The Yongle Emperor (May 2, 1360 – August 12, 1424), born Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China from 1402 to 1424. His era name means "Perpetually Jubilant". His usurpation of the throne is now sometimes called the "Second Founding" of the Ming. He is generally considered one of the greatest emperors of the Ming Dynasty, and to be among the greatest Chinese emperors. He was the Prince of Yan (燕王), possessing a heavy military base in Beijing. He became known as Chengzu of Ming Dynasty (明成祖 also written Cheng Zu, or Ch'eng Tsu (Cheng Tsu) in Wade ...

Including:

• Yongle Emperor - Early Years
• Yongle Emperor - Journey to power
• Yongle Emperor - Reign
• Yongle Emperor - Military accomplishments
• Yongle Emperor - Death
• Yongle Emperor - Legacy
• Yongle Emperor - Sources and further reading

Read more here: » Yongle Emperor: Encyclopedia - Yongle Emperor

Hongwu died on June 24, 1398, and Zhu Yunwen was crowned Emperor Jianwen. Almost immediately Zhu Di and Jianwen began their deadly feud. When Zhu Di traveled with his guard unit to pay tribute to his father, Jianwen took his actions as a threat and sent forces to turn him around. Zhu Di was forced to leave in humiliation. Jianwen persisted in refusing to let Zhu Di see his father's tomb and Zhu Di challenged the emperor's judgment. Zhu Di quickly became the biggest threat to the imperial court. Jianwen's policy tried to avoid direct contact ...

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Yongle Emperor, Yongle Emperor - Early Years, Yongle Emperor - Journey to power, Yongle Emperor - Reign, Yongle Emperor - Military accomplishments, Yongle Emperor - Death, Yongle Emperor - Legacy, Yongle Emperor - Sources and further reading

Read more here: » Yongle Emperor: Encyclopedia II - Yongle Emperor - Journey to power

Mongol invaders were still causing many problems for the Ming Dynasty. Traditionally, Han Chinese dynasties rarely went on the offensive against the Mongols. But Yongle prepared to change this less-than-proud tradition. He mounted five military expeditions into Mongolia and crushed the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty that had fled north after being defeated by Emperor Hongwu. He repaired the northern defenses and forged buffer alliances to keep the Mongols at bay in order to build an army. His strategy was to force the Mongols into economic dep ...

See also:

Yongle Emperor, Yongle Emperor - Early Years, Yongle Emperor - Journey to power, Yongle Emperor - Reign, Yongle Emperor - Military accomplishments, Yongle Emperor - Death, Yongle Emperor - Legacy, Yongle Emperor - Sources and further reading

Read more here: » Yongle Emperor: Encyclopedia II - Yongle Emperor - Military accomplishments

Yongle followed traditional rituals closely and remained superstitious. He did not overindulge in the luxuries of palace life, but still used Buddhism and Buddhist festivals to overcome some of the backwardness of the Chinese frontier and to help calm civil unrest. He stopped the warring between the various Chinese tribes and reorganized the provinces to best provide peace within China. Due to the stress and overwhelming amount of thinking involved in running a post-rebellion empire, Yongle searched for scholars to join his staff. He had many of the best scholars chosen as candidates and took great care in choosing them, even ...

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Yongle Emperor, Yongle Emperor - Early Years, Yongle Emperor - Journey to power, Yongle Emperor - Reign, Yongle Emperor - Military accomplishments, Yongle Emperor - Death, Yongle Emperor - Legacy, Yongle Emperor - Sources and further reading

Read more here: » Yongle Emperor: Encyclopedia II - Yongle Emperor - Reign

Emperor Yongle was born Zhu Di on May 2nd, 1360 (mother unknown) to a monk and future emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di grew up as a prince during the Ming Dynasty in a loving, caring environment. His father, Emperor Hongwu supplied nothing but the best education for his sons and eventually entitled them their own princedoms. Zhu Di was entitled as the Prince of Yan, the area around Beijing. When Zhu Di moved to Beijing, the city had been devastated by famine and disease and was under threat of invasion from Mongolians from the nort ...

See also:

Yongle Emperor, Yongle Emperor - Early Years, Yongle Emperor - Journey to power, Yongle Emperor - Reign, Yongle Emperor - Military accomplishments, Yongle Emperor - Death, Yongle Emperor - Legacy, Yongle Emperor - Sources and further reading

Read more here: » Yongle Emperor: Encyclopedia II - Yongle Emperor - Early Years