Zhu Yujian, Prince of Tang

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Zhu Yujian, Prince of Tang
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Birth and death:	1602–October, 1646
Family name:	Zhu (朱)
Given name:	Yujian (聿鍵)
Dates of reign:	August, 1645–October, 1646
Era name:	Longwu (隆武)
Era dates:	August, 1645–October, 1646
Temple name:	Shaozong (紹宗)
Posthumous name: (short)	{{{posthumous_name_short}}}
Posthumous name: (full)	Emperor Xiang 襄皇帝
General note: Dates given here are in the Gregorian calendar. They are not in the Julian calendar that was in use in England until 1752.

This article is based on a translation from the Chinese Wikipedia.

The Prince of Tang (唐王, 1602-1646) reigned as the Longwu (隆武) emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty from 1646-1646. His personal name was Zhu Yujian (朱聿鍵; pinyin: Zhū Yùjiàn). He was a descendant of the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Before ascending to the throne he followed his father as the Prince of Tang, their fief being situated in Nanyang prefecture, in Henan province. In 1636 he was stripped of his title by the Chongzhen Emperor and put under house arrest in Fengyang. His former title was transferred to his younger brother Zhu Yumo (朱聿鏌). In 1641 the latter committed suicide when Li Zicheng invaded Nanyang. After the death of the Chongzhen Emperor 1644, his successor on the Ming throne, the Hongguang Emperor released the Prince of Tang from his arrest.

When Qing forces captured Nanjing in June 1645 he fled to Hangzhou. In August of the same year at the behest of several high officials he ascended to the Ming throne in Fuzhou, taking the reign title Longwu (隆武; pinyin: Lóngwǔ). After a promising start, Fujian's geographical position on the margin of the empire, cut off the heartland through several mountain ranges, as well as his lack of effective troops and the failure on part of the officialdom to find a united stance doomed the Longwu government. When Qing forces invaded Fujian in the late summer of 1646, Zheng Zhilong, the emperors strongest ally, surrendered while his son Zheng Chenggong (the famous Koxinga) retreated to sea.

The Prince of Tang, left with a dwindling court, was captured 6 October 1646 and immediately executed.

Against the Ming policy of keeping imperial princes out of politics, the Prince of Tang early on showed interest in the government of the empire and strove for a larger role of the princes in it. While this brought him under house arrest during the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor, it also made him probably the most skilled and best suited emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty.

Contrary to Chinese custom, the Prince of Tang steadfastly declined to take any concubines. He is also said to have had a very close relationship with his wife.