Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 429 Extra: Someone asked the historian how many periods the Ming Dynasty was divided into?

Question: How many periods do historians divide the Ming Dynasty into?

I am a general of the universe. Answer: Historians divide the Ming Dynasty into four periods: the early Ming, the prosperous Ming, the middle Ming, and the late Ming.

Emperor Gao and Emperor Taizongwen of the Ming Dynasty reigned for a total of 56 years, which is undoubtedly the early Ming period.

Emperor Mingzhuang, Emperor Mingrui, Emperor Mingyou, Emperor Minglie, and Emperor Mingmo reigned for a total of 86 years, which is the undisputed late Ming period.

The reason why the emperors of the Ming Dynasty are called here with posthumous titles is because in the Ming Dynasty, just like the Han Dynasty, emperors without meritorious deeds were not qualified to be given temple titles.

As for the division of the Ming Dynasty, there is still controversy in historians.

Because Emperor Wu of the Ming Dynasty expanded the territory for tens of thousands of miles, enfeoffed various scholars overseas, and established the territory of the Ming Dynasty for the next 400 years, the era of Emperor Wu of the Ming Dynasty was the well-deserved beginning of the prosperous Ming Dynasty.

After all, Emperor Mingwu was a man known as a "god". When he was a hundred years old, he made his young harem concubines pregnant and gave birth to healthy children.

According to historical records, Emperor Wu of the Ming Dynasty had hundreds of sons and thousands of grandchildren. One of the reasons why the Earth Alliance, also known as the Huazong Alliance, the Huaxia Alliance, and the Hualian Alliance in the words of the Wozhou countries, was born was that the supreme ruler of the alliance member states was absolutely Most of them are descendants of Emperor Mingwu, or have a certain blood relationship with Emperor Mingwu.

Therefore, the period of Emperor Wu of the Ming Dynasty is undoubtedly the beginning of the prosperous Ming Dynasty. However, there are huge differences in the historians on delineating the end period of the prosperous Ming Dynasty.

One school of thought believes that the reigns of the five emperors from Emperor Wu of Ming Dynasty to Emperor Ming Guo were the prosperous Ming Dynasty, totaling 180 years.

Their reason is that during the reign of Emperor Akihito, natural disasters occurred frequently and overseas vassal states were in turmoil. At that time, the Ming Dynasty had an excessive financial burden due to disaster relief and quelling the chaos, and its national power began to decline. It had entered the middle period of the dynasty's rise and decline. Therefore, Emperor Mingren belonged to Zhongming.

Another school of thought believes that the 39 years of Emperor Mingren's reign should be included, that is, the total length of Ming Dynasty is 210 years.

Their reason is that during the reign of Emperor Akihito, although the national power of the Ming Dynasty declined, the power of the Celestial Kingdom was still there, and the national destiny did not decline.

By the time of Emperor Mingtun's reign, the Ming Dynasty gradually lost control of overseas vassals. The loss of control of overseas vassals was the turning point of the Ming Dynasty's decline from prosperity, so Emperor Mingren belonged to the end of the prosperous Ming Dynasty.

As a result, the beginning of the Zhongming era is controversial, and there are two versions of the Zhongming time span.

The first view is that the era of Emperor Mingren is regarded as the beginning of the Zhongming Dynasty and ends with the era of Emperor Mingduan, a total of 150 years.

The second theory is that Emperor Mingren was the end of the prosperous Ming Dynasty, and the Zhongming period should start from Emperor Mingdun and end with Emperor Mingduan, a total of 110 years.

No matter which way you say it, the era of Emperor Ming Duan was a special period when the Ming Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline.

The above is what the historians say. I personally think that this classification is relatively complicated and should be divided into three periods: early, prosperous and late according to simple logic.

What I mean by "simple logic" is to divide it by the Industrial Revolution and the independence of the vassals.

Before the Ming Dynasty realized the first industrial revolution, it was the early Ming Dynasty.

The period from the first industrial revolution of the Ming Dynasty to the declaration of independence by the overseas vassal states of the Ming Dynasty was the prosperous Ming Dynasty.

If overseas vassals dare to declare independence, they must not be afraid of the Ming court's force or economic sanctions. I think this is a sign that the Ming Dynasty has turned from prosperity to decline.

It's like when a son grows up and wants to start his own business, but I can't take care of him because I'm old and weak. It's not that I don't want to take care of him, but I'm powerless. After all, I'm no longer in my prime.

Finally, the period from the independence of the vassals of the Ming Dynasty to the announcement of the abdication of the late Ming emperor was the late Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)