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Wei Zhongxian

Eunuch dictator under the Tianqi Emperor who ran the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Eastern Depot and persecuted the Donglin faction.

Also known as Li Jinzhong (original name) · Lord of Nine Thousand Years

Wei Zhongxian, born Li Jinzhong in Suning near Hejian, rose in the palace through the Tianqi Emperor's wet nurse Madame Ke to become Ceremonial Directorate scribe and head of the Eastern Depot. In the Tianqi reign his eunuch faction staged purges in which Donglin officials such as Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou died in prison, while officials across the empire built shrines to him in his lifetime. After the Chongzhen Emperor's accession he was banished to Fengyang and hanged himself at Fucheng on the way. His tyranny is the backdrop of Fang Bao's 'Anecdotes of Duke Zuo Zhongyi' and Zhang Pu's 'Inscription for the Tomb of the Five Men'.

Life and times

  1. 1568BornMing
  2. 1624Purge of the Donglin FactionTook partage 56Under the Tianqi Emperor the eunuch Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke dominated the court; after Yang Lian's memorial of twenty-four crimes, Donglin officials were dismissed and died in prison until the Chongzhen Emperor's accession brought Wei's fall and suicide.
    1. Yang Lian Impeaches Wei ZhongxianIn 1624 the vice censor-in-chief Yang Lian impeached Wei Zhongxian for twenty-four great crimes, but the Tianqi Emperor kept Wei and rebuked Yang.
    2. Six Gentlemen Die in Imperial Prison1625age 57In 1625 Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and four other Donglin officials were framed by Wei Zhongxian's faction and died under torture in the imperial prison.
    3. Suzhou Edict-Reading Riot and Five Executions1626age 58When Zhou Shunchang was arrested in Suzhou in 1626, crowds attacked the guardsmen reading the warrant, and five townsmen led by Yan Peiwei were later beheaded.
    4. 2 more
      1. Wei Zhongxian Hangs Himself at Fucheng1627age 59After the Chongzhen Emperor's accession, Wei Zhongxian was banished to Fengyang and then ordered arrested, and he hanged himself at Fucheng on the way.
      2. Chongzhen Court Proclaims the Traitors' Case1629In 1629 the Chongzhen court drew up the Traitors' Case, grading and punishing Wei Zhongxian's partisans and bringing Donglin officials back to office.
  3. 1627 CEDied

Connections

  1. Shared events10Zhu Youjian (Chongzhen Emperor), Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou …
    1. Zhu Youjian (Chongzhen Emperor)1611 CE–1644 CE
    2. Yang Lian1572 CE–1625 CE
    3. Zuo Guangdou1575 CE–1625 CE
    4. Gao Panlong1562–1626 CE
    5. Wei Dazhong1575–1625 CE
    6. Zhou Shunchang1584 CE–1626 CE
    7. Gu Xiancheng1550–1612 CE
    8. Yan PeiweiBirth unknown–162…
    9. Shi Kefa1602 CE–1645 CE
    10. Mao YiluDates unknown
  2. Rulers and officials1
    1. Zhu YouxiaoSovereign · 1605 CE–1627 CE
  3. Others1
    1. Madame KePartner in palace and court · Birth year unknow…