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The Wanli Emperor was the fourteenth emperor of the [[Ming Dynasty]]. Though one of the more prominent emperors of the dynasty, and one whose reign saw many significant events, Wanli is perhaps most known for his frustration with the bureaucracy and/or distaste for the actual work of governing, to the point that he would often leave petitions and other matters to pile up; much governmental or Imperial matters of his reign were delayed severely, or even held up entirely, never being resolved.

The Wanli Emperor was the fourteenth emperor of the [[Ming Dynasty]]. Though one of the more prominent emperors of the dynasty, and one whose reign saw many significant events, Wanli is perhaps most known for his frustration with the bureaucracy and/or distaste for the actual work of governing, to the point that he would often leave petitions and other matters to pile up; much governmental or Imperial matters of his reign were delayed severely, or even held up entirely, never being resolved.

Throughout his life, like any Ming emperor, Wanli was surrounded by state ritual and courtly obligations, and by [[eunuchs]] who controlled the bureaucracy to such an extent that even as emperor, he found himself unable to weaken their grip, or to truly exercise power himself. According to some sources, it was as a result of his frustration with this situation that, later in his reign, Wanli came to frequently refuse to meet with officials, to hear petitions, or to participate in state rituals. Other sources attribute it to a self-centered and entitled attitude, the result of a spoiled Imperial upbringing. His inaction, and indeed at times willful stoppage of government, is often cited as contributing to the weakening and decline of the Ming Dynasty, leading eventually to its fall, 24 years after Wanli's death.

Throughout his life, Wanli was surrounded by state ritual and courtly obligations, and by [[eunuchs]] who controlled the bureaucracy to such an extent that even as emperor, he found himself unable to weaken their grip, or to truly exercise power himself. Historian Ray Huang identifies the Wanli reign as the culmination of a long, gradual shift of power from the active, engaged monarch in the early Ming period, to, by the Wanli reign, a powerful and well-established bureaucracy that not only did not require an actively engaged monarch, but perhaps even necessitated a disengaged and impartial monarch, to serve largely as a figurehead who did not interfere with the workings of the bureaucracy.<ref>Huang, 85-86.</ref> According to some interpretations, it was as a result of his frustration with this situation that, later in his reign, Wanli came to refuse to meet with officials, to hear petitions, or to participate in state rituals. Other historians attribute it to a self-centered and entitled attitude, the result of a spoiled Imperial upbringing. His inaction, and indeed at times willful stoppage of government, is often cited as contributing to the weakening and decline of the Ming Dynasty, leading eventually to its fall, 24 years after Wanli's death.

Major events of the Wanli reign included [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi|Toyotomi Hideyoshi's]] [[Korean Invasions|invasions of Korea]] in the 1590s, and the arrival of [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] [[Matteo Ricci]] at the Beijing court in [[1620]], just prior to the emperor's death that same year.

Major events of the Wanli reign included [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi|Toyotomi Hideyoshi's]] [[Korean Invasions|invasions of Korea]] in the 1590s, and the arrival of [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] [[Matteo Ricci]] at the Beijing court in [[1620]], just prior to the emperor's death that same year.