Zhu Benli (), or the Dingwu Emperor (), is claimed to be the last emperor of the
Southern Ming
The Southern Ming (), also known as the Later Ming (), officially the Great Ming (), was an imperial dynasty of China and a series of rump states of the Ming dynasty that came into existence following the Jiashen Incident of 1644. Shun force ...
. He inherited the title Prince of Han (韓王). His identity and existence however is of some dispute, and
Zhu Youlang
The Yongli Emperor (; 1623–1662; reigned 18 November 1646 – 1 June 1662), personal name Zhu Youlang, was a royal member to the imperial family of Ming dynasty, and the fourth and last commonly recognised emperor of the Southern Ming, reign ...
is generally taken to be the last emperor of the Southern Ming.
Biography
His original name was Zhu Danji, and he inherited his father's title of Prince of Han in 1611. During a military campaign against the rebel leader
Li Zicheng
Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...
(李自成) in
Pingliang
Pingliang () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the south and east and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the north. The city was established in 376 AD. It has a residential population of 2 ...
,
Gansu in 1643, he was captured, but he was soon released.
Li Zicheng
Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...
then occupied and plundered the capital Beijing, the central government disintegrated, and the reigning
Chongzhen Emperor
The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德 ...
committed
suicide.
See also
*
List of emperors of the Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty was a dynasty of China that existed from 1368 to 1644, succeeding the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty and falling amidst much political turmoil to the short-lived Shun dynasty. Sixteen emperors ruled over the whole of China proper spann ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhu, Benli
1616 births
1664 deaths
17th-century Chinese monarchs
17th-century executions by China
Executed Ming dynasty people
People executed by strangulation
People executed by the Qing dynasty
People whose existence is disputed
Southern Ming emperors