Zhu Yihai (; 1618–1662),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Juchuan (巨川),

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

Hengshan (恆山) and Changshizi (常石子), was a regent of the Southern Ming dynasty from 1645 to 1653.

Early life

Zhu Yihai was born in 1618, during the 46th year of the reign of the

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shenzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Yijun, art name Yuzhai, was the 14th List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reig ...

of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. A son of Zhu Shouyong, he was a ninth-generation descendant (the same generation as the

Taichang Emperor 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 List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty. He was the ...

) of Zhu Tan, Prince Huang of Lu, tenth son of the

Hongwu Emperor The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, founding emperor of the Ming dyna ...

. The mansion of the Prince of Lu was located at Yanzhou. The

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

forces had attacked Yanzhou and destroyed the mansion. At that time, the peerage of Prince of Lu was succeeded by Zhu Yihai's eldest brother, Zhu Yipai. After the Qing invaded, Zhu Yipai committed suicide along with two of his brothers, Zhu Yixing (朱以洐) and Zhu Yijiang (朱以江). After his brother's suicide, Zhu Yihai was enfeoffed as the 11th Prince of Lu by the

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約，行� ...

. After four days he succeeded his peerage,

Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by his nickname, the Thunder King, was a Chinese Late Ming peasant rebellions, peasant rebel leader who helped overthrow the Ming dynasty in April 1644 and ruled over northe ...

attacked

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

and he fled to southern China.

Regency

The Prince of Lu was part of the resistance against the invading

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

forces. His primary consort, Lady Chen, committed suicide during the impending fall of the Ming. The location of her suicide can still be found on the island of Zhoushan. In 1651 he fled to the island of

Kinmen Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), only east from the city of Xiamen in Fujian, located at the southeastern coast of the People's Republic of China, from wh ...

, which in 1663 was taken over by the invading force. His grave was discovered on the island in 1959 (The " Tomb Inscription of the Ming Dynasty Prince Lu" (皇明監國魯王壙志)), which disproved the theory advanced by the 18th-century ''

History of Ming The ''History of Ming'' is the final official Chinese history included in the '' Twenty-Four Histories''. It consists of 332 volumes and covers the history of the Ming dynasty from 1368 to 1644. It was written by a number of officials commissio ...

'' that he was killed by

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), born Zheng Sen () and better known internationally by his honorific title Koxinga (, from Taiwanese: ''kok sèⁿ iâ''), was a Southern Ming general who resisted the Qing conquest of Chin ...

. His eighth son, Zhu Honghuan (朱弘桓), married the fourth daughter of Koxinga and went to live in the

Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning, also known as Tywan, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly ethnic Han state in Taiwanese history. At its z ...

Taiwan under the protection of

Zheng Jing Zheng Jing, Prince of Yanping (; 25 October 1642 – 17 March 1681), courtesy names Xianzhi () and Yuanzhi (), Art name, pseudonym Shitian (), was initially a Southern Ming military general who later became the second ruler of the Tungning King ...

, his brother-in-law and worked as a farmer. Another Ming prince who accompanied Koxinga to Taiwan was Zhu Shugui, Prince of Ningjing. After the surrender of the Kingdom of Tungning, the Qing sent the 17 Ming princes still living on Taiwan back to mainland China where they spent the rest of their lives. Including Zhu Honghuan.

References

Sources

* ''The Pacification of Taiwan by the Great Qing'' (大清台湾绥记). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhu, Yihai 1618 births 1662 deaths 17th-century Chinese monarchs Southern Ming emperors People from Fengyang 17th-century regents