Accession of the Zhengtong Emperor

Timeline

1. 1435Palace of Heavenly Purity, Forbidden City · BeijingAfter the Xuande Emperor's death, rumors spread that the Empress Dowager wished to install the Prince of Xiang; Zhang summoned Yang Shiqi and others to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, declared she would follow the edict and install Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen, and the ministers acclaimed him, settling the succession.
2. 1435Fengtian Hall, Forbidden City · BeijingZhu Qizhen ascended the throne at the Fengtian Hall, ministers performed congratulatory rites, and the following year the era name was changed to Zhengtong. The eight-year-old Son of Heaven could not rule personally; all memorials were annotated and decided by Empress Dowager Zhang, the Three Yangs, and Jian Yi.
3. 1435Beijing · BeijingAfter the accession, the court maintained the Xuande era's policy of recuperation, continued to rely on the Three Yangs, and preserved the conciliatory policy toward the Mongols in the north. During the child emperor's reign, real decision-making power at the center lay with the empress dowager and the Grand Secretariat.