After a very rocky start in life, the Chenghua Emperor takes the throne, only to be endlessly shoved around by overbearing mother, manipulative and murderous consorts, and conniving, terrorizing eunuchs. What else would one really expect for a guy with the personality of a west dishrag?
Time Period Covered:
1464-1487 CE
Major Historical Figures:
The Chenghua Emperor (Zhu Jianshen) [r. 1464-1487]
The Hongzhi Emperor (Zhu Youcheng) [1470-1505]
Noble Consort Wan Zheng'er [1430-1487]
Empress Wang
Empress Wu
Empress Dowager Zhou
Empress Dowager Qian
Grand Secretary Li Xian
Lady Zhi Tangmei
Eunuch Zhang Min
Spymaster Wang Zhi
Notable Works Cited:
Mote, Frederick W. “The Ch’eng-hua and Hung-chih Reigns, 1465-1505” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, Part I.
Li Shizhen.* Bencao Ganmu (The Compendium of Materia Medica)*
Tsai, Shi-shan Henry. The Eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty.
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