Beginning of Prince of Ning Rebellion

Date: July 10, 1519 • Location: Beijing, China

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1519–1521.

Zhu Chenhao declared Ming emperor Zhengde to be a usurper, beginning the Prince of Ning rebellion.

Zhu Chenhao was a prince of the Ming dynasty of China, being a fifth-generation descendant of Zhu Quan, the seventeenth son of the founder of the dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor. In 1499, he inherited the title of Prince of Ning and resided in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi. In July 1519, he started a rebellion by declaring the then Zhengde Emperor illegitimate and marching on Nanjing. Wang Yangming, governor of southern Jiangxi, quickly raised an army and occupied Nanchang. In August 1519, he crushed the rebel army, forcing them to retreat to the south. During the battle, Zhu Chenhao was captured and sentenced to execution, but the Emperor later commuted his sentence to suicide.