![]() ![]() Both Yongle and the Hongxi Emperor, two of The Hongwu Emperor’s successors, continued this gruesome tradition. In order to continue to control them even after his death, he started the tradition whereby concubines would be killed, forced to commit suicide, or were buried alive alongside the dead emperor. His pride and jealousy drove him to control every aspect of their lives. Behind closed doors he kept concubines confined and subjected them to torture. However, his ruthlessness went beyond the battlefield. ![]() In 1368 he commanded the army that expelled the Mongol invaders who had ruled China for a century.Īfter establishing his dynasty, he adopted the name “ming,” the mandarin word for brilliant. Starting out as a penniless monk wandering China, he grew to be one of the most powerful warlords in Asia. The founder of the Ming Dynasty was The Hongwu Emperor, and he is considered to be one of the most influential and important Chinese Emperors. Official court painting of the Hongwu Emperor (reigned 1368-1398 AD), Ming Dynasty, China. Since the barbaric practice of foot-binding was prominent at this time, the hobbled women could not run away or even walk into the emperor’s bed chambers, but instead had to be carried naked to the expectant man. Some Ming emperors had upwards of 9,000 concubines, many of whom had been kidnapped from their homes and were forbidden to leave their gilded prison except when they were called to the emperor’s bed. The cruelty of the Ming emperors knew no bounds, and was specifically targeted towards the imperial concubines. While this dynasty was praised for its stability and innovation there was a darker more gruesome underbelly. The Chinese Ming Dynasty lasted for 276 years (1368 – 1644 AD), and has been described as “one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history.” This dynasty became a global superpower, undertaking major sea expeditions before Christopher Columbus, and producing books before the invention of the printing press in Britain. ![]()
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