Zhu Youlang facts for kids

The Yongli Emperor (simplified Chinese: 永历帝; traditional Chinese: 永曆帝; pinyin: Yǒnglì Dì; 1623–1662), whose real name was Zhu Youlang, was the fourth and final emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty. He ruled from December 1646 to June 1662. This was a very difficult time for China. The old Ming dynasty had fallen, and a new group, the Manchus, were taking over. They started the Qing dynasty.

Emperor Yongli led the remaining loyal supporters of the Ming. He worked with peasant armies to fight against the Qing forces in southwestern China. But the Qing army was very strong. He was eventually forced to leave China and go to Burma. There, he was captured and executed by a general named Wu Sangui in 1662. His special title, "Yongli," means "perpetual calendar."

Zhu Youlang was the son of Zhu Changying, who was a prince. His mother was Empress Dowager Ma. He became the Prince of Gui after his brother. He lived a quiet life until big peasant rebellions started. These rebellions led to the fall of the capital city, Beijing, in 1644. The last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, died by suicide.

The Qing dynasty gained the most from the Ming's fall. They were a new nation of Manchus from Manchuria. Many Ming soldiers, including General Wu Sangui, joined the Qing. Wu Sangui even helped the Qing army pass through the Ming Great Wall. The Qing forces quickly defeated the peasant armies. They took control of northern China and other areas.

Ming loyalists kept fighting in southern China. Several Ming royal family members tried to restart the Ming government. But they all failed as the Manchu army advanced quickly. Zhu Youlang became the fourth Southern Ming emperor in November 1646. He ruled from the city of Zhaoqing. By 1661, he was pushed back to Yunnan province. He then fled to Burma. A Qing army led by Wu Sangui followed him. They captured him from the king of Burma. He was executed in June 1662.

History of the Yongli Emperor

The Fall of the Ming Dynasty

In April 1644, the Chongzhen Emperor, the last ruler of the Ming dynasty, took his own life. This happened when a rebel army entered Beijing, the capital city. About six weeks later, on June 5, the Manchu army entered Beijing. They announced that the Ming dynasty was over. They then started their own rule, calling it the Qing dynasty.

Over the next two years, the Qing army took control of more and more of northern China. The remaining Ming loyalists tried to gather their forces in the south. But several Ming emperors who tried to rule in the south were quickly captured and executed. These included the Hongguang, Longwu, and Shaowu emperors.

Fighting in Southern China

Zhu Youlang became a temporary leader on November 20, 1646. This was after the Longwu emperor died. Longwu's brother then said he was the new emperor, calling himself Shaowu. But Zhu Youlang also became emperor on December 24, 1646, using the title Yongli. There was a short fight between these two emperors. It ended a month later when the Qing army captured and executed Shaowu.

Zhu Youlang became emperor with the support of his adoptive mother, Empress Dowager Wang. She was his father's main wife. For the first five years of his rule, she was his advisor. People said she was very smart and good at understanding problems. The emperor listened to her advice on everything.

The Qing army kept pushing the Yongli Emperor's forces back. He had to move further south and west. He went from Guilin to Jiangxi and Hunan. Then he moved south again to Nanning. He had loyal followers, but he started to rely more on local military leaders. The best of these was Li Dingguo. For five years, Li Dingguo was very successful. He helped the Southern Ming take back a lot of land in the southwest.

This success made the Qing dynasty send a very skilled former Ming official, Hong Chengchou. He was put in charge of five provinces. By 1658, Emperor Yongli was forced back into Yunnan, which is on the very edge of China.

Escape to Burma

A map showing the Yongli Emperor's journey as he fled from the Qing army.

In 1658, Zhu Youlang went to Kunming in Yunnan. From there, he sought safety with Pindale Min, the king of Burma. Pindale allowed him to live in Sagaing, near the Burmese capital of Ava. But his men had to give up their weapons. He finally fled into Burma in 1661.

The Burmese soon realized that Zhu Youlang wanted to create his own kingdom in Burma. A war broke out between the exiled prince and his hosts. The Chinese army caused a lot of damage around Ava. But they could not capture the city. This was thanks to the Portuguese soldiers helping Pindale.

Pindale tried to make money from the famine that followed. This led to his brother, Pye Min, taking over as king in May 1661. Pye ended the siege. He demanded that all the Chinese, except for Youlang himself, promise loyalty to the king of Ava. Then they would be spread out across the kingdom.

The ceremony for this plan went very wrong. The Chinese feared they would all be killed. So, they attacked the Burmese. Pye then ordered that all the Chinese, except Youlang, be put to death.

At this point, in December 1661, a Qing army of 20,000 soldiers arrived. They were led by Wu Sangui. They demanded that Burma hand over Youlang. King Pye talked with his advisors. They pointed out that both sides had given people to each other before. Also, Wu Sangui's army was huge. The Burmese had already suffered enough from their guest. So, on January 22, 1662, the last Southern Ming emperor, along with his sons and grandsons, were put on boats. They were sent to Wu Sangui's camp near Ava. The emperor thought he was going to meet his loyal general, Li Dingguo. He only realized where he was truly going when he arrived at Wu's camp.

Death of the Yongli Emperor

Zhu Youlang, the Prince of Gui and the last serious person to claim the Ming throne, was given to Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui was a Chinese general who had once served the Ming. He was also a Manchu prince and a high minister. Yongli was taken to Yunnanfu, the capital of Yunnan. In June, Wu Sangui personally strangled him.

Wu Sangui had played a big part in the Ming dynasty's fall. He had opened the gates in the Great Wall to the Qing army. Later, he led the Qing's fight against the Southern Ming. It is said that Yongli spoke strongly against Wu in his last moments. He said Wu had betrayed his people and country. He urged Wu to kill him quickly because he was disgusted to see "a traitor's face."

The last Ming dynasty princes who continued to fight the Qing after Zhu Youlang were Zhu Shugui, Prince of Ningjing, and Zhu Hónghuán, Prince of Lu. They went with Koxinga to Taiwan. Zhu Shugui acted as Koxinga's representative. He performed important ceremonies in Yongli's name until 1683.

Family

Wife and Children:

• Empress Xiaogangkuang, from the Wang family (died 1662)
  • Zhu Cixuan, Crown Prince Aimin (born April 23, 1648 – died June 1, 1662), his third son
  • Zhu Ci?, Prince Ai of Yuan (born 1650), his fourth son
  • Zhu Ciyi, Prince Shang of Mian (1654–1655), his sixth son
• Consort, from the Dou family
• Consort, from the Mou family
• Noble Lady, from the Dai family
  • Zhu Ciwei, Prince Dao of Fu (1654–1655), his fifth son
• Concubine, from the Mou family
• Noble Lady, from the Yang family (died 1661)
  • Zhu Cizhuo, Prince Chong of Li (1654–1656), his seventh son
• Noble Lady, from the Liu family
• Noble Lady, from the Yang family
• First-Class Female Attendant, from the Guo family, named Liangpu
• Unknown mothers
  • Zhu Cijue, Crown Prince Huaimin (born 1645), his first son
  • Zhu Ci?, Crown Prince Daomin (born 1646), his second son