Jianwen (Chinese: 建文; pinyin: Jiànwén; Wade–Giles: Chien-wen; lit. 'establishing civility'; 6 February 1399 – 29 July 1402) was the era name (nianhao) of the Jianwen Emperor, the second emperor of the Ming dynasty, lasting for four years. The Yongle Emperor did not recognize the Jianwen era name after the success of the Jingnan campaign and changed Jianwen 4 to Hongwu 35. In 1595 (Wanli 23), the Wanli Emperor issued an edict to restore the Jianwen era name.
The Yongle Emperor never announced the abolition of the Jianwen era name. Some scholars believe that the abolition of the era name was not Yongle's intention but rather the actions of his subordinates. Some people also believe that the Yongle Emperor deliberately distorted the history of the Jianwen era by heavily revising the Taizu Shilu (太祖實錄) and compiling the Fengtian Jingnan Ji (奉天靖難記), which is equivalent to abolishing the Jianwen era name, but he was unwilling to personally implement it publicly and bear the historical responsibility.
Comparison table
| Jianwen | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AD | 1399 | 1400 | 1401 | 1402 |
| Sexagenary cycle | Jǐmǎo (己卯) | Gēngchén (庚辰) | Xīnsì (辛巳) | Rénwǔ (壬午) |
Other regimes' era names that existed during the same period
- Vietnam
- Kiến Tân (建新, 1398–1400): Trần dynasty—era name of Trần Thiếu Đế
- Thánh Nguyên (聖元, 1400): Hồ dynasty—era name of Hồ Quý Ly
- Thiệu Thành (紹成, 1401–1403): Hồ dynasty—era name of Hồ Hán Thương
- Japan
- Ōei (応永, 1394–1428): Japan—era name of Emperor Go-Komatsu and Emperor Shōkō
See also
References
- Zhang Tingyu. Chengzu – via Wikisource.〔建文四年〕己巳，王謁孝陵。群臣備法駕，奉寶璽，迎呼萬歲。王升輦，詣奉天殿即皇帝位。……秋七月壬午朔，大祀天地於南郊，奉太祖配。詔：『今年以洪武三十五年為紀，明年為永樂元年。……』
- History of Ming, Volume 20
- 潘忠泉,李怡 (2006). "建文朝年号革除考述". 北方论丛 (3): 82–85.
Bibliography
- Li, Chongzhi (December 2004). 中國歷代年號考 [Zhongguo Lidai Nianhao Kao] (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhonghua Book Co. ISBN 7101025129.
- Deng, Hongbo (March 2005). 東亞歷史年表 [Chronology of East Asian History] (in Chinese). Taipei: National Taiwan University Program for East Asian Classics and Cultures. ISBN 9789860005189. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
| Preceded byHongwu | Ming dynasty era name 1399–1402 |
Succeeded byHongwu |