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Capture of the Ming Emperor Yingzong

Type Event Region Asia Time 1449

After the Battle of Tumu Fortress in 1449, Ming Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Oirats, a rare capture of a Central Plains emperor, p…

Timeline

  1. 1449Tumu Fortress · HebeiIn the decisive battle at Tumu Fortress the Ming army collapsed; the horse Yingzong rode was shot dead, his guards were all killed, and the emperor was left alone amid the Oirat ranks, unable to escape.
  2. 1449Tumu Fortress · HebeiEsen identified the captive as the Ming emperor and had him taken from the battlefield; Yingzong thus became a political bargaining chip in Oirat hands, and news of it reaching the capital shook the court and the realm.
  3. 1449North of Xuanfu · Inner MongoliaEsen brought Yingzong to the walls of Xuanfu and Datong and ordered him to call on the defending generals to surrender; they refused to open the gates, so the Oirats used Yingzong as a hostage to demand ransom and ceded territory, while the Ming court fiercely debated war versus peace.

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