Zhu Yuyue
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| Shaowu Emperor 紹武帝 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Emperor of the Southern Ming | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 11 December 1646 – 20 January 1647 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Longwu Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Yongli Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Prince of Tang | |||||||||||||||||
| Tenure | 1645–1646 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Zhu Yujian | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Zhu Yu'e | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1605 (萬曆三十三年) (Wanli 33) | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 20 January 1647 (aged 41–42) (隆武二年 十二月 十五日) (Longwu 2, 15th day of the 12th month) | ||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Shaowu Junchen Zhong, Mukegang, Yuexiu Hill, Guangzhou | ||||||||||||||||
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| House | Zhu | ||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Southern Ming | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Zhu Qisheng | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Lady Mao | ||||||||||||||||
Zhu Yuyue (Chinese: 朱聿鐭; pinyin: Zhū Yùyuè;[1] 1605 – 20 January 1647), the Prince of Tang (Chinese: 唐王; pinyin: Tángwáng), reigned as the Shaowu Emperor (Chinese: 紹武帝; pinyin: Shàowǔ Dì) of the Southern Ming from 1646 to 1647.
Life[]
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 and elder brother, the future Longwu Emperor, their fief being situated in Nanyang prefecture, in Henan province. In 1646 he succeeded the title of Prince of Tang after the accession of the Longwu Emperor.
When Qing forces captured Fuzhou in early October 1646 and killed the Longwu Emperor, he fled to Guangzhou. That December, at the behest of several high officials, he ascended to the Ming throne in Guangzhou, taking the reign title Shaowu (紹武; pinyin: Shàowǔ), just a few days before the Prince of Gui became the Yongli Emperor.
Both regimes claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Ming dynasty, and war broke out shortly afterwards. Initially, forces of the Shaowu regime enjoyed victory over the Yongli forces. This ultimately led to the overconfidence of the Shaowu Emperor. Corruption and lack of defense doomed the government. Just 40 days after the establishment of the Shaowu regime, Qing forces successfully invaded Guangzhou. The Shaowu Emperor was captured in January 1647 and immediately committed suicide.
The remains of the Shaowu Emperor and his officials are buried in Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou.