Decline of the Muromachi Shogunate (1540s)

Timeline

1. 1546Kyoto Imperial Palace · KyotoIn 1546 Ashikaga Yoshiteru abdicated in favor of his son Ashikaga Yoshiteru (Yoshiharu's son Yoshiteru); the new shogun was only eleven years old and unable to manage government affairs, further hollowing out the authority of the Muromachi shogun.
2. 1541–1548Kinai · KinaiShōrei and tozama daimyō such as Hosokawa Harumoto and Miyoshi Nagayoshi repeatedly fought wars in the Kinai, using force to influence court appointments and shogunal orders; the shogun and the court became tools in the various factions' power struggles.
3. 1549–1550Kyoto · KyotoAfter Miyoshi Nagayoshi entered Kyoto in 1549 and gained full control of the court, Ashikaga Yoshiteru retained only a nominal title; the shogunate could no longer command the shugo daimyō of the provinces, and the Muromachi system effectively collapsed.