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The Jianwen Emperor was the second emperor of China's [[Ming Dynasty]]. He succeeded his grandfather, the founder of the Ming, the [[Hongwu Emperor]], following Hongwu's death in [[1398]], but was overthrown and possibly killed by his uncle, Zhu Di, who then named himself the [[Yongle Emperor]] in [[1402]].

The Jianwen Emperor was the second emperor of China's [[Ming Dynasty]]. He succeeded his grandfather, the founder of the Ming, the [[Hongwu Emperor]], following Hongwu's death in [[1398]], but was overthrown and possibly killed by his uncle, Zhu Di, who then named himself the [[Yongle Emperor]] in [[1402]].

As a teenager, he was named Hongwu's successor following the death of the Crown Prince in [[1392]]. Jianwen then took the throne in 1398. His reign did not last long, however, as his uncle, Zhu Di, attacked the palace at [[Nanjing]], setting it aflame, in [[1402]]. Zhu Di then named himself emperor, taking the name Yongle and going on to become one of the more prominent and significant emperors of the entire dynasty.

As a teenager, he was named Hongwu's successor following the death of the Crown Prince in [[1392]]. Jianwen then took the throne in 1398. In [[1401]], he received a formal envoy from the [[Ashikaga shogunate]], sending a mission back to [[Kyoto]] the following year, officially naming the shogun "King of Japan," and thus becoming the first Chinese Emperor to enter into formal [[tribute]] trade / [[kango boeki|tally trade]] relations with Japan.

 

Jianwen's reign did not last long, however, as his uncle, Zhu Di, attacked the palace at [[Nanjing]], setting it aflame, in [[1402]]. Zhu Di then named himself emperor, taking the name Yongle and going on to become one of the more prominent and significant emperors of the entire dynasty.

Jianwen is believed to have died in the fire, but rumors circulated for some time after the attack that he might have survived and escaped. As a result, the Yongle Emperor periodically sent missions to seek out the Jianwen Emperor and have him killed; some scholars have suggested this as a partial or ulterior motive for Yongle dispatching the great admiral [[Zheng He]] to distant parts of the hemisphere in the early decades of the 15th century.

Jianwen is believed to have died in the fire, but rumors circulated for some time after the attack that he might have survived and escaped. As a result, the Yongle Emperor periodically sent missions to seek out the Jianwen Emperor and have him killed; some scholars have suggested this as a partial or ulterior motive for Yongle dispatching the great admiral [[Zheng He]] to distant parts of the hemisphere in the early decades of the 15th century.