Jianwen Emperor

Who was Jianwen Emperor?

The Jianwen Emperor was the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China. His personal name was Zhu Yunwen. The era name Jianwen meant "Establishing Civility" and represented a sharp change in tone from his grandfather's era of "Great Martiality". His reign did not last long: an attempt to restrain his powerful uncles led to the Jingnan rebellion and usurpation by the Yongle Emperor. Although the new emperor presented a charred body as Zhu Yunwen's, rumors circulated for decades that the young emperor had escaped his burning palace in a monk's robe. This rumor is credited by some as having prompted Zheng He's voyages of exploration to the Indian Ocean. Some historians believe that Jianwen Emperor did indeed escape Nanjing and the Ming official history texts were altered by officials in the Qing dynasty to please their emperor.