Zhu Zhifan (; died 1510) was a member of the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
's imperial family. He held the title Prince of Anhua from 1492 until 1510; his major power was in central
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
.
Uprising
The Prince of Anhua had long thought himself a suitable candidate to become the Ming Emperor. He shared his views with several military commanders, officials, local scholars and shamans, and also recruited a handful of soldiers.
In 1510, the court official
Liu Jin
Liu Jin (; 28 February 1451 – 25 August 1510) was a powerful Ming dynasty Chinese eunuch during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.
Liu was famous for being one of the most influential officials in Chinese history. For some time, Liu was the em ...
was dispatched to Shaanxi in order to implement the new rate of taxation on military areas. He punished corrupt tax officials; all of them were the Prince of Anhua's men. The Prince of Anhua seized this opportunity and stirred up his supporters to rebel.
On 12 May 1510, all the high officials of the region were invited to a banquet held at the prince's residence. During the banquet, his soldiers rushed in and slaughtered several officers, officials, and eunuchs. Soldiers also were sent to kill officials who had refused to attend the banquet. Then their offices were wrecked and burned.
Anhua proclaimed that he rebelled to get rid of Liu Jin and asked for support from the regional commanders, hoping for reinforcement. But the commanders were too afraid of Liu Jin's power, and refused to respond. Liu Jin failed to put down the rebellion and quickly fled.
Soon this news reached the court. The
Zhengde Emperor
The Zhengde Emperor (; 26 October 149120 April 1521) was the 11th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1505 to 1521.
Born Zhu Houzhao, he was the Hongzhi Emperor's eldest son. Zhu Houzhao took the throne at only 14 with the era name Zhen ...
send the imperial army in order to punish the prince. General
Yang Yiqing
Yang Yiqing (; 24 December 1454 – 5 September 1530), courtesy name Yingning (應寧), pseudonym Sui'an (邃庵) or Shizong (石淙), was a Chinese scholar-official of the Ming dynasty.
History
Yang's ancestral home was located in Yunnan, Yiqi ...
was in charge as supreme commander, and the eunuch
Zhang Yong was appointed as inspector of the army. However, before they reached Shaanxi, the uprising was already put down. On 30 May 1510, a cavalry commander who feigned to join the uprising, had already seized the Prince of Anhua.
Death
After the seizure of Anhua, Zhang Yong escorted the prince to
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. Anhua was soon executed in the same year.
See also
*
Prince of Ning
References
*''The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644,'' Part I, "The Prince of Anhua Uprising" by Frederick W. Mote and Denis Twitchett.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhifan, Zhu, Prince Of Anhua
15th-century births
1510 deaths
Ming dynasty imperial princes
Ming dynasty rebels
Executed Ming dynasty people
16th-century executions by China
People from Qingyang
Executed people from Gansu
Forced suicides of Chinese people
Rebellious princes