Early life

Zhu Youjian was the fifth son of Zhu Changluo, the Taichang Emperor, and one of his low-ranking concubines, Lady Liu. When Zhu Youjian was four years old, his mother was executed by his father for reasons unknown and was buried secretly. Zhu Youjian was then adopted by his father's other concubines. He was first raised by Consort Kang, and after she adopted his eldest brother Zhu Youxiao, he was raised by Consort Zhuang.

All of the Taichang Emperor's sons died before reaching adulthood except for Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Youjian. Zhu Youjian grew up in a relatively lonely but quiet environment. After the Taichang Emperor died in 1620, Zhu Youjian's elder brother Zhu Youxiao succeeded their father and was enthroned as the Tianqi Emperor. He granted the title "Prince of Xin" (信王) to Zhu Youjian and posthumously honoured Zhu Youjian's mother, Lady Liu, as "Consort Xian" (賢妃). Fearing the court eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who controlled the Tianqi Emperor, Zhu Youjian avoided attending imperial court sessions under the pretext of illness until he was summoned to court by his brother in 1627. At the time, the Tianqi Emperor was gravely ill and wanted Zhu Youjian to rely on Wei Zhongxian in the future.

Reign

When the Tianqi Emperor died in October 1627, he had no surviving heir (his last son died a year prior during the mysterious Wanggongchang Explosion). As the emperor's brother, Zhu Youjian, then about 16 years old, ascended the throne as the Chongzhen Emperor. His succession was helped by Empress Zhang (widow of the Tianqi Emperor), despite the manoeuvres of the chief eunuch, Wei Zhongxian, who wanted to continue to dominate the imperial court. From the beginning of his rule, the Chongzhen Emperor did his best to stem the decline of the Ming dynasty. His efforts at reform focused on the top ranks of the civil and military establishment. However, years of internal corruption and an empty treasury made it almost impossible to find capable ministers to fill important government posts. The emperor also tended to be suspicious of his subordinates, executing dozens of field commanders, including general Yuan Chonghuan, who had directed the defence of the northern frontier against the Manchu (later known as the Qing dynasty). The Chongzhen Emperor's reign was marked by his fear of factionalism among his officials, which had been a serious issue during the reign of the Tianqi Emperor. Soon after his brother's death, the Chongzhen Emperor immediately eliminated Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke, as well as other officials thought to be involved in the "Wei-Ke conspiracy".

Meanwhile, partisans of the Donglin Academy faction, which had been devastated under Wei Zhongxian's influence, established political organizations throughout the Jiangnan region. Chief among these was the Fushe, or Restoration Society, whose members were a new generation of scholars who identified with the old Donglin faction. They succeeded in placing their members into high government posts through the imperial examinations of 1630 and 1631. The reversal of Wei Zhongxian's fortunes resulted in a renewal of the Donglin faction's influence at court, arousing great suspicion from the Chongzhen Emperor. The nomination of Donglin favorite Qian Qianyi for the post of Grand Secretary led to accusations of corruption and factionalism by his rival Wen Tiren. Qian Qianyi was imprisoned on the emperor's orders. Though he was soon released, his status was reduced to that of a commoner and he returned to Jiangnan. Wen Tiren would later become Grand Secretary himself.

Peasant rebellions and Manchu invasion

In the early 17th century, persistent drought and famine driven by the Little Ice Age accelerated the collapse of the Ming dynasty. Two major popular uprisings swelled up, led by Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, both poor men from famine-hit Shaanxi who took up arms in the 1620s. At the same time, Ming armies were occupied in the defence of the northern border against the Manchu ruler Hong Taiji, whose father, Nurhaci, had united the Manchu tribes into a cohesive force. In 1636, after years of campaigns against Ming fortifications north of the Great Wall, Huangtaiji declared himself emperor of the Qing dynasty.

Through the 1630s, rebellion spread from Shaanxi to nearby Huguang and Henan. In 1641, Xiangyang fell to Zhang Xianzhong, and Luoyang to Li Zicheng. The next year, Li Zicheng captured Kaifeng. The year after that, Zhang Xianzhong took Wuchang and established himself the ruler of his Xi kingdom. Court officials offered a number of unrealistic proposals to stop the rebel armies, including the establishment of archery contests, the restoration of the weisuo military colony system, and the execution of disloyal peasants. Li Zicheng took Xi'an in last 1643, renaming it Chang'an, which had been the city's name when it was the capital of the Tang dynasty. On the lunar New Year of 1644, he proclaimed himself king of the Shun dynasty and prepared to capture Beijing.

By this point, the situation had become critical for the Chongzhen Emperor, who rejected proposals to recruit new militias from the Beijing region and to recall general Wu Sangui, the defender of Shanhai Pass on the Great Wall. The Chongzhen Emperor had dispatched a new field commander, Yu Yinggui, who failed to stop Li Zicheng's armies as they crossed the Yellow River in December 1643. Back in Beijing, the capital defence forces consisted of old and feeble men, who were starving because of the corruption of eunuchs responsible for provisioning their supplies. The troops had not been paid for nearly a year. Meanwhile, the capture of Taiyuan by Li Zicheng's forces gave his campaign additional momentum; garrisons began to surrender to him without a fight. Through February and March 1644, the Chongzhen Emperor declined repeated proposals to move the court south to Nanjing, and in early April, he rejected a suggestion to move the crown prince to the south.

Death

In April 1644, the Ming imperial court finally ordered Wu Sangui to move his army south from his fortress at Ningyuan to Shanhai Pass. It was too late, however, and Wu would not reach Shanhai Pass until 26 April. Word reached Beijing that Shun rebels were approaching the capital through Juyong Pass, and the Chongzhen Emperor held his last audience with his ministers on 23 April. Li Zicheng offered the emperor an opportunity to surrender, but the negotiations produced no result. Li commanded his forces to attack on 24 April. Rather than face capture by the rebels, the Chongzhen Emperor gathered all members of the imperial household except his sons. Using his sword, he killed Consort Yuan and Princess Zhaoren, and severed the arm of Princess Changping.

On 25 April, the Chongzhen Emperor was said to have walked to Meishan, a small hill in present-day Jingshan Park. There, he either hanged himself on a tree, or strangled himself with a sash. By some accounts, the emperor left a suicide note that said, "I die unable to face my ancestors in the underworld, dejected and ashamed. May the rebels dismember my corpse and slaughter my officials, but let them not despoil the imperial tombs nor harm a single one of our people." According to a servant who discovered the emperor's body under a tree, however, the words tianzi (Son of Heaven) were the only written evidence left after his death. The emperor was buried in the Ming tombs.

The Manchus were quick to exploit the death of the Chongzhen Emperor: by claiming to "avenge the emperor," they rallied support from loyalist Ming forces and civilians. The Shun dynasty lasted less than a year with Li Zicheng's defeat at the Battle of Shanhai Pass. The victorious Manchus established the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing dynasty as ruler of all China. Because the Chongzhen Emperor had refused to move the court south to Nanjing, the new Qing government was able to take over a largely intact Beijing bureaucracy, aiding their efforts to displace the Ming.

After the Chongzhen Emperor's death, loyalist forces proclaimed a Southern Ming dynasty in Nanjing, naming Zhu Yousong (the Prince of Fu) as the Hongguang Emperor. In 1645, however, Qing armies started to move against the Ming remnants. The Southern Ming, again bogged down by factional infighting, were unable to hold back the Qing onslaught, and Nanjing surrendered on 8 June 1645. Zhu Yousong was captured on 15 June and brought to Beijing, where he died the following year. The dwindling Southern Ming were continually pushed farther south, and the last emperor of the Southern Ming, Zhu Youlang, was finally caught in Burma, transported to Yunnan, and executed in 1662 by Wu Sangui.

Legacy

While the Chongzhen Emperor was not especially incompetent by the standards of the later Ming, he nevertheless sealed the fate of the Ming dynasty. In many ways, he did his best to save the dynasty. However, despite a reputation for hard work, the emperor's paranoia, impatience, stubbornness and lack of regard for the plight of his people doomed his crumbling empire. His attempts at reform did not take into account the considerable decline of Ming power, which was already far advanced at the time of his accession. Over the course of his 17-year reign, the Chongzhen Emperor executed seven military governors, 11 regional commanders, replaced his minister of defence 14 times, and appointed an unprecedented 50 ministers to the Grand Secretariat (equivalent to the cabinet and chancellor). Even though the Ming dynasty still possessed capable commanders and skilled politicians in its dying years, the Chongzhen Emperor's impatience and paranoid personality prevented any of them from enacting any real plan to salvage a perilous situation.

In particular, the Chongzhen Emperor's execution of Yuan Chonghuan on extremely flimsy grounds was regarded as the decisively fatal blow. At the time of his death, Yuan was supreme commander of all Ming forces in the northeast, and had just rushed from the borders to defend the capital against a surprise Manchu invasion. For much of the preceding decade, Yuan had served as the Ming Empire's bulwark in the north, where he was responsible for securing Ming borders at a time when the Empire was suffering humiliating defeat after defeat. His unjust death destroyed Ming military morale and removed one of the greatest obstacles to the eventual Manchu conquest of China.

Temple name

In 1645, Zhu Yousong, who had proclaimed himself the Hongguang Emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty, gave the Chongzhen Emperor the temple name "Sizong". In historical texts, "Sizong" is the most common temple name of the Chongzhen Emperor, even though the Southern Ming rulers had changed "Sizong" to "Yizong" (毅宗) and then to "Weizong" (威宗). During the Qing dynasty, the Chongzhen Emperor's temple name was changed to "Huaizong" (懷宗).

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Xiaojielie, of the Zhou clan (孝節烈皇后 周氏; 10 May 1611 – 24 April 1644)

　• Zhu Cilang, Emperor Dao (悼皇帝 朱慈烺; 26 February 1629 – 1644), first son

　• Zhu Cixuan, Prince Huaiyin (懷隱王 朱慈烜; died 15 January 1630), second son

　• Princess Kunyi (坤儀公主; b. 1630), first daughter

　• Zhu Cijiong, Prince Ding'ai (定哀王 朱慈炯; b. 1632), third son

• Imperial Noble Consort Gongshu, of the Tian clan (恭淑皇貴妃 田氏; 1611 – 16 October 1642), personal name Xiuying (秀英)

　• Zhu Cizhao, Prince Yongdao (永悼王 朱慈炤; b. 1632), fourth son

　• Zhu Cihuan, Prince Daoling (悼靈王 朱慈煥; 1633–1637), fifth son

　• Zhu Cican, Prince Daohuai (悼懷王 朱慈燦; 1637 – 5 May 1639), sixth son

　• Prince Daoliang (悼良王), seventh son

• Noble Consort, of the Yuan clan (貴妃 袁氏; 1616–1654)

　• Unnamed daughter

• Consort Shun, of the Wang clan (順妃 王氏)

　• Princess Changping (長平公主; 1629–1646), personal name Meichuo (媺娖), second daughter

　　• Married Zhou Xian (周顯) in 1644

• Unknown

　• Princess Zhaoren (昭仁公主; 1639 – 24 April 1644)

Ancestry

人物生平

早期經歷

生於萬曆庚戌十二月二十四日（1611年2月6日） 寅時。崇禎帝朱由檢之父為明光宗朱常洛，朱常洛雖早在萬曆廿九年（1601年）被立為太子，但其父親明神宗其實一心想立三子朱常洵為太子，是因為群臣國本之爭，才勉強保住了朱常洛儲君的寶座，故朱常洛一直得不到明神宗歡心。朱由檢母親劉氏則是朱常洛的婢女，亦不得朱常洛的歡心。祖父討厭父親，父親討厭母親，所以朱由檢幼年並不幸福。五歲時，朱由檢母親劉氏得罪，被父親朱常洛下令杖殺，之後將朱由檢交由庶母西李撫養。數年後西李生了女兒，照管不過來，改由另一庶母東李撫養至成人。及至朱由檢長大，被當時已繼位為帝的哥哥明熹宗朱由校封為信王，劉氏追封為賢妃。

登上帝位

天啟七年（1627年），年僅廿二歲的明熹宗朱由校駕崩，由於朱由校三名兒子皆早夭，他唯一在世的弟弟朱由檢繼承皇位，當時朱由檢年僅十六歲，是為崇禎帝。朱由檢即位後，勤于政務，事必躬親。崇禎十五年（1642年）七月初九，因「偶感微恙」而臨時傳免早朝，遭輔臣批評，崇禎連忙自我檢討。

天啟七年十一月（1627年），崇禎帝在剷除魏忠賢的羽翼崔呈秀之後，再將其貶至鳳陽。途至直隸阜城，魏忠賢得知大勢已去，遂與一名太監自縊而亡。此後崇禎帝又殺客氏，崔呈秀自盡，其閹黨二百六十餘人或處死、或發配、或終身禁錮。與此同時，平反冤獄，重新啟用天啟年間被罷黜的官員。起用袁崇煥為兵部尚書，賜予尚方寶劍，託付他收複全遼的重任。

面對困局

自崇禎元年（1628年）起，中國北方大旱，赤地千里，寸草不生，《漢南續郡志》記，「崇禎元年，全陝天赤如血。五年大飢，六年大水，七年秋蝗、大飢，八年九月西鄉旱，略陽水澇，民舍全沒。九年旱蝗，十年秋禾全無，十一年夏飛蝗蔽天……十三年大旱……十四年旱」。崇禎朝以來，陝西年年有大旱，百姓多流離失所。崇禎二年五月正式議裁陝北驛站，驛站兵士李自成失業。崇禎三年（1630年）陝西又大饑，陝西巡按馬懋才在《備陳大饑疏》上說百姓爭食山中的蓬草，蓬草吃完，剝樹皮吃，樹皮吃完，只能吃觀音土，最後腹脹而死，六年，「全陝旱蝗，耀州、澄城縣一帶，百姓死亡過半」。

崇禎七年，家住河南的前兵部尚書呂維祺上書朝廷：「蓋數年來，臣鄉無歲不苦荒，無月不苦兵，無日不苦輓輸。庚午（崇禎三年）旱；辛未旱；壬申大旱。野無青草，十室九空。……村無吠犬，尚敲催征之門；樹有啼鵑，盡灑鞭撲之血。黃埃赤地，鄉鄉幾斷人煙；白骨青燐，夜夜似聞鬼哭。欲使窮民之不化為盜，不可得也」。旱災又引起蝗災，使得災情更加擴大。河南於崇禎十年、十一年、十二年、十三年皆有蝗旱，「人相食，草木俱盡，土寇並起」，其飢民多從「闖王」李自成。崇禎十三、十四年，「南北俱大荒……死人棄孩，盈河塞路。」

十四年，左懋第督催漕運，道中馳疏言：「臣自靜海抵臨清，見人民飢死者三，疫死者三，為盜者四。米石銀二十四兩，人死取以食。惟聖明垂念。」保定巡撫徐標被召入京時說：「臣自江推來數千里，見城陷處固蕩然一空，即有完城，亦僅餘四壁城隍，物力已盡，蹂躪無餘，蓬蒿滿路，雞犬無音，未遇一耕者，成何世界」這時華北各省又疫疾大起，朝發夕死。「至一夜之內，百姓驚逃，城為之空」，崇禎十四年七月，疫疾從河北地區傳染至北京，崇禎十六年，北京人口死亡近四成。十室九空。

內憂外患

江南在崇禎十三年遭大水，十四年有旱蝗並災，十五年持續發生旱災和流行大疫。地方社會處在了十分脆弱的狀態，盜匪與流民並起，各地民變不斷爆發。

為剿流寇，崇禎帝先用楊鶴主撫，後用洪承疇，再用曹文詔，再用陳奇瑜，復用洪承疇，再用盧象昇，再用楊嗣昌，再用熊文燦，又用楊嗣昌，十三年中頻繁更換圍闖軍的將領。這其中除熊文燦外，其他都表現出了出色的才幹。然皆功虧一簣。李自成數次大難不死，後往河南聚眾發展。

此時北方皇太極又不斷騷擾入侵，明廷苦於兩線作戰，每年的軍費「三餉」開支高達兩千萬兩以上，國家財政早已入不敷出，缺餉的情況普遍，常導致明軍內部騷亂譁變。加上崇禎帝求治心切，生性多疑，剛愎自用，因此在朝政中屢鑄大錯：前期剷除專權宦官，後期又重用宦官，《春明夢余錄》記述：「崇禎二年十一月，以司禮監太監沈良住提督九門及皇城門，以司禮監太監李鳳翔總督忠勇營」崇禎帝說：「朕禦極之初，攝還內鎮，舉天下大事悉以委大小臣工，比者多營私圖，因協民艱，廉通者又遷疏無通。己已之冬，京城被攻，宗社震驚，此士大夫負國家也。清寫明史崇禎帝中後金反間計，自毀長城，冤殺袁崇煥；世傳皇太極施反間計，捕捉兩名明宮太監，然後故意讓兩人以為聽見滿清將軍之間的耳語，謂袁崇煥與滿人有密約，皇太極再放其中一名太監回京。崇禎帝中計，以為袁崇煥謀反。這種講法終明之世並無所本，僅流行於乾隆之後。一些學者傾向於相信崇禎帝殺袁崇煥，並非是皇太極的反間計得逞。由於袁崇煥是囚禁半年後才被處死的，不大可能是因一時激憤誤殺。事實上，崇禎帝生性多疑，所以僅擅殺毛文龍一事，便足以使崇禎帝心存忌憚。再者毛文龍舊部大都誤認為是皇帝要殺毛文龍，於是把怨恨轉移到皇帝身上，大舉譁變，造成日後一連串悲劇事件的發生，終於致使前線態勢一發不可收拾。袁崇煥不能不為此負責。

隨著局勢的日益嚴峻，崇禎帝的濫殺也日趨嚴重，總想以重典治世，總督中被誅者七人，巡撫被戮者十一人，連擁有崇高地位的內閣首輔也不能倖免，被殺二人，而其他各級文官武將更是多不勝數，不能詳列。崇禎帝亦知不能兩面作戰，私底下同意議和，但被明朝士大夫鑒於南宋的教訓，皆以為與滿人和談為恥。因此崇禎帝對於和議之事，始終左右為難，他暗中同意楊嗣昌的議和主張，但一旁的盧象昇立即告訴皇帝說：「陛下命臣督師，臣只知戰鬥而已！」，崇禎帝只能辯稱根本就沒有議和之事，盧象昇最後戰死沙場。明朝末年就在和戰兩難之間，走入滅亡之途。

崇禎十五年（1642年），松山、錦州失守，洪承疇降清，崇禎又想和滿清議和而和兵部尚書陳新甲暗中商議計劃，後來陳新甲因洩漏議和之事被崇禎諉過處死，與清兵最後議和的機會也破滅了。崇禎十七年（1644年）明王朝面臨沒頂之災，崇禎帝召見閣臣時悲嘆道：「吾非亡國之君，汝皆亡國之臣。吾待士亦不薄，今日至此，群臣何無一人相從？」在陳演、光時亨等反對和不情願負責之下未能下決心遷都南京。事後崇禎帝指責光時亨：「阻朕南遷，本應處斬，姑饒這遭。」後來，崇禎再次跟李明睿和左都御李邦華復議南遷的計劃，並要大學士陳演擔當責任，陳演不情願，於是在不久後被罷職。第二次南遷計劃失敗後，崇禎讓駙馬鞏永固代口要求重臣守京師，並以「聖駕南巡，徵兵親討」為由出京，諸臣唯恐自己因皇帝不在京城而變成農民軍發洩怒火的替死鬼，故依然不讓崇禎離京。

至此，流寇叛變已經十多年，從北京向南，南京向北，縱橫數千里之間，白骨滿地，人煙斷絕，行人稀少。崇禎帝召保定巡撫徐標入京覲見，徐標說：「臣從江淮而來，數千里地內蕩然一空，即使有城池的地方，也僅存四周圍牆，一眼望去都是雜草叢生，聽不見雞鳴狗叫。看不見一個耕田種地之人，像這樣陛下將怎麼治理天下呢？」崇禎帝聽後，潸然淚下，嘆息不止。于是，為了祭祀陣亡將士、罹難難民和殉國的各親王，崇禎帝便在宮中大作佛事來祈求天下太平，並下詔罪己，催促督師孫傳庭趕快圍剿農民軍。

自縊殉國

崇禎十六年正月，李自成部克襄陽、荊州、德安、承天等府，張獻忠部陷蘄州，明將左良玉逃至安徽池州。崇禎十七年（1644年）三月一日，大同失陷，北京危急，初四日，崇禎任吳三桂為平西伯，飛檄三桂入衛京師，起用吳襄提督京營。六日，李自成陷宣府，太監杜勳投降，十五日，大學士李建泰投降，李自成部開始包圍北京，太監曹化淳說：「忠賢若在，時事必不至此。」三月十六日，昌平失守，十七日，圍攻北京城。三月十八日，李自成軍以飛梯攻西直、平則、德勝諸門，守軍或逃、或降。下午，曹化淳開彰儀門（一說是十九日王相堯開宣武門，另張縉彥守正陽門，朱純臣守朝陽門，一時俱開，二臣迎門拜賊，賊登城，殺兵部侍郎王家彥於城樓，刑部侍郎孟兆祥死於城門下），李自成軍攻入北京。太監王廉急告皇帝，崇禎帝在宮中飲酒長嘆：「苦我民爾！」太監張殷勸皇帝投降，被一劍刺死。崇禎帝命人分送太子、永王、定王到勳戚周奎、田弘遇家。又逼周后自殺，手刃袁妃（未死）、長平公主（未死）、昭仁公主。

然後崇禎帝手執三眼槍與數十名太監騎馬出東華門，被亂箭所阻，再跑到齊化門（朝陽門），成國公朱純臣閉門不納，後轉向安定門，此地守軍已經星散，大門深鎖，太監以利斧亦無法劈開。三月十九日拂曉，大火四起，重返皇宮，城外已經是火光映天。此時天色將明，崇禎在前殿鳴鐘召集百官，卻無一人前來，崇禎帝說：「諸臣誤朕也，國君死社稷，二百七十七年之天下，一旦棄之，皆為奸臣所誤，以至于此。」最後在景山老歪脖子樹上自縊身亡，死時光著左腳，右腳穿著一隻紅鞋。死於崇禎甲申三月十九日醜時，時年33歲。身邊僅有提督太監王承恩陪同。上吊死前于藍色袍服上大書其遺書：

三月二十一日屍體被發現，大順軍將崇禎帝與周皇后的屍棺移出宮禁，在東華門示眾，也允許投降的諸臣前往送葬，只是人數不多，「諸臣哭拜者三十人，拜而不哭者六十人，餘皆睥睨過之」，只有主事劉養貞極其悲痛，梓宮暫厝在紫禁城北面的河邊。約午未時李自成親自至崇禎前視察，見崇禎吊樹上，先未發言後留一名評崇禎，李評崇君非甚暗，但後評頗差即崇禎皇帝剛愎自用，昧于現實。

崇禎帝死後，自殺官員有戶部尚書倪元璐、工部尚書范景文、左都御史李邦華、左副都御史施邦曜、協理京營兵部右侍郎王家彥、大理寺卿凌義渠、太常寺卿吳麟徵、左中允劉理順、刑部右侍郎孟兆祥、前戶科都給事中吳甘來、武庫主事成德、兵部主事金鉉、左諭德馬世奇、檢討汪偉、右庶子周鳳翔、太僕寺丞申佳胤、吏部員外郎許直、戶部員外郎寧承烈、光祿寺署丞于騰雲、副兵馬使姚成、中書舍人宋天顯，滕之所、阮文貴、監察御史王章、陳良謨、陳純德、經歷張應選，順天府知事陳貞達等、外戚如駙馬都尉鞏永固、新樂伯劉文炳、惠安伯張慶臻、宣城伯衛時春，錦衣衛都指揮使王國興自殺，太監自殺者以百計，戰死在千人以上。宮女自殺者三百餘人。紳生生員等七百多家舉家自殺。四月四日，昌平州吏趙一桂等人將崇禎與皇后葬入昌平縣田貴妃的墓穴之中，清朝以「帝禮改葬，令臣民為服喪三日，諡曰莊烈愍皇帝，陵曰思陵」。

廟諡號及陵寢

順治元年五月初六日，攝政多爾袞以李明睿為禮部侍郎，負責大行皇帝的諡號祭葬事宜，李擬上先帝諡號欽天守道敏毅敦儉弘文襄武體仁致孝端皇帝，廟號懷宗，並建議改葬梓宮。後因崇禎帝梓宮已入葬恭淑端惠靜懷皇貴妃的園寢，便不再遷葬，改田貴妃園寢為思陵。

順治十六年十一月，以「興朝諡前代之君，禮不稱宗」為由，去懷宗廟號，改諡莊烈愍皇帝，因而清代史書多簡稱為莊烈帝或明愍帝。

《欽定古今圖書集成·方輿彙編·職方典·順天府部雜錄十一》、《欽定日下舊聞考·卷一百三十七》、《讀禮通考·卷九十三》三書均引《肅松錄》和《北游紀方》，稱思陵神牌題為「大明欽天守道敏毅敦儉弘文襄武體仁致孝莊烈愍皇帝」，又引《北游紀方》稱思陵神主題為「大明懷宗欽天守道敏毅敦儉弘文襄武體仁致孝莊烈端皇帝」，又引《肅松錄》稱思陵立有「莊烈愍皇帝之陵」的石碑。《明詩綜·卷一》則稱神牌是由順治初年定的「一十六字」加上改書的「莊烈愍皇帝」組合而成。神主甚至又改「愍」字為「端」，並仍題廟號「懷宗」二字，可見康熙年間的思陵神牌和神主是由順治年間兩次加諡崇禎帝的廟諡號混雜而成。《崇禎長編·卷一》作「果毅敦儉弘文襄武體仁致孝莊烈愍皇帝」，當是清廷所給諡號在傳抄中產生了訛誤。

南明安宗之大臣張慎言初議崇禎帝之廟諡號為「烈宗敏皇帝」，高弘圖擬廟號「思宗」，顧錫疇議廟號「乾宗」。趙之龍上疏彈劾高弘圖議廟號之失，稱「思為下謚」。顧錫疇又擬廟號正宗，但未被採用。最終在崇禎十七年六月定先帝謚號為紹天繹道剛明恪儉揆文奮武敦仁懋孝烈皇帝，廟號思宗。 按《逸周書·諡法解》：「道德純一曰思。大省兆民曰思。外內思索曰思。追悔前過曰思。……有功安民曰烈。以武立功。秉德尊業曰烈。」

弘光元年李清上疏請改思宗廟號，多次上疏皆被駁回。管紹寧擬「敬宗」和「毅宗」兩號備選，同時又有人上疏請求改為「烈宗正皇帝」。弘光元年二月丙子改上廟號毅宗，謚號未改。唐王監國，謚思宗為威宗。

人事任命

宰輔

• 施鳳來

• 張瑞圖

• 李國普

• 來宗道

• 楊景辰

• 周道登

• 錢龍錫

• 韓爌

• 李標

• 劉鴻訓

• 成基命

• 周延儒

• 何如寵

• 錢象坤

• 溫體仁

• 孫承宗

• 文震孟

• 吳宗達

• 鄭以偉

• 徐光啟

• 錢士升

• 何吾騶

• 王應熊

• 張至發

• 黃士俊

• 孔貞運

• 林釬

• 賀逢聖

• 劉宇亮

• 傅冠

• 薛國觀

• 程國祥

• 楊嗣昌

• 方逢年

• 蔡國用

• 范復粹

• 姚明恭

• 張四知

• 魏炤乘

• 謝陞

• 陳演

• 魏藻德

• 黃景昉

• 吳甡

• 李建泰

• 方岳貢

• 范景文

• 丘瑜

將領

• 盧象昇

• 孫傳庭

• 吳三桂

• 丁啟睿

• 袁崇煥

• 洪承疇

• 左良玉

• 高傑

• 劉澤清

• 秦良玉

• 官重光

• 曹文詔

宦官

• 張彞憲：司禮太監。驕縱頗受寵信。

• 高起潛：在內侍中，以知兵稱。

• 杜勳

• 曹化淳

• 王承恩：曹化淳名下也，累官司禮秉筆太監。自縊與崇禎皇帝其下。

• 方正化：崇禎時，為司禮太監。城陷時，雖擊殺數十人，仍遭砍殺身亡。

人物評價

與其他朝代的亡國之君不同，崇禎帝是一個被普遍同情的皇帝，崇禎帝一直勤政，以力圖挽救過去祖輩皇帝的過失。崇禎帝即位，正值國家內憂外患之際，內有黃土高原上百萬農民造反大軍，外有滿洲鐵騎，虎視耽耽，崇禎元年（1628年）陝西鎮的兵餉積欠到30多月，次年二月延綏、寧夏、固原三鎮皆告缺餉達36月之久，加上崇禎帝個人才幹不高，在內外交困之下最終無力回天。

推翻明朝的李自成《登極詔》也說「君非甚闇，孤立而煬灶恆多；臣盡行私，比黨而公忠絕少。」

崇禎帝的性格相當複雜，在去除魏忠賢時，表現得極為機智，但在處理袁崇煥一事，卻又表現得相當愚蠢，《明史》說他：「性多疑而任察，好剛而尚氣。任察則苛刻寡恩，尚氣則急遽失措。」

• 張岱認為「思宗焦心求治，旰食宵衣，恭儉辛勤，萬機無曠。即古之中興令主無以過之。」然而，他「惟務節省」，以至「九邊軍士數年無餉，體無完衣」；又「渴于用人，驟于行法」，以至「天下之人，無所不用。及至危及存亡之秋，並無一人為之分憂宣力。」

• 《明史》評價崇禎帝：「帝承神、熹之後，慨然有為。即位之初，沈機獨斷，刈除奸逆，天下想望治平。惜乎大勢已傾，積習難挽。在廷則門戶糾紛，疆埸則將驕卒惰。兵荒四告，流寇蔓延。遂至潰爛而莫可救，可謂不幸也已。然在位十有七年，不邇聲色，憂勸惕勵，殫心治理。臨朝浩歎，慨然思得非常之材，而用匪其人，益以僨事。乃復信任宦官，布列要地，舉措失當，制置乖方。祚訖運移，身罹禍變，豈非氣數使然哉。迨至大命有歸，妖氛盡掃，而帝得加諡建陵，典禮優厚。是則聖朝盛德，度越千古，亦可以知帝之蒙難而不辱其身，為亡國之義烈矣。」

• 順治帝評價崇禎帝：「本朝入關定鼎，首為崇禎帝、后發喪，營建幽宮，為萬古未聞之義舉。」1657年，順治諭工部曰：「朕念明崇禎帝孜孜求治，身殉社稷。若不急為闡揚，恐于千載之下，竟與失德亡國者同類並觀，朕用是特製碑文一道，以昭憫惻。」謁崇禎陵的時候，順治大呼說：「大哥大哥，我與若皆有君無臣。」順治對崇禎的書法更是高度讚賞。史書記載，僧弘覺向順治索字，順治說：「朕字何足尚，崇禎帝乃佳耳。」說完叫人一併拿來八九十幅崇禎的字，一一展示，「上容慘戚，默然不語」。看完了，順治說：「如此明君，身嬰巨禍，使人不覺酸楚耳。」又說：「近修《明史》，朕敕群工不得妄議崇禎帝。」順治的話，連弘覺都給感動了：「先帝何修得我皇為異世知己哉！」順治寫給崇禎的碑文是：「莊烈憫皇帝勵精圖治，宵旰焦心，原非失德之主。良由有君無臣，孤立于上，將帥擁兵而不戰，文吏噂沓而營私。……逮逆渠犯闕，國勢莫支，帝遂捐生以殉社稷。……」

• 談遷《國榷》稱：「先帝（崇禎）之患，在於好名而不根于實，名愛民而適痡之，名聽言而適拒之，名亟才而適市之；聰于始，愎于終，視舉朝無一人足任者，柄托奄尹，自貽伊戚，非淫虐，非昏懦，而卒與桀、紂、秦、隋、平、獻、恭、昭並日而語也，可勝痛哉！」

• 歷史學家孟森說：「思宗而在萬曆以前，非亡國之君；在天啟之後，則必亡而已矣！」。崇禎帝雖有心為治，卻無治國良方，以致釀成亡國悲劇，未必無過。孟森也說崇禎帝「苛察自用，無知人之明」、「不知恤民」。崇禎帝用人不彰、疑心過重、馭下太嚴，史稱「崇禎五十相」（在位十七年，更換五十位內閣大學士、首輔），卻加速了明王朝的覆亡。

• 鎖綠山人在《明亡述略》中評價崇禎，「莊烈帝勇於求治，自異此前亡國之君。然承神宗、熹宗之失德，又好自用，無知人之識。君子修身齊家，宜防好惡之癖，而況平天下乎？雖當時無流賊之蹂躪海內，而明之亡也決矣。」

• 南明大臣則把崇禎帝抬舉到千古聖主的地步，如禮部侍郎余煜在議改崇禎帝廟號時說：「先帝（崇禎）英明神武，人所共欽，而內無聲色狗馬之好，外無神仙土木之營，臨難慷慨，合國君死社稷之義。千古未有之聖主，宜尊以千古未有之徽稱。」

• 康熙帝認為崇禎帝的復雜性格與其成長環境有關：「明季所行，多迂闊可笑。建極殿後階石，高厚數丈，方整一塊，其費不貲，採買搬運至京，不能舁入午門，運石太監參奏此石不肯入午門，乃命將石捆打六十禦棍。崇禎嘗學乘馬，兩人執轡，兩人捧鐙，兩人扶秋，甫乘，輒已墜馬，乃責馬四十，發苦驛當差。馬猶有知識，石何所知？如此舉動，豈不發噱？總由生於深宮，長於阿保之手，不知人情物理故也。」

家庭

后妃

• 孝節貞肅淵恭莊毅奉天靖聖烈皇后周氏，1644年明亡之際依崇禎帝之命，在坤寧宮自盡而死。清順治帝，謚周后曰孝敬貞烈慈惠莊敏承天配聖端皇后，與帝同葬田貴妃寢園，即明十三陵的思陵。順治十六年十一月，改諡周皇后莊烈愍皇后，而明安宗則追諡為孝節貞肅淵恭莊毅奉天靖聖烈皇后，又作孝烈正皇后。

• 貴妃袁氏，1644年明朝亡國之際，依崇禎帝命自縊卻未死，清朝入關後因其為崇禎帝最後的遺孀，得到清廷之哀憐與尊重，並由清廷贍養其終身。

• 恭淑貴妃田秀英，1643年病死。謚恭淑端惠靜懷皇貴妃，葬昌平天壽山思陵。

• 順妃王氏，原為選侍。

• 沈妃

• 王妃（第一）

• 王妃（第二）

• 劉妃

• 方妃

• 尤妃

• 范選侍，拜田貴妃為師學琴。

• 薛選侍，拜田貴妃為師學琴。

• 養豔姬，原為宮中樂女，明亡後出家為道姑。

• 藺婉玉，太監藺卿之姪女，原為宮中樂女，明亡後出家為道姑。

兄弟

• 熹宗朱由校

• 簡懷王朱由㰒

• 齊思王朱由楫

• 懷惠王朱由模

• 湘懷王朱由栩

• 惠昭王朱由橏

子女

子

• 獻愍太子朱慈烺，母孝節烈皇后周氏，崇禎二年（1629年）二月初四日生，李敗退時不知所終。

• 懷隱王朱慈烜，母孝節烈皇后周氏，崇禎二年十二月初三生，不久薨，崇禎三年二月初二日命禮部定諡號追封，崇禎五年正月二十二日葬於翠微山之原。

• 定哀王朱慈炯，母孝節烈皇后周氏，1644年不知所終。

• 永悼王朱慈炤，母恭淑端惠靜懷皇貴妃田氏，1644年不知所終。

• 悼靈王朱慈煥（1633年－1637年），母恭淑端惠靜懷皇貴妃田氏，崇禎帝第五子。民間所謂「朱三太子」，則是將朱慈煥誤當是朱慈炯，傳言他活著，故清兵入關之後，許多人假借他的名義起事，意圖反清復明，造成清政府的統治難題。

• 悼懷王朱慈燦，母恭淑端惠靜懷皇貴妃田氏，崇禎十年生，崇禎十二年三月二十七日卒，追封悼懷王，同年九月十六日葬翠微山之原。

• 悼良王，母恭淑端惠靜懷皇貴妃田氏，三歲殤。

女

• 坤儀公主（名不詳）（？－？），母莊烈愍皇后周氏，早夭。

• 坤興公主朱媺娖（1630－1646），周皇后所出。朱媺娖生母為王順妃之說法實為1996年台灣作家林佩芬所寫的《天問·明末春秋》一書中的杜撰情節，但後來卻被多次引用。而公主年紀，「甲申年十六」的說法僅僅存在于《明史·公主傳》，其餘史籍均作甲申年十五，並都寫明為周皇后所出，與《崇禎長編》記錄公主生於「崇禎三年（1630年），中宮出」相符。因此明史應是記錯了公主年齡，公主實際應為1630年出生。

• 昭仁公主（名不詳）（1639－1644），1644年被崇禎帝殺死。

:餘三女皆早逝，無考。

軼事典故

崇禎帝上吊後，在其身上的遺言旁邊又有一行書寫到：「文武百官全都到東宮行在去。」原來崇禎帝以為內閣諸臣已經看到了他所寫的朱書，卻不知道實際上內傳將朱書送入內閣時，大臣們早已四散逃命了，內侍放在桌子上便走了，因而文武群臣並沒有一個人知道此書。當初大內中有一間密室，看管的十分嚴密，相傳其中有誠意伯劉伯溫所藏的秘記在內，說沒有重大變故不能隨意開啟。到此時，事情緊迫，眾人開啟來看，看到是一副繪圖三軸，最末一軸圖像酷似崇禎帝模樣，身穿白背心，光著左腳，披頭散髮懸在空中，與上吊後的崇禎帝的情況沒有任何差別。

信仰

明朝文化三教合一，天子大都篤信佛教和道教，也力圖做儒家的弟子。崇禎年間，受徐光啟和湯若望的影響，皇帝對羅馬天主教有所了解。滿人屢次犯邊，流寇兵事又不寧靜。有人趁機勸說皇帝撤去宮內神像與佛像，改信耶穌。皇帝急于圖治，聞言有所動。後幾年，覺其言非是，又復崇儒（見1939年中華民國論文《崇禎帝之撤像及信仰》）。

文字作品

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• 民國胡長青《崇禎皇帝》

• 中國大陸姚雪垠《李自成》

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