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Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yijun)

Type Figure Region China Time 1563–1620 Also known as Zhu Yijun

Thirteenth Ming emperor, reign name Wanli, reigned 48 years; ascended as a child, saw Zhang Juzheng's reforms, then long neglected governance as fact…

Timeline

  1. 1563–1572Forbidden City, Beijing · BeijingBorn during the Longqing era, third son of the Muzong emperor Zhu Zaihou. Ascended the throne on the eighteenth day of the tenth month of Longqing 5, changing the era name to Wanli, aged ten, with Empress Dowager Li ruling from behind the curtain and Zhang Juzheng and others assisting in government.
  2. 1572–1582Beijing · BeijingWhile Zhang Juzheng served as chief grand secretary, reforms including the performance-evaluation system and the Single Whip Reform were implemented, officialdom was rectified, land surveys conducted, the treasury filled, and the frontiers secured—known in history as the Wanli Restoration.
  3. 1582–1620Beijing · BeijingAfter Zhang Juzheng's death he gradually neglected court business, long refusing to hold audiences, and factional strife intensified. The Three Great Campaigns of Wanli drained the state's strength; later the Jianzhou Jurchens rose in Liaodong, and the dynasty's power declined day by day.

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