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Emperor Jianwen

The Jianwen Emperor (Traditional Chinese: 建文; Simplified Chinese: 建文; pinyin: Jiànwén; Wade-Giles: Chien-wen) (5 December 1377 – 13 July 1402), with the personal name Zhu Yunwen (朱允炆), reigned as the second Emperor of the ming dynasty. His reign name Jianwen means "Establishment of Civil Virtue".

His father, Zhu Biao, Crown Prince Yiwen (朱標), was the son and designated heir of the Hongwu Emperor, founder of the ming dynasty. When Zhu Biao died in 1392 before ascending to the throne, the Hongwu Emperor made Zhu Biao's son, Zhu Yunwen, his successor, rather than Zhu Biao's younger brothers Zhu Shuang (the Prince of Qin), Zhu Gang (the Prince of Jin) or Zhu Di (the Prince of Yan).

Jianwen's reign was short (1398–1402). After he assumed the throne, Jianwen Emperor began to suppress feudal lords, including his uncle Zhu Di. Feeling threatened, Zhu Di raised an army and in 1399, began to march toward Nanjing from his northern base in Beijing under the banner of the jingnan campaign. In 1402, Zhu Di's army finally reached Nanjing and, after a brief fight, Zhu Di usurped Jianwen Emperor's throne and was crowned as Yongle Emperor.

To avoid capture, Jianwen and his concubines were said to have died in a fire at the palace during the coup. Jianwen was advised by a group of scholars, later known as the Four Martyrs that were killed by Yongle.

Some rumors state that Jianwen escaped and became a monk who actively organized anti-Zhu Di rebellions. There was a story also to be said that Jianwen disappeared mysteriously. A year after he became emperor, Yongle sent two agents to find the whereabouts of Jianwen. Rumor has it that one of the agents discovered Jianwen and even had a chat with him. Since records of Yongle's search of Jianwen were mostly destroyed, the truthfulness of this chat has yet to be proven. The record of Jianwen's rule was systematically erased by Yongle and no temple name was given to Jianwen.

There is no known grave of the Jianwen Emperor.

Personal information

Father

Zhu Biao, Crown Prince Yiwen (10 October 1355 – 17 May 1392), eldest son and initial successor of the Hongwu Emperor

Mother

Lady Lü (呂氏) (1321–1414), daughter of Lü Changben (呂昌本) and Zhu Biao's second wife, honored as Empress Dowager after her son ascended the throne

Consort

Formal Title	Maiden Name	Birth	Death	Father	Issue
Empress Xiao Min Rang 孝愍讓皇后	Family name : Ma (馬)	1378	13 July 1402	Ma Quan 馬全	Zhu Wenkui, Crown Prince Hejian Zhu Wengui, Prince Huai of Run

Children

Name	Formal Title	Born	Died	Mother	Notes
Zhu Wenkui 朱文奎	Crown Prince Hejian 和簡太子	30 November 1396	unknown	Empress Xiao Min Rang	Believed to have perished in the palace fire that also killed his parents
Zhu Wengui 朱文圭	Prince Huai of Run 潤懷王	1401	1457 Zhongdu	Empress Xiao Min Rang	Survived the palace fire that was believed to have killed his parents and brother; lived in obscurity for the rest of his life