Early life

Before ascending to the throne, he followed his father as the Prince of Tang, their fief being situated in Nanyang prefecture, in Henan province. In 1636, he was stripped of his title by the Chongzhen Emperor and put under house arrest in Fengyang. His former title was transferred to his younger brother Zhu Yumo (朱聿镆). In 1641, Zhu Yumo committed suicide when Li Zicheng invaded Nanyang. After the death of the Chongzhen Emperor 1644, his successor on the Ming throne, the Hongguang Emperor, released the Prince of Tang from his arrest.

Reign

When Qing forces captured Nanjing in June 1645, he fled to Hangzhou. However, when Hangzhou fell to the Qing on 6 July 1645, the Prince of Tang managed to escape by land to the southeastern province of Fujian.

In August of the same year, at the behest of several high officials, he ascended to the Ming throne in Fuzhou, taking the reign title "Longwu" (隆武; pinyin: Lóngwǔ). His era name means "plentiful and martial". After a promising start, Fujian's geographical position on the margin of the empire, cut off from the heartland by several mountain ranges, as well as his lack of effective troops and the failure on part of the officialdom to find a united stance doomed the Longwu government. When Qing forces invaded Fujian in the late summer of 1646, Zheng Zhilong, the emperor's strongest ally, surrendered while his son Zheng Chenggong (the famous Koxinga) retreated to the sea.

The Prince of Tang was left with a dwindling court. On 6 October 1646, he was captured and immediately executed.

Personality

Against the Ming policy of keeping imperial princes out of politics, the Prince of Tang early on showed interest in the government of the empire and strove for a larger role of the princes in it. His initiatives had brought him under house arrest during the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor, but his knowledge of history and of Ming institutions, paired with a diligent personality, made him take his imperial role seriously.

Zhu Yujian is said to have had a very close relationship with his wife, who had shared his hardship when he was incarcerated. Contrary to Chinese custom, he steadfastly declined to take any concubines.

Family

Consorts and issue

• Empress Xiaoyixiang, of the Zeng clan (孝毅襄皇后 曾氏; d. 1646)

　• Zhu Linyuan, Crown Prince Zhuangjing (庄敬太子 朱琳源; 1646－1646), first son

• Concubine, of the Shen clan (沈嫔)

• Concubine, of the Chen clan (陈嫔)

Ancestry

Zhu Yujian was the senior-most male-line descendants of Zhu Jing, Prince Ding of Tang, the 23rd son of Zhu Yuanzhang, after his father's death. Therefore, he was an eighth cousin of the Wanli Emperor. This chart only showed the latest actual title of the person(s).

• Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor, 1328–1398

• Zhu Jing, Prince Ding of Tang, 1386–1415 (23rd son)

• Zhu Qiongda, Prince Xian of Tang, 1412–1475 (4th son & 2nd son as son by primary consort)

• Zhu Zhizhi, Prince Zhuang of Tang, 1432–1485 (2nd son)

• Zhu Miqian, Comm. Prince Gongjing of Wencheng, d.1516 (3rd son)

• Zhu Yuwen, Prince Jing of Tang, 1490–1560

• Zhu Zhouyong, Prince Shun of Tang, 1538–1564

• Zhu Shuohuang, Prince Duan of Tang, d.1630

• Zhu Qisheng, the Hereditary Prince of Tang, d.1629 (1st son)

• Zhu Yujian, the Longwu Emperor, 1602–1646 (1st son)

生平经历

身世

朱聿键为明太祖第二十三子唐定王朱桱的后裔，系太祖九世孙。万历三十四年四月丙申生于南阳唐王府，母妃毛氏。其祖父唐端王朱硕熿惑于嬖妾，不喜爱朱聿键的父亲世子朱器墭，把朱器墭父子一起囚禁在承奉司内，欲立次子。崇祯二年（1629年），朱器墭疑似被其弟福山王朱器塽、安阳王朱器埈毒死，朱硕熿讳言其事，但经守道陈奇瑜奏请，朱聿键被明廷立为「唐国世孙」，不再被囚禁，同年朱硕熿也去世。

崇祯五年（1632年）朱聿键继为唐王，封地南阳。崇祯帝赐其《皇明祖训》《大明会典》《四书》《五经》《二十一史》《资治通鉴纲目》《孝经》《忠经》等书。朱聿键在王府内兴建高明楼，延请四方名士。

崇祯九年（1636年）七月初一，朱聿键杖杀叔父福山王朱器塽、杖伤叔父安阳王朱器埈，为其父朱器墭当年被毒死一事报仇。是年八月，清兵入塞，克宝坻，直逼北京，京师戒严。朱聿键上疏请勤王，不许。乃自率护军千人北上勤王。行至裕州，巡抚杨绳武上奏，崇祯帝勒令其返回，后朱聿键因与农民军相遇交锋，两名太监被杀，乃班师回南阳。冬十一月下部议，废为庶人，幽禁在凤阳之高墙。崇祯帝改封其弟朱聿鏼为唐王。

朱聿键于高墙圈禁期间，凤阳守陵太监石应诏索贿不得，用墩锁之法折磨之，朱聿键病苦几殆。后中都巡抚路振飞入高墙见之，向崇祯帝上疏，陈高墙监吏凌虐宗室之状，请加恩于宗室。乃下旨杀石应诏。

崇祯十四年（1641年），李自成攻陷南阳，杀死朱聿鏼。

崇祯十七年（1644年），李自成攻陷北京，即甲申之变，崇祯帝自缢，南京诸臣拥从洛阳逃出的「福王」朱由崧为帝，在南京即位，改年号弘光，实行大赦。

在广昌伯刘良佐奏请下，囚于凤阳的朱聿键获释，并改封为南阳王。南京礼部请恢复「唐王」故爵，朱由崧不允，并令朱聿键迁至广西平乐（今桂林南），但朱聿键贫病不能行。

监国、称帝

清朝顺治二年（南明弘光元年，1645年）五月，朱聿键赴平乐途中，在苏州闻清军已破南京，俘虏了弘光帝朱由崧，朱聿键遂至嘉兴避难。六月辛酉，朱聿键至杭州，遇潞王朱常淓，奏请其监国，不听；请朝陈方略，不允。当时镇江总兵官郑鸿逵、户部郎中苏观生至杭州，与朱聿键谈及国难，泣下沾襟。后朱聿键被郑鸿逵护送，前往福建。途中在浙江衢州闻得潞王朱常淓已在杭州降清，于是南安伯郑芝龙、巡抚都御史张肯堂，与礼部尚书黄道周等商议，奉朱聿键为监国。

弘光元年六月廿八日己卯（1645年7月21日），朱聿键在福建建宁，以唐王的身份监国。闰六月初七日丁亥（7月29日）至福州，驻「南安伯府」。

闰六月廿七日丁未（8月18日），朱聿键于福州称帝，宣布从七月初一日庚戌（8月21日）起，年号将弘光改为「隆武」元年。遥尊弘光帝朱由崧为太上皇，尊号「圣安皇帝」。

改福建等处承宣布政使司为「福京」，改福州府为天兴府，以原福建布政使司官署为行殿，建行在太庙、社稷及唐国宗庙。升郑芝龙为平虏侯、郑鸿逵为定虏侯，封郑芝豹为澄济伯、郑彩为永胜伯。以何吾驺为首辅，以黄道周为吏部尚书、武英殿大学士，蒋德璟为户部尚书、文渊阁大学士，朱继祚为礼部尚书、东阁大学士，曾樱为工部尚书、东阁大学士，黄鸣俊、李光春、苏观生等人为礼、兵各部左右侍郎兼东阁大学士。

隆武帝朱聿键即帝位后，上高曾祖父四代帝号，高祖唐敬王朱宇温为惠皇帝，曾祖唐顺王朱宙栐为顺皇帝，祖父唐端王朱硕熿为端皇帝，父唐裕王（追封）朱器墭为宣皇帝。四代祖妣皆追封皇后。封弟朱聿𨮁为唐王，封国南宁；升叔德安王朱器䵺为邓王；追封弟朱聿𨧨为陈王，其子朱琳渼为陈王世子。隆武元年七月，下令将嘉靖年间皇极殿、中极殿、建极殿三殿之名，恢复为奉天殿、华盖殿、谨身殿，各衙门名称之前加「行在」二字。

当时，在绍兴还有鲁王朱以海建立的小朝廷，亦自称「监国」。清军攻绍兴，鲁王朱以海派信使赴福州，向隆武帝朱聿键求援兵。信上称朱聿键为「皇伯父」，而未称「陛下」，朱聿键怒，令杀鲁王信使。

覆亡

南明隆武二年（1646年）五月，清将博洛贝勒率兵征浙、闽。七月十一日庚申（1646年8月21日），清兵陷金华；八月十一日甲申（9月19日），陷建宁；八月廿二日乙未（9月30日），过仙霞关，武毅伯施天福、武功伯陈秀、靖安伯郭熺降清。郑芝龙亦向清军投降，「隆武政权」迅速瓦解。杨凤苞称「福京之亡，亡于郑芝龙之通款」。

隆武二年八月廿一·甲午（1646年9月29日），隆武帝率宫嫔自延平出狩，欲逃往江西避难。八月廿七·庚子（10月5日），至汀州，以府署为行宫。次日、八月廿八·辛丑（10月6日）五鼓，有清军八十三骑伪装成扈跸者叩城，守城者开汀州丽春门。骑兵突袭行宫，杀福清伯周之藩、总兵王凉武等人。时隆武帝腹饥，命内官市二汤圆以进，方举箸，清兵发矢，隆武帝后背中箭，去世，得年四十五虚岁。民众将其葬于罗汉岭。另有说法称隆武帝被俘后不食而死，或称崩于福京天兴府，或称崩于建宁。

九月十九·壬戌（1646年10月27日），福京天兴府陷落，阳曲王朱敏渡、松滋王朱俨𨫃、翼城王朱弘橺、奉新王朱常涟遇害。十月十九·辛卯（11月25日），漳州陷落。

十一月，侍郎苏观生立隆武帝之弟「小唐王」朱聿𨮁于广东省广州府番禺县，改元绍武，观生自为宰相。

当时已经称帝的永历帝，希望绍武帝取消帝号，苏观生大怒，以新归降的海盗加上四处捕捉来的民兵征讨永历帝，大胜。岂料满清将领佟养甲、李成栋，已取潮州、惠州，兵临广州，苏观生死于战事，清兵随即俘获了绍武帝，绍武自缢。

永历帝即位后，一直听到谣言说隆武帝化妆隐居不出，上尊号「思文皇帝」，遣间谍打听隆武帝消息，传言隆武帝潜至安溪县妙峰为僧，或称在汀州府单骑逃出，藏于乡民蒋氏家中。待清兵离开以后，前往大帽山出家。

永历五年曾遣侍郎王命璇探访，又不得，永历十一年乃确信隆武帝已死，立庙号「绍宗」，諡号「配天至道弘毅肃穆思文烈武敏仁广孝襄皇帝」。

陵墓

隆武帝死后百姓敛葬于福州罗汉岭，一说葬于汀州。

家庭

后妃

• 孝毅襄皇后曾氏

• 宫嫔某氏

子女

儿子

• 庄敬太子 朱琳源，母曾皇后，隆武二年六月生，八月薨

影视形象

电视剧

电影

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