The Yuan Dynasty was a short-lived dynasty that lasted only 92 years from the end of the Song Dynasty in 1276 to the expulsion of the Ming army from the Capital of Yuan in 1368. If you count from the Battle of Yashan in 1279 and the substantial unification of the whole country by the Yuan Dynasty, then there are only 89 years.
These decades of time can be summarized as: "pinch the head, remove the tail, and chaos in the middle."
Pinch the head, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty Ancestor Kublai Khan reigned for 18 years (counting from the time of the destruction of the Southern Song Dynasty);
At the end, the last emperor, Emperor Yuanshun, reigned for 35 years (excluding the Northern Yuan Court);
In the middle of chaos, then the remaining 39 years are divided up by 8 emperors (some say 9, which can be seen later), which can be described as chaos, and I appeared on the spot, and the average term can not be more than 5 years.
List of Emperors of The Mongol Yuan (Great Khan).
To understand the "Middle Ages" of the Yuan Dynasty, which has been chaotic for nearly forty years, in short, it is almost the same to look at three things, for -
Wu Ren was conferred;
The Change of the South Slope;
Battle of the Two Capitals.
<h1>01 Grandpa went late, grandson called emperor</h1>
In 1294, Kublai Khan, 79 years old, died at an advanced age. He was the longest-lived of the Mongol Emperors (Great Khans), not one of them, except for the Yuan Shun Emperor, who was 49 years old, and the others could live to be half the age of Kublai Khan, even if they burned high incense.
Of course, it is good to live a long life, but there is also a trouble, when the old lady is still alive, all four concubines are dead, who will take over the big group of grandchildren?
Kublai Khan and his four concubines
The meaning of the emperor's widow and old lady Kuo Kuozhen is the same as that of zhu Yuanzhang, the ming ancestor of the later generations.
When the concubine is gone, he chooses a grandson, that is, from the concubine of prince Zhenjin, and then picks out another one.
After a fierce factional struggle, it was finally determined that Zhenjin's younger son (third son), Timur, would take the throne as Emperor Yuanchengzong.
Emperor Yuancheng ascended to the throne
Yuan Chengzong reigned for 12 years, died at the age of 42, and among the short-lived emperors of the Yuan Dynasty, the number of life expectancy can already rank 3rd, and his only son, Deshou, has long gone before him.
Who will take over?
According to The Mongol tradition, the "old lady" of this generation, Empress Buluhan, the widow of Emperor Chengzong, came forward, and she made an unbelievable choice to give up the near and seek the far, and Establish Yuan Chengzong's cousin, that is, Kublai Khan's third son, The Son of Hun Ge La, Ananda, as emperor.
Empress Bruhan supported Ananda
The explanation of the "History of the Yuan" is that Buluhan wanted to be in power, deliberately pulled a distant branch of the emperor to the throne, and was alone and easy to control, not to hinder his own claim to the dynasty-
Zuo Cheng Xiang Akutai and other subterfuges, pushed the Empress Dowager Chengzong to ask for the title of Zhen Clan (Brauhan), supplemented by Ananda.
Listen... You actually want the emperor to assist you, you are going to be The Lafayette of Cixi!
However, is Ananda really alone?
<h1>02 From "The Danger of Ananda" to "Wu Ren Grant"</h1>
From the time of Kublai Khan, the father and son of Hun Gela and Ananda shi guarded the northwest, and held the "King of Qin" and the "King of Anxi", holding the military and political power of Guanzhong and Bashu, including the western region. The northwest region was the passage and base camp for the Semu people in the Yuan Dynasty, and Ananda was also deeply influenced by the Semu people, converted to Islam since childhood, and vigorously promoted Islamization in northwest China for many years.
As a "world empire", the Yuan Dynasty had Turks, Persians, Arabs, Sogdians, etc. from the Middle East and the vast conquered areas of West Asia, collectively known as the "Semu people", who were the staff, helpers and financial advisers of the Mongol rulers, a bit like today's Mi country, the Jews around the Anglo-Saxons, and were a decisive political force.
The serendipity bureaucracy
As a catholic and ally, Ananda is actually behind a huge bureaucratic clique of colored people. Brauhan's assumption of real power, assisted by Ananda, is the result of cooperation and compromise between the two sides.
But on the other hand, Yuan Chengzong's two nephews did not do it. These two were the sons of Zhenjin's second son, Dalai Ma Bala, who left the town of Mobei on the old Sea Mountain and held heavy troops; the second eldest, Yu Li Bali Bada, was stationed in the Central Plains and devoted himself to Sinicization.
Three-man race for the throne
In March 1307, Ayuli Bali Bada rushed back to the Yuan capital before his brother, and with the support of the Mongol "Sinicization" minister Hara Hassan, he staged a coup d'état and took control of the situation. At this time, Haishan led an army of 30,000 people on the way to kill Ben Dadu.
Brothers have merit, brothers have soldiers.
So the brothers settled the accounts, and agreed that the older brother would be the emperor first, and after a hundred years, the throne would be passed to the younger brother, and the younger brother would then pass it on to the brother's son. When his elder brother Haishan ascended the throne, he was later called Emperor Wuzong of Yuan, and after his younger brother succeeded him, he was named Emperor Yuanrenzong, and this period of history was called "Wuren Grant".
YuanWuzong Haishan
Ananda, who was one step away from the throne, was later killed by Emperor Wuzong of Yuan.
Ananda was a devout Muslim who had been practicing the Quran since childhood, writing a beautiful large food script, and vigorously advocating Islam in the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, where his fiefdoms were located, building mosques, promoting the Hijri calendar, circumcising children, and commanding 150,000 troops, most of whom converted to Islam.
At the time, this was a worldwide trend.
Situation of the Four Great Mongol Khanates (The Fall of the Wokoutai Khanate during the Reign of Emperor Chengzong of Yuan)
Since the end of the 13th century, the Ilkhanate of Ghazan Khan, the Golden Horde of Yuebei Khan, and the Chagatai Khanate of Talmazuli Khan have successively abolished Genghis Khan's Great Zaza, honored the Islamic classic "Quran", recognized the only Allah, and embraced Islam throughout the country.
It is conceivable that Ananda's power in his hands, backed by a powerful "basic disk of color", should not resist this worldwide trend, and East Asia may be fully Islamized.
At the critical moment, the Mongolian "Sinicization faction" political coup took over.
Dacheng Supreme Emperor Wenxuan
After Emperor Wuzong of Yuan ascended to the throne, he honored Confucius as the "King of Dacheng Supreme Saint Wenxuan", and a few years later succeeded Emperor Yuanrenzong, resumed the imperial examination, organized the translation of Confucian classics, and promoted the reform of Sinicization... The Yuan Dynasty also turned from the eve of "Islamization" to "Confucianism", which was uniquely independent in Eurasia at that time.
However, according to Han customs, it should be the "primogeniture inheritance system", will Emperor Yuanrenzong pass the throne to his nephew according to the old covenant of "Wuren Grant"?
<h1>03 The unexpected "change on the south slope"</h1>
Only three days after Emperor Wuzong's death, his vassals were swept away by the successor Emperor Yuanrenzong, who obstructed the killing and exile, especially Emperor Wuzong's two sons, the eldest son and Shi Yao, who were forced to flee to the Western Regions and defected to the Chagatai Khanate, thousands of miles away, and the youngest son Tu Timu'er was once sent to Hainan Island.
The persecution of The descendants of Emperor Yuanwuzong by Emperor Yuanrenzong and Emperor Yuanyingzong
After Emperor Renzong's death, the eldest son of Emperor Renzong took the throne as Emperor Yingzong of Yuan, which was the only time in the history of the Century-old Yuan dynasty that father and son were passed down.
During the Reign of Emperor Yingzong of Yuan, the Sinicization reforms became more intense. In the first month of 1322, Emperor Yingzong set the precedent of the Yuan Emperor, wearing a crown of heaven, wearing a silk robe, and dressed as a Han emperor, and sacrificing the Yuan Dynasty Taimiao Temple according to Confucian etiquette. This was even greater than the impact of his father's restoration of the imperial examination, because the imperial examination was only related to the readers, and Yingzong's performance in the Taimiao Temple touched the hearts of all the people, and Hai Nei exclaimed for a moment: The Han family Weiyi reappeared.
The image of the Han emperor wearing a heavenly crown and a silk robe
However, the young Tianzi was a little too hasty, and in order to accelerate the promotion of his Confucian ideal of "lightly dispensing with thin endowments", he drastically reduced the years of the Mongol Emperor and Xun Gui, vigorously eliminated redundant personnel, and used Han Confucian subjects, offending a large number of vested interests. The Mongolian brother who first entered the Central Plains, only had Confucian courtiers around him, did not understand the way of the Fa family's power and strategy, and soon slipped into the abyss——
In August 1323, in accordance with the traditional Mongolian system of two capitals stationed in the city, Yuan Yingzong set out from Shangdu Kaiping and returned to Dadu for the winter, staying at Nanpodian halfway through. That night, the Mongol conservative faction and the Semu bureaucracy joined forces to launch a coup d'état, killing Yingzong and the leader of the Sinicization faction, Zhongshu Right Minister, known in history as the "Change of the Southern Slope".
The transfer of the throne from Wu Renzhi to the change of the southern slope
As a result of the coup d'état, the conservative faction welcomed the grandson of Zhenjin's eldest son from the north of the desert and the grandson of Timur, who had attacked the King of Jin, as emperor, and was emperor for Yuan Taiding.
This vigorous Sinicization reform came to an abrupt end. The "Wuren clan" of the Hanhua faction lost the throne, and Emperor Renzong had no heirs, but Emperor Wuzong still had two sons, could they give up?
<h1>04 The "Battle of the Two Capitals" was a disaster</h1>
Emperor Taiding reigned for 5 years and also served as the "maintenance president" for 5 years. In 1328, the old lady died in Yuan Shangdu.
At that time, the crown prince Asokyoshi Wasa was in Dadu, and when the first powerful minister of the dynasty and the Hui people fell to Raisa, they delayed in supporting him as emperor, causing turmoil in the government and the opposition. The YuanShi's evaluation of this is:
Emperor Taiding collapsed in Shangdu, and the dictatorship of The Sha sha was used exclusively, and he did not establish a monarch for more than a month, and the government and the opposition were suspicious.
At that time, Emperor Wuzong's eldest son was still far away in the Chagatai Khanate in the western region, and Emperor Wuzong's former ministers Yan Timur and Boyan, who remained in the capital, seized the opportunity to receive Emperor Wuzong's second son Tu Timu'er from Jiangling, and embraced him as emperor in most capitals, changing the Yuan "Heavenly Calendar" for Emperor Wenzong. Seeing that the situation was not good in Shangdu, he quickly embraced Asokyo as the emperor and changed the Yuan "Tianshun", and the vigorous "Battle of the Two Capitals" in the History of the Yuan began.
The situation of the "Battle of the Two Capitals"
Most of the capital faction, Yan Timur followed the General of Emperor Wuzong to guard the north of the desert, he could have conquered good war, and the Shangdu faction's upside-down sand, financial accumulation is a strong point, but fighting is not good at war. Coupled with the fact that Dadu, as the northern end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, is closely linked to the southeast of the anointed land, and has the support of Henan, Huguang, Jiangxi and other provinces, ensuring that the materials are abundant and smooth all the way, how can the Shangdu side not be defeated?
Dadu sent Yan Timur to personally lead the army, several times in and out of the Great Wall Pass, continuous combat, in today's Tongzhou, Shunyi, Miyun, Changping, Lugou Bridge and other places, with the Shangdu army several bloody battles. In October of that year, The Fallal Sha handed over the jade seal and obediently surrendered, and the six-year-old Tianshun Emperor did not know the end, and it was said that he died in the rebellion. If he is also counted as the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, then the middle of the Yuan Dynasty is the 9 emperors in 39 years.
Since the beginning of the "Battle of the Two Capitals", the Yuan Dynasty has helplessly entered the downward line.
A Mongol army on the move
The Mobei Emperor represented by Emperor Taiding was destroyed, the foundation of the Kublai Khan family in the fundamental land of Mongolia was shaken, and the remnants of the Northern Yuan were later attacked and killed by the descendants of Ali Buge in the north of the Desert, which was because of this; the Hui forces led by Tuoba Lasha were also purged, and the high-level officials of the central government rarely returned to the Hui, and the Yuan court lost an important pillar, but the side effect was that the Hui people left the temple from then on, accelerated the integration with the local residents, and quickly integrated into the big family of the Chinese nation.
The war also severely devastated northern China, and guanzhong in Shaanxi, the area around Dadu, and the henan region were all within the reach of the soldiers.
Hunger is recommended, and the exile of the people is ten and nine.
Now that the battle is over, it's time to stop and live, right? Wait a minute...... Emperor Yuanwuzong's eldest son, Emperor Wenzong's eldest brother and Shi Yue, had returned from the Western Regions...
<h1>05 The "Battle of the Two Capitals" was a disaster</h1>
Nowadays, it is no longer possible to verify the mental journey of Emperor Yuanwenzong Tu Timu'er. When he was a teenager, he was uprooted and displaced, believed in Buddhism, immersed himself in calligraphy and painting, and had no quarrel with the world, Yan Timur came to him to ask him to be emperor, and his first reaction was to let the eldest brother come to the top of the cylinder:
Big brother in Shuofang... Dare to disturb the heavens?
Later, the situation was urgent, and he reluctantly became the spiritual leader of the Shangdu faction and won the "War of the Two Capitals", but Emperor Wenzong of Yuan still released his words, to keep his promise, return the throne to the eldest brother, and even took the initiative to sacrifice the jade seal and send Yan Timur north to meet Heshi.
The short-lived Yuan Mingzong and Shi Zhen
He Shixuan was also unyielding, and halfway he was called emperor, for Emperor Yuanmingzong; the former emperor Yuan Wenzong was now transformed into "Crown Prince". In August 1329, the brothers met at Wang Kuchadu (王忽察都, in present-day Zhangbei, Hebei Province), and on the fifth day of their meeting, Emperor Yuanmingzong and Shi Xuan were violently killed. On the day of the incident, Emperor Wenzong wept bitterly, so he hurried away and rushed to Yuan Shangdu to re-ascend the throne.
Everything is so weird, everything is so reasonable.
It is the same as "Wu Ren Zhi Zhi", it is the younger brother who fights the country, and the older brother who sits in the world. However, at that time, Yuan Wuzong had a complete set of military and political teams in northern Mobei, and brought 30,000 horses and soldiers to suppress the territory, but Yuan Mingzong and Shi Yue were exiled in a foreign country for many years, had no foundation in the mainland, and only brought more than a thousand guards, so they hurried to "pick peaches"?
Up to now, it is no longer a question of who is humble and who gives way to the two brothers, but a matter of life and death for the distribution of the interests of the entrepreneurial elder group. Xiao Gongqin and many other gentlemen believed that Emperor Yuanmingzong was poisoned by Yan Timur, and Emperor Wenzong knew about this and acquiesced.
YuanWenzong Tu Timuer
This incident, that is, the "clear text dispute" in the history of the Yuan, is a little aftermath of the "battle of the two capitals". If there had been no "Mingwen Dispute" of the nature of this palace coup, would there have been a "battle of the two capitals" after the yuan and ming sect's forces developed and grown? From this point of view, it is not unreasonable for Yan Timur to kill and cut down and nip hidden dangers in the bud.
<h1>06 Long epilogue</h1>
Perhaps because of his inner guilt, or perhaps because of his belief in Buddhism's "karma", Yuan Wenzong insisted on not appointing his own son as the prince, and after his death, he was succeeded by the son of his brother Yuan Mingzong.
Emperor Yuanmingzong and Shi Yue had two sons, and in order to facilitate control, Yan Timur first chose his youngest son Yi Xuanban to succeed him, who was succeeded by Emperor Yuanningzong, but after a few months he fell ill and died, so he had to appoint his eldest son, Tuhuan Timur, who was the last emperor of the Yuan Dynasty who was expelled from the Yuan capital by Xu Da's Northern Expeditionary Army, Emperor Yuanshun.
The situation of the last throne of the Yuan Dynasty
The history of the middle of the Yuan Dynasty is now over.
To say more, Emperor Yuanshun was not a true man, and he insisted that it was his uncle Yuan Wenzong who killed his father, moved The Lord of Wenzong out of the Taimiao Temple, and forced all of Wenzong's wives and children to die.
Emperor Wenzong of Yuan relied on the powerful minister Yan Timur to ascend to the throne, and he himself was also weak in nature, thus opening up the situation that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the power of the vassals was in charge, and the imperial power was empty. Tang Qishi, the son of Yan Timur, even shouted out the slogan of "the world is my family's world". Although the Yan Timur faction was later destroyed by another faction of powerful officials, the latecomers were even more arrogant and arrogant.
This momentum could not be reversed even during the yuan shun emperor's period, and when there was a great chaos under the current situation, the government decree was not out of the yuan capital, and he did not flee to mobei, what else could he do?