Zhu Gang
| Zhu Gang 朱棡 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Jin | |||||||
| Born | 18 December 1358 | ||||||
| Died | 30 March 1398 (aged 39) | ||||||
| |||||||
| House | Zhu | ||||||
| Father | Hongwu Emperor | ||||||
| Mother | Empress Xiaocigao | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 朱棡 | ||||||
| |||||||
Zhu Gang (18 December 1358 – 30 March 1398) was an imperial prince of the Ming dynasty of China. He was the third son of the Hongwu Emperor, the Ming dynasty's founder.
Biography
Zhu Gang was born on 18 December 1358, the third son of Zhu Yuanzhang and his first wife, Lady Ma.[2] At the time, Zhu Yuanzhang was a prominent leader of the Red Turban Rebellion, based in Nanjing. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne as emperor of the Ming dynasty and rapidly unified China under his rule. In May 1370, he bestowed the title of prince (王; wang) on seven of his sons, including Zhu Gang, who became known as the Prince of Jin (晉王).[3]
Upon reaching adulthood in 1378, Zhu Gang relocated to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province. Although he lacked authority over the local administration, he wielded significant power through his personal guard, which comprised three regiments, and a large household headed by experienced advisers and officials.[4] Motivated by a passion for the arts, he assembled a notable collection of paintings and calligraphy in his palace and supported Buddhist monasteries in the region.[5]
During the late 1380s and early 1390s, he was one of several of the emperor's sons assigned responsibility for the northern and northwestern frontiers.[3] After the purges of the early 1390s, he took over command of the frontier armies alongside Zhu Di and his younger brothers, the princes of Qi, Chu, Liao, and Xiang,[6] among others.
He fell ill in 1398 and died on 30 March that year.[2][7] He left seven sons and three daughters, and his descendants held the title Prince of Jin until 1648.
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ History of Ming, vol. 116, p. 3562.
- ^ a b Goodrich & Fang (1976), pp. 389–390.
- ^ a b Langlois (1988), p. 120.
- ^ Chan (2007), p. 49.
- ^ Weidner (2001), p. 132.
- ^ Chan (2007), p. 54.
- ^ Langlois (1988), p. 181.
Works cited
- Chan, Hok-lam (2007). "Ming Taizu's Problem with His Sons: Prince Qin's Criminality and Early-Ming Politics" (PDF). Asia Major. 20 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- Goodrich, L. Carington; Fang, Chaoying (1976). Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368-1644. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-03801-1.
- Langlois, John D. Jr. (1988). "The Hung-wu reign, 1368–1398". In Mote, Frederick W.; Twitchett, Denis (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part I. Cambridge University Press. pp. 107–181. ISBN 978-0-521-24332-2.
- Weidner, Marsha Smith (2001). Cultural intersections in later Chinese Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824823085.
- Zhang, Tingyu (1974) [1739]. Ming Shi 明史 [History of Ming] (in Literary Chinese). Beijing: Zhonghua Book. ISBN 7101003273.