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Zhengtong Emperor
Family name:	Zhu (朱)
Given name:	Qizhen (祁鎮)
Emperor of China (1st time)
Dates of reign:	February 7, 1435–September 1, 1449¹
Era name:	Zhengtong (正統)
Era dates	January 18, 1436–January 13, 1450
Emperor of China (2nd time)
Dates of reign:	February 11, 1457–February 23, 1464
Era name:	Tianshun (天順)
Era dates	February 15, 1457–January 26, 1465
Temple name:	Yingzong (英宗)
Posthumous name: (short)	Emperor Rui (睿皇帝)
Posthumous name: (full)	Emperor Fatian Lidao Renming Chengjing Zhaowen Xianwu Zhide Guangxiao Rui 法天立道仁明誠敬昭文憲武至德 廣孝睿皇帝
General note: Dates given here are in the Julian calendar. They are not in the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
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1. Captured by the Mongols, he was succeeded by his brother Jingtai who conferred on him the title Taishang Huang (太上皇), a title reserved for the retired emperors and which he held until 1457.

Zhu Qizhen (Cheng-t'ung) (November 29, 1427 – February 23, 1464) was an emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He ruled as the Zhengtong Emperor from 1435 to 1449, and as the Tianshun Emperor from 1457 to 1464.^[1]

Zhu Qizhen was the son of the Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji and his Empress Sun. At the beginning of Zhengtong's reign, the Ming dynasty was prosperous and at the height of its power as a result of Xuande Emperor's able administration. Zhengtong's accession at the age of eight makes him the first child emperor of the dynasty hence Zhengtong was easily influenced by others, namely his eunuch Wang Zhen. Zhengtong thoroughly relied on Zhen for advice and guidance.

At the age of 22, in 1449, he was imprisoned by the Mongols when, advised by Wang Zhen, he personally directed and lost the Battle of Tumu Fortress against the Mongols under Esen Khan. His capture by the enemy force shook the Ming dynasty to its core and the ensuing crisis almost caused the dynasty to collapse were it not for the capable governing of a prominent minister named Yu Qian. Although Zhengtong was a prisoner of the Mongols, he became a good friend to the khan. Meanwhile, to calm the crisis at home, his brother Zhu Qiyu was installed as the Jingtai Emperor. This reduced Zhengtong's imperial status and he was granted the title of "grand emperor".

The Zhengtong Emperor was released one year later in 1450 but when he returned to China, he was immediately put under house arrest by his brother for almost seven years. He resided in the southern palace of the Forbidden city and all outside contacts were severely curtailed by the Jingtai Emperor. Zhengtong's son (later Emperor Chenghua) was stripped of the title of crown prince and replaced by Jingtai's own son. This act greatly upset and devastated Zhengtong but the heir apparent died shortly thereafter. Overcome with grief, the Jingtai Emperor fell ill and Zhengtong decided to depose Jingtai by a palace coup which eventually reinstalled Zhu Qizhen as emperor, who renamed his second reign Tianshun ("heavenly obedience") and went on to rule for another seven years.

He died at the age of 37 in 1464 and was buried in the Yuling (裕陵) tomb of the Ming Dynasty Tombs.

There were not too many good things done by him except one case. After the death of previous Ming emperors, quite some of their concubines were put to death in order to follow the previous emperor to the other world. The Zhengtong Emperor put an end to this practice for himself and his descendants. This may be the only good legacy left by him.

Tianshun (天順) was also the name of a Yuan Dynasty reign.

• Tumu Crisis

1. ^ Leo K. Shin (2006), The Making of the Chinese State: Ethnicity and Expansion on the Ming Borderlands, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521853540, <http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0521853540&id=DOb-4JU18UAC&pg=RA2-PA159&lpg=RA2-PA159&ots=ateFoeCLyZ&dq=%22Zhengtong+Emperor%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=CPjWuJzTIMJ_A2ibM4UkL3QPqAU>