Biography

Zhu Zhifan was one of the many princes of the Ming dynasty, descended from a minor branch of the Qing princely line. His ancestor, Zhu Zhitong (; d. 1502), was the fourth son of Zhu Zhan, Prince of Qing, who was the sixteenth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the first emperor of the dynasty. In 1421, Zhu Zhitong became the Prince of Anhua (; Anhua was located in Qingyang Prefecture, eastern Gansu). Zhu Zhifan, the grandson of Zhu Zhitong, succeeded him as the second Prince of Anhua in 1492. He resided in Ningxia, an important border fortress city and the seat of one of the regional military headquarters on the Ming-Mongol border.

He had two younger brothers, Zhikong and Zhiwu, and three sons. As the commandery prince, he was guaranteed an annual income of 1,000 shi (107,000 liters) of grain from the state, half of which was paid in kind (in grain) and the other half in silver.

He saw himself as destined for great deeds and surrounded himself with a group of loyal followers, including officers from the Ningxia garrison and members of the local gentry. Some of the prince's closest confidants were officers He Jin and Zhou Ang, who both achieved promotion to regional military commissioner with the help of state grants of 270 liang (10 kg) and 200 liang of silver respectively, borrowed from the prince. The prince's inner circle also included Sun Jingwen, a former student of the local Confucian school, and several other former students.

Zhu Zhifan's ambitions were thwarted until 1510 when Liu Jin, a eunuch who held significant power in the government thanks to the trust and support of the Zhengde Emperor, sent an envoy to Shaanxi. The envoy's purpose was to implement tax increases for military peasants and punish tax debtors, which sparked anger and discontent among the people. Taking advantage of the situation, the prince declared a campaign against Liu Jin and the Prince of Anhua rebellion on 12 May. However, the surrounding military commanders did not join in and instead reported the rebellion to the government in Beijing. In response, an army led by high official Yang Yiqing and eunuch Zhang Yong was sent to suppress the rebellion. Before the army reached Shaanxi, loyalists led by garrison officer Qiu Yue captured the prince on 30 May.

Zhang Yong then brought the captured rebels to Beijing, where nearly a hundred of them were executed. Another 190, including their family members, were sent to distant border garrisons. The Zhengde Emperor allowed Zhu Zhifan to commit suicide.

During the campaign, Yang Yiqing convinced Zhang Yong to turn against Liu Jin, warning him of the danger posed by Liu Jin's plans for a coup. With the help of other eunuchs, Zhang Yong successfully overthrew Liu Jin in September 1510.

生平

朱寘鐇是安化王庶出長子（此處長子為郡王世子封號）朱邃墁及其正妻楊氏的兒子。朱寘鐇因祖母葬地不吉，請遷韋州螺山祖塋之側，獲准。當初朱邃墁死後，楊氏水漿不入口七日，與之同死。因朱寘鐇奏請，賜楊氏坊名貞節，並與之敕書。

朱寘鐇性情狂誕，與當地軍事官員相交甚熟。正德五年（1510年），皇帝派大理少卿周東在寧夏屯田，其因諂媚劉瑾，斂財巨多，為戍邊士兵所憤。當時巡撫都御史安惟學屢次侮辱士兵妻子，部隊將領十分憤怒。後朱寘鐇知道眾怒，命孫景文召開宴會，其間用語言刺激，諸位武臣多願意跟從朱寘鐇。朱寘鐇設大宴邀請巡撫各位官員，當時周東、安惟學兩人沒有赴宴。朱寘鐇派兵直入，殺死姜漢、李增、鄧廣等人，並派遣部隊在公署殺周東、安惟學。此後焚燒官府，釋放囚徒，撤離黃河渡船。並派人招楊英、仇鉞，並擅自分封官職，命孫景文以討伐劉瑾為名起草檄文。

當時陝西總兵曹雄聽到叛變，派遣指揮使黃正鎮守靈州，其他各部則紛紛派遣部隊。當時楊英、仇鉞派兵殺死周昂，並派親兵進入，逮捕朱寘鐇，其餘數人接獲。

明武宗令諸王等商議處置朱寘鐇。瀋王朱幼㙾、秦王朱惟焯等都認為朱寘鐇應該和子孫一起棄市以謝祖宗。奏書到後，又下法司會同百官詳議，最後請求將朱寘鐇押赴文華門外，由武宗親自問訊。武宗御文華殿，皇親、公侯、駙馬、伯、府部大臣及六科十三道依次跪奏稱朱寘鐇大逆不道，請求按諸王商議將其正法。武宗同意，僅念朱寘鐇是宗室，令其自盡，焚棄其尸，其子孫朱台溍等五人仍嚴格囚禁于西內。

朱寘鐇被賜死，削爵位，時年五十八歲。兒子朱台溍等人都被處死。孫朱鼒材逃出，削髮為僧，被僧人欺凌而告官，身份被浣衣局的安化宮人左寶瓶揭穿，武宗念其自歸，免死，安置鳳陽。

另隱士孫一元據說是改名換姓避難的朱寘鐇族人。

家庭

妻

• 施氏，初冊為安化長孫夫人，弘治五年（1492年）冊為安化王妃。

子孫

• 子：朱台濎

• 子：鎮國將軍朱台溍

　• 孫：朱鼒机

　• 孫：朱鼒栝

　• 孫：朱鼒杌

　• 孫：朱鼒材