of Tumu. This shook the Ming state again, and only the able leadership of Minister Yu Qian prevented worse. While Zhengtong remained hostage at Esen Khan, usurped his brother Zhu Qiyu as Emperor Jingtai the dragon throne. The new Emperor refused any ransom demand to fulfill. That made Zhengtong worthless for the Mongols. This had now gained the friendship Esen Khan and was subsequently released from this in 1450. The deposed Ming emperor was provided by his brother inside the Forbidden City, and his family under house arrest and completely isolated.
After seven years of ill Emperor Jingtai, and the deposed Emperor Zhengtong decided in 1457 to take action. In a palace coup he overthrew his brother and remounted the throne. But this time with a new currency that was Tianshun. According to a second term of seven years in the Tianshun era of new old emperor at the age of only 37 years, died in the year in 1464.