# Zhu Zhifan

Zhu Zhifan (died 1510) was a prince of the Ming dynasty, belonging to a minor branch of the Zhu Zhan family. Zhu Zhan was the sixteenth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder and first emperor of the dynasty. In 1492, he inherited the title of Prince of Anhua and was based in Ningxia, the center of one of the frontier regional headquarters along the border of the Ming dynasty with Mongolia. In May 1510, he took advantage of the dissatisfaction of the officers and soldiers of the garrison there with the consistent collection of taxes and rebelled. He justified the rebellion by attempting to remove the eunuch Liu Jin, who was the de facto head of the Ming government at the time. However, the rebellion only lasted a few weeks and collapsed in late May 1510 when Qiu Yue, a loyalist who had apparently joined the rebels, captured Zhu Zhifan. Government troops then took control of the city of Ningxia. The rebels were punished according to their level of guilt, and the Zhengde Emperor allowed Zhu Zhifan to commit suicide.

## Biography

Zhu Zhifan was one of the many princes of the Ming dynasty, descended from a minor branch of the Qing princely line. His ancestor, Zhu Zhitong (朱秩炵; d. 1502), was the fourth son of Zhu Zhan, Prince of Qing, who was the sixteenth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the first emperor of the dynasty. In 1421, Zhu Zhitong became the Prince of Anhua (安化郡王; Anhua was located in Qingyang Prefecture, eastern Gansu). Zhu Zhifan, the grandson of Zhu Zhitong, succeeded him as the second Prince of Anhua in 1492. He resided in Ningxia, an important border fortress city and the seat of one of the regional military headquarters on the Ming-Mongol border.
He had two younger brothers, Zhikong (寘錓) and Zhiwu (寘鎢), and three sons. As the commandery prince (郡王), he was guaranteed an annual income of 1,000 shi (107,000 liters) of grain from the state, half of which was paid in kind (in grain) and the other half in silver.
He saw himself as destined for great deeds and surrounded himself with a group of loyal followers, including officers from the Ningxia garrison and members of the local gentry. Some of the prince's closest confidants were officers He Jin (何錦) and Zhou Ang (周昂), who both achieved promotion to regional military commissioner with the help of state grants of 270 liang (10 kg) and 200 liang of silver respectively, borrowed from the prince. The prince's inner circle also included Sun Jingwen (孫景文), a former student of the local Confucian school, and several other former students.
Zhu Zhifan's ambitions were thwarted until 1510 when Liu Jin, a eunuch who held significant power in the government thanks to the trust and support of the Zhengde Emperor, sent an envoy to Shaanxi. The envoy's purpose was to implement tax increases for military peasants and punish tax debtors, which sparked anger and discontent among the people. Taking advantage of the situation, the prince declared a campaign against Liu Jin and the Prince of Anhua rebellion on 12 May. However, the surrounding military commanders did not join in and instead reported the rebellion to the government in Beijing. In response, an army led by high official Yang Yiqing and eunuch Zhang Yong was sent to suppress the rebellion. Before the army reached Shaanxi, loyalists led by garrison officer Qiu Yue (仇鉞) captured the prince on 30 May.
Zhang Yong then brought the captured rebels to Beijing, where nearly a hundred of them were executed. Another 190, including their family members, were sent to distant border garrisons. The Zhengde Emperor allowed Zhu Zhifan to commit suicide.
During the campaign, Yang Yiqing convinced Zhang Yong to turn against Liu Jin, warning him of the danger posed by Liu Jin's plans for a coup. With the help of other eunuchs, Zhang Yong successfully overthrew Liu Jin in September 1510.