Zhu Gaoxu

Zhu Gaoxu (30 December 1380 – 1426) was a prince of the Ming dynasty of China. He was the second son of the Yongle Emperor and Empress Xu. During the Jingnan campaign, he played a prominent military role in his father's rise to power, and the Yongle Emperor initially considered him as a potential heir. He was ultimately passed over in favor of his elder brother Zhu Gaochi. Instead, he was granted the title of Prince of Han. Zhu Gaoxu subsequently made repeated attempts to undermine the position of Zhu Gaochi and his supporters. In 1424, Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne as the Hongxi Emperor, but he died the next year and was succeeded by his son, the Xuande Emperor. Zhu Gaoxu launched a rebellion in an attempt to seize power from his nephew, but the Xuande Emperor quickly suppressed the revolt. Zhu Gaoxu was stripped of his title and executed, along with many of his followers, in 1426.

Early life Zhu Gaoxu was born on 30 December 1380 as the second son of Zhu Di, Prince of Yan, and his wife Lady Xu. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor , the founder of China's Ming dynasty. Zhu Gaoxu had an elder brother, Zhu Gaochi, and two younger brothers, Zhu Gaosui and Zhu Gaoxi. The youngest brother, Zhu Gaoxi, died in infancy. Zhu Gaoxu was tall, physically strong, and athletic. In 1395, the Hongwu Emperor made Zhu Gaoxu the Prince of Gaoyang , a cadet branch within his father's princely line.

The Hongwu Emperor died in 1398 and was succeeded by his grandson, the Jianwen Emperor. The new emperor implemented the policy of "reducing the feudatories" (; xuefan) to curtail the authority of his princely uncles. The policy led to Zhu Di's rebellion in the autumn of 1399. The ensuing civil war, known as the Jingnan campaign, ended in 1402 with Zhu Di's victory, after which he ascended the throne as the Yongle Emperor.

During the war, Zhu Gaoxu rescued his father from dangerous situations and helped turn impending defeats into victories. At the Battle of Baigou River in May 1400, Zhu Di was nearly killed by the imperial forces led by the generals Ping An and Qu Neng. Zhu Gaoxu then arrived with several thousand cavalry, joined Zhu Di's forces, and Qu Neng and his son were killed during the ensuing fighting. In January 1401, the Yan army was defeated at the . Zhu Di broke out of the encirclement but was pursued by imperial forces and suffered heavy casualties. Zhu Gaoxu subsequently brought reinforcements, repelled the pursuing forces, and secured Zhu Di's retreat. The following year, the Yan army reached the northern bank of the Yangtze River and prepared to cross at Puzikou (northwest of present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). The crossing was resisted by the imperial army, and the Yan forces were initially unsuccessful. Zhu Di considered negotiating a peace settlement and withdrawing northward. Zhu Gaoxu later reinforced the Yan army with Mongol cavalry and participated in an assault that allowed the army to resume its advance.

Succession struggle

After the Yongle Emperor ascended the throne, many influential officials, such as the general Qiu Fu, supported Zhu Gaoxu as the preferred candidate for heir apparent because of his military achievements. Grand Secretary Xie Jin, however, told the Emperor that the people would admire his eldest son, Zhu Gaochi, for his humanity. When the Emperor remained hesitant, Xie Jin reminded him that Zhu Gaochi's eldest son, Zhu Zhanji, the Emperor's favorite grandson, would one day succeed to the throne. The Emperor eventually designated Zhu Gaochi as heir apparent in 1404. At the same time, he made Zhu Gaoxu Prince of Han , with control of Yunnan, a province in southwestern China, and made Zhu Gaosui Prince of Zhao, with his residence in Beijing.

Zhu Gaoxu refused to go to Yunnan, so the Emperor allowed him to remain in the capital, Nanjing. An unruly and arrogant man, he requested that the Tiance Guard be stationed at his princely residence and likened himself to Emperor Taizong of Tang, who had held the title of Tiance General before becoming emperor. Zhu Gaoxu attempted to undermine the position of Zhu Gaochi as well as the ministers who supported him. In 1407, the Emperor dismissed Xie Jin after Zhu Gaoxu accused him of favoring his fellow Jiangxi natives in the imperial examinations. In 1414, when the Emperor returned from his Mongolian campaign, Zhu Gaoxu urged his father to punish the heir's advisers for arriving late to the welcoming ceremony, which led to the imprisonment of two grand secretaries, Yang Shiqi for a brief time and Huang Huai for ten years.

In 1416, the Emperor granted Zhu Gaoxu a new fief in Qingzhou Prefecture, Shandong. Zhu Gaoxu refused to leave and his father reprimanded him. His formation of an illegal private guard and the killing of an officer led to his demotion to commoner status and subsequent imprisonment. After a year, he was exiled to Le'an (present-day Huimin County), Shandong.

Rebellion and death The Yongle Emperor died in August 1424, and Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne as the Hongxi Emperor. After a reign of less than a year, he died in May 1425 and was succeeded by Zhu Zhanji, who became the Xuande Emperor. Feeling neglected and wronged, Zhu Gaoxu, like his father Zhu Di, decided to claim the throne. He believed that the young emperor would not be a serious obstacle to his plans. Zhu Gaoxu began to gather an army in preparation to march to the capital and seize the throne. Unlike his father, he was in a weaker position and underestimated the determination of the government, led by the experienced Grand Secretary Yang Rong, as well as the abilities of the young emperor. In September 1426, Zhu Gaoxu openly rebelled, but the Emperor personally led 20,000 soldiers under Xue Lu (; 1358–1430) to Le'an and defeated the rebels. Historian Gu Yingtai (1620–1690) attributed Zhu Gaoxu's failure to what he described as outward arrogance and inner cowardice, noting that he had failed to seize Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong, instead ravaged Beizhili, and eventually became trapped in an isolated city before surrendering. He praised the Xuande Emperor's accurate assessment of the situation. Zhu Gaoxu was imprisoned, and 600 of his followers were executed, while 2,200 were exiled.

During the subsequent investigation, it was discovered that Zhu Gaosui and several other princes were involved in the rebellion. In order to maintain stability in the state, they were not punished. Initially, the Emperor was reluctant to execute his uncle, but when he visited the captive, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly tripped him, causing him to fall. Enraged by the incident, the Emperor ordered Zhu Gaoxu, his wife, and his sons to be executed.

Family Zhu Gaoxu had eleven sons, three of whom were born to his primary consort, Lady Wei , who became Princess Consort of Han in 1404. She was executed alongside her husband in 1426. Their eldest son, Zhu Zhanhe (; 1398 – 26 September 1421), was posthumously granted the title of Hereditary Prince Yizhuang . Their second son, Zhu Zhanqi (; died 6 October 1426), was designated as heir apparent in 1421, but was later demoted to commoner status and placed under house arrest in Fengyang in 1425. Following his father's execution in 1426, he committed suicide. Their third son, Zhu Zhantan , was designated heir in 1424 but died before his father's downfall.

The identities of the mothers of Zhu Gaoxu's remaining eight sons are unknown. These sons were all granted princely titles in 1424 and were executed together with their father in 1426. They were: Zhu Zhanci , Prince of Jiyang , fourth son Zhu Zhanyu , Prince of Linzi , fifth son Zhu Zhanyi , Prince of Zichuan , sixth son Zhu Zhanxing , Prince of Changle , seventh son Zhu Zhanping , Prince of Qidong , eighth son Zhu Zhandao , Prince of Rencheng , ninth son Zhu Zhanchang , Prince of Haifeng , tenth son Zhu Zhanbang , Prince of Xintai , eleventh son

Zhu Gaoxu also had a consort who was the second granddaughter of Guo Ying , one of the founding generals of the Ming.