Reign 1644 - June 1645 Successor Longwu Emperor Name Zhu Yousong | Reign 1644 - June 1645 Died 1646, Beijing, China Successor Longwu Emperor | |
Spouse Empress Xiao Zhe JianEmpress Xiao YiEmpress Xu | ||
The Hongguang Emperor (Chinese: 弘光; 1607–1646), personal name Zhu Yousong (Chinese: 朱由崧), was the first emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty. He reigned briefly in Southern China from 1644-1645. His era name, Hongguang, means "Great light".
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Biography
Born Zhu 'Yousong', Hongguang was member of Ming imperial family. He was a son of Zhu Changxun, and a grandson of the Wanli Emperor and Noble Consort Zheng. His title was Prince of Fu before ascending the throne.
Chongzhen's Death
The news of the Chongzhen Emperor's suicide was met with consternation when it reached Nanjing in mid May 1644. The highest officials in Nanjing soon met to deliberate about how to face the crisis. Since the fate of the official heir apparent was still unknown at the time, many thought it was too early to proclaim a new emperor, but most agreed that an imperial figure was necessary to rally loyalist support for the Ming in the south.
Officials support
In early June 1644, the court decided that the caretaker government would be centered around Zhu Yousong, Prince of Fu, who was next in line for succession after the dead emperor's sons. When he arrived in the vicinity of Nanjing (he had come from his princedom in Henan), the Prince could count on the military and political support of Ma Shiying (馬士英). Many officers allied with the Donglin Movement preferred Zhu Changfang (朱常淓), Prince of Lu (潞王), to succeed. On June 5 the Prince of Fu entered the city, the next day he accepted the title of "Protector of the State" (監國, sometimes translated as "Regent"), and on June 7 he moved into the imperial palace, where he received the insignia of his new office.