The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was the penultimate Imperial dynasty of China. Established by Zhu Yuanzhang in the wake of the Red Turban Rebellion that overthrew the Mongol Yuan dynasty, it saw a return to native Han rule, though it would ultimately be the last Imperial dynasty to carry this title.
While the dynasty maintained millennia of Chinese prestige as the premier power in the region, it differed from its predecessors in the establishment of a secret police, the Jinyiwei.[1] Because its founder was a former peasant who had to deal with a court run by the traditional nobility, the government began with an atmosphere of distrust that precipitated a series of widespread purges.
Through these purges, Zhu Yuanzhang, better known as the Hongwu Emperor, set a precedent for the violent purges that would frequently ignite throughout the entire course of the dynasty. At least some of these purges were initiated under the auspices of the Templars, and the Chinese branch of their archenemies, the Assassins, was nearly exterminated during this era.[2][3]
In spite of these excesses, the dynasty was also responsible for major achievements such as the restoration of the Grand Canal, the expansion of the Great Wall,[4] the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing,[5] and the voyages of exploration conducted by the fleet admiral Zheng He.[6] Literature, poetry, and music thrived, and some of the most famous Chinese novels were produced in this period.
In the 17th century, famine, epidemic, and economic disaster gave rise to massive rebellions throughout the country. The Manchus, newly unified under an empire they dubbed the Great Qing, seized advantage of this turmoil to seize the capital of Beijing in 1644, an event traditionally dated as the end of the Ming dynasty although Ming governments would continue to resist in the rest of the country until 1662.[7]
History[]
In 1402, Zhu Di usurped the Imperial throne with secret Templar support, becoming the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty. During his reign, the Chinese Assassins were nearly wiped out, but at least two of their members, Li Tong and another apprentice, managed to survive the purge. In 1424, Li Tong exacted revenge on the Emperor and killed him during his campaigns in the Gobi Desert.[2]
From 1505 to 1521, China was ruled by the Zhengde Emperor who used his favorite concubine Shao Jun to spy on his eunuchs[8] and accompany him during the war with the Mongols in the north. The heir-less Emperor's death in April 1521 brought disarray to the Imperial court. The Templar eunuchs known as the Eight Tigers used this opportunity to plot to take control of China by manipulating the most influential people in court.[9] They placed the Zhengde Emperor's cousin Zhu Houcong on the throne as the Jiajing Emperor and ruled China in his stead.[10]
In 1524, the Eight Tigers triggered the Great Rites Controversy to hunt down officials who tried to oppose the Jiajing Emperor, specifically purging the Chinese Assassins.[11] They managed to chase and kill the Mentor Zhu Jiuyuan, who was in Italy seeking help with the now Assassin Shao Jun, and eradicate most of the Brotherhood.[12] After receiving training from the legendary Master Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze,[13] Shao Jun returned to China in 1526 to exact vengeance on the Tigers with her old Mentor Wang Yangming.[14] Over the course of six years, the two Assassins systematically hunted down the Tigers, though in 1529 Yangming was killed by the Tiger leader Zhang Yong, who also stole a Precursor box that had been given to Shao Jun by Ezio.[15]
In 1532, Shao Jun traveled to the Great Wall in pursuit of Zhang Yong, who was planning to let Altan Khan and his Mongols invade China to maintain his grip on power.[16] The Assassin, with the help of her apprentice Kotetsu, killed the Mongol scouts and closed the Wall's gates, preventing the invaders from breaching her home.[17] Amidst the chaos of bombardment from the Mongols, Shao Jun managed to kill Zhang Yong, eliminating the Templar threat in China.[18]
From 1542 to 1550, China was continually harassed by the Mongols. The Jiajing Emperor eventually ended the conflict by offering the Mongols special trading rights and expanded Beijing by building the Outer City.[3] He developed an interest in alchemy in his later years, a fascination which led to his death in 1567 after the Assassins played on his desire to drink the elixir of life and arranged for him to ingest a lethal dose of mercury.[18]
The dynasty eventually collapsed after the Manchus invaded and conquered the Ming in the 17th century, establishing the Qing dynasty.[7]
Legacy[]
The Chinese Assassins in the early 18th century called themselves the Great Ming Brotherhood in honor of the Ming dynasty and sought to overthrow the Manchus and restore native Han rule in China.[19]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
- Assassin's Creed: Initiates (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
- Assassin's Creed: The Imperial Jade Seal
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (mentioned only)
Non-canonical appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: The Jinyiwei
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Great Wall of China
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Forbidden City
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Database: Expedition Along the African Coast
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rowe, William T. (2009). "Conquest". In China's Last Empire: The Great Qing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 11–30.
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 1
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 4
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: The Jiajing Emperor
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 10
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 14
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Embers
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – The Escape
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Hunted
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – The Betrayal
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun – Culmination
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Vengeance
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 40
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