生平简介

郑芝龙兄弟共有五人，五兄弟的排序依序为郑芝龙、郑芝虎、郑芝麟、郑芝凤、郑芝豹。在〈石井本宗族谱〉中纪录：「郑芝龙：小名一官，字日甲，号飞黄。……郑芝虎：字曰蟠，号韬远。……芝龙二弟……郑芝凤：字曰渐，号羽公，又字圣仪；芝龙四弟。……西亭郑芝豹：字曰文，号若唐。……芝龙五弟。……郑芝鹏：讳鸣都，字曰 都，号舜臣；一号里万，一号砺园。芝虎兄。」

而迁居福建的郑芝龙一生周旋在东洋及西洋的海洋势力之间，在明朝海禁的逆势格局下，开创中国历史上少有的民间海上霸业。

早年生活

郑芝龙的父亲郑士表，是泉州府一个小官吏。明朝天启元年（1621年)，由于家计困难，父亲要郑芝龙带著两个弟弟去投靠香山澳（今澳门）经商的舅父黄程，明末的香山澳，已是安平商人聚集之地，如大商人颜一深、黄程，都是来自安海。郑芝龙在此学习葡萄牙语，接触各国的海商，学了不少做生意的本领，为了取得外国商人的信任，他受天主教的洗礼，教名为「尼古拉斯·嘉思巴特（Nicolas caspard）」。郑芝龙在澳门的两年，广结各地外贸商人，包含时常往来与日本与澳门的大海商李旦（西人称为 Ardrea Dittis，俗称Captain China）。

天启三年（1623年），郑芝龙受舅舅黄程的委派，押运白糖、奇楠、麝香、鹿皮等货物，搭上李旦的大船开往日本长崎平户岛，成为李旦的部下。在长崎，受到日本人田川氏看重并嫁给他。翌年，田川氏在平户岛生下一子，取名郑森，这个孩子就是后来名震天下的郑成功。

1624年初，郑芝龙因李旦推荐，前往澎湖担任荷兰人的翻译及通事，同年初秋荷兰人撤退至台湾南部；由于明朝和荷兰的争执，影响到李旦当时的中日台间的商业利益，因此李旦派郑芝龙亦是李旦介入明朝和荷兰的手段之一。从此时开始，郑芝龙将事业重心自日本迁到金厦沿岸。郑芝龙通晓闽南语、南京官话、日语、西班牙语、葡萄牙语且可能通晓荷兰语。据曹永和研究，郑芝龙未必懂荷兰语，因当时东亚各地常以葡萄牙语沟通。

荷兰人给予这个「来自日本」的通事优厚的待遇，但一开始并没有用郑芝龙，后来荷兰人利用郑芝龙来执行在台湾海峡截击往马尼拉与西班牙人（当时荷兰人的主要竞争对手）通商的中式帆船的海盗任务。根据荷兰派任的第二任大员长官（1625–1627）杰拉德·韦特（Gerard Frederiksz de With）信件中，记录了派「通事一官」〈郑芝龙小名〉率领约二十至三十艘中式帆船去进行「截击与俘获」的业务。

1624年8月27日（农历7月14日）郑芝龙妻子田川氏于平户岛千里滨产下儿子郑成功。

隔年1625年4-5月间，郑芝龙离开荷兰人，开始了亦商亦盗的海上生涯，一名荷兰船长写给荷兰长官马蒂·孙克的信中提到，4月「27日星期天，...突然首领一官后随手执刀剑的铳手七八名，作为代表，向我们寒暄」。

亦商亦盗海上生涯

当时甲必丹李旦是王直之后较有海上势力的人物，其商业触角远及苏门答腊万丹及菲律宾群岛等地，1600年时已在马尼拉闽南人社群中成为成功的商人，然而西班牙眼红其财富抄其家并逮捕之，直到1607年才逃离西班牙人前往长崎和平户并和当地日本人及英国人有往来。

1625年8月2日，李旦正办好厦门、长崎、及台湾贸易，从台湾回平户途中去世，其台湾的产业和士卒转归郑芝龙控制，而于厦门的则落入许心素的手里；郑芝龙自立门户，并改名为芝龙，不再称一官。

1626至1628年，郑芝龙以台湾金门厦门等岛屿为基地，劫掠福建及广东数地，使明朝官兵疲于奔命，虽其间有朝廷招安动作，郑拒绝并在台海纵横两年六个月，直到1628年年底，福建巡抚熊文灿再度招安郑芝龙，成为「海防游击」。

郑芝龙势力至1627年已有船700艘；许心素建议荷兰东印度公司联手打击郑芝龙，但东印度公司未允，郑芝龙打败副总兵俞谘皐，杀对手许心素。

周旋荷商与明吏之间

崇祯元年(1628)九月郑芝龙受抚于福建巡抚熊文灿，率部众3万馀人，船只千馀艘降明，诏授海防游击，任「五虎游击将军」，驻安海。郑芝龙利用安平镇作为拥兵自守的军事据点和海上贸易基地，打破官方的海禁，繁荣海市，武装船队旗帜鲜明，戈甲坚利，航行于中国大陆沿海、台湾、澳门和日本、菲律宾等东南亚各地之间，几乎垄断了中国与海外诸国的贸易。

接受明朝招安后，郑和明朝、在台荷兰人有三角关系的周旋来回

1630年代海澄人刘香（Janglauw/Janglouw，中文文献「刘香老」）势力崛起，刘香原与郑芝龙同为颜思齐党夥，与李旦之子李国助（Augustin Iquan）合作。郑、刘两大势力于1632-1635年间，在中国沿海多次发生冲突。

剿灭刘香

郑受招抚后，由刘香统领的势力仍继续海上劫掠。当时的郑以福建为主，虽停止了在台湾长久生根的打算，但并未切断和台湾的关系，因为垄断对日和对台的贸易是经济上有利可图的。

1633年，台湾长官汉斯·普特曼斯攻打厦门被郑芝龙打败，后来双方达成和解，普特曼保证不来中国大陆沿海，由郑芝龙派船至台湾进行贸易。当时东印度公司史料记录显示：一官己成为该公司脚下一根刺，不拔不快，可见当时郑芝龙势力之大。

1633年10月荷人与刘香联手，攻打郑芝龙但在料罗湾被郑击败，1634年4月刘香袭取大员（今台南市安平区）和台湾岛为据地失败；1635年，郑芝龙终于击溃刘香势力，把持东洋航路贸易商机。此后东南海疆唯郑芝龙是从，来往内外商人皆用郑氏旗号，「每一舶例入三千金，岁入千万计，并筑城于安平〈今福建省晋江市安海镇〉...八闽以郑氏为长城」（见左图荷兰人所制海图，清楚标示当时郑氏势力范围）。

郑芝龙靠严密的「五商」商业组织畅行东南沿海，此组织掌控中国境内进出口的商品销售管道；分「山五商」及「海五商」两路，山路设于杭州及其附近地区，由金、木、水、火、土的五行负责收购中国丝绸、瓷器、珍玩等各地特产至厦门；则接著从厦门分表

以仁、义、礼、智、信五行经海路的庞大的商船队，将货品运销至东北亚及东南亚各地。

而国立台湾历史博物馆馆藏，荷兰莱顿市人Pieter van der Aa绘刻于1727年的〈著名海盗一官与国姓爷所据的中国沿岸岛屿〉（Iles aux environs de la Chine oú se tenoient autrefois les fameux pirates Yquen et Koxinga, suivant les mémoires d'un fidèle voyageur, présentement publiées par Pierre vander Aa）地图，图中主要描绘了17世纪时，郑芝龙（图中称其Iquen）、郑成功（图中称Koxinga）父子在福建东南沿海的势力范围，并特别著重在厦门及金门，可见此二地可能是郑氏父子主要的根据地。

日本锁国

1639年，日本历经岛原之乱开始锁国政策，只准荷兰及中式帆船进出，郑芝龙籍此机会扩大贸易网，在明朝灭亡前后的十年时间内，挂著郑氏旗号的中国商船络绎于大陆沿海、日本、台湾、吕宋、澳门及东南亚。华船（大部份是郑芝龙的）进出日本的数字比荷兰船多出七至十一倍。

进剿瑶民

1642年郑芝龙再次受令至粤东山区征剿瑶民,更早之前1631年郑芝龙亦曾进剿瑶族山民，当时屯兵广东大埔县三河坝，梅江、汀江和梅潭河汇流成韩江之处

满清诱降

1644年甲申之变，李自成攻入北京，崇祯皇帝自缢于煤山，之后金陵的福王、福州的唐王先后继续建立大明后续政权，然而明朝军事上仍是以陆地为主，并未采用海上策略。

1646年郑芝龙泉州同乡洪承畴劝降郑芝龙，因此以海盗来袭为理由将驻军撤离仙霞关让满洲清军入闽，郑芝龙退守泉州安平；年底满清军迫近安平，博洛以高官厚禄诱降，9月晋封他为泉国公，12月，郑芝龙降清，时年43岁。子郑成功谏阻失败。满洲清兵洗劫安平，郑成功率众入海抗清。郑芝龙后被诱劫往北京，封同安侯。1647年，清兵终攻破其福建故乡，其妻田川氏自杀。满清软禁郑芝龙多次招降郑成功不成，1655年入狱。1661年郑成功北伐失利后决定东取台湾，5月成功占领赤崁。11月24日，满清将郑芝龙斩首于北京柴市。

影响

郑氏海军

在17世纪世界海权勃兴时代与明朝封闭海疆背景下，郑芝龙以民间之力建立水师，并在台湾海峡上击败西方海上势力，有其一套水战战法对抗西洋人大船大炮，而其整治的水师成果亦是郑成功得以击败荷兰人进取台湾的基础；值得一提的，即便是康熙后来攻台的海上大军，亦是在两代郑氏水军基础上建立的。

福建及海洋文化

做为李旦的后继者，郑芝龙以厦门为中心统御著含有外交网络的王朝，但始终固守著传统，包含福建人在沿海扩张势力和海洋共生的传统。

对台湾汉化的影响

作为先于荷兰人开台先驱汉人，据说郑芝龙继承李旦、颜思齐等人及部众，并继承前人在台湾西南海岸魍港建立的基础，成为汉人移台的主要据点。郑芝龙之后招募大量汉人移民移居台湾，同时代的文人黄宗羲在《赐姓始末》提到，福建省当年发生了一场严重的乾旱，郑芝龙建议福建巡抚熊文灿将数万旱灾灾民运送来台，并给每个人白银三两，每三个人牛一头，这些庄落为诸罗外九庄之始。

1659年南京之役大败后，郑成功的基地仅剩厦门、金门，为其大军觅得其它据点，正好此时何斌向郑成功建议攻取台湾，郑成功以台湾曾为父亲郑芝龙属地为由向荷兰人开战，开启攻台之役，他驱逐荷兰东印度公司对台湾的控制，来建立反清复明基地。

而汉学家欧阳泰认为郑芝龙在殖民台湾所扮演的角色证据不够，甚至对饥民的移民建议是否被采纳有所怀疑。

家族

祖辈

曾祖父是郑荣（于野）；祖父是郑瑢（西庭）；父是郑士表（另一说郑绍祖），字毓程，号象廷，福建泉州府南安石井乡人。

妻

田川氏（1602年10月3日－1647年1月5日），单名喜，是日本肥前国平户岛上的川内浦人，她生于田川家，后来母亲改嫁给从中国福建泉州移民到平户的华人铁匠翁翊皇，她也成为翁翊皇的继女，因而亦作「翁氏」。1646年郑芝龙降清后，清兵劫掠芝龙故乡南安，为了避免受侮，她以剑切腹自杀身亡，时年45岁。

子女

子

• 郑森，即郑成功，郑芝龙长子。

• 田川七左卫门，郑芝龙将他过继给妻子娘家。实际上是次子，所以又称为「田川次郎左卫门」，后人分姓「郑」及「福住」。

• 郑渡（《清史稿》作「郑世忠」），郑芝龙次子。

• 郑恩（《清史稿》作「郑世恩」），郑芝龙三子，字恩庆。

• 郑荫（《清史稿》作「郑世荫」），郑芝龙四子。

• 郑袭（《清史稿》作「郑世袭」），郑芝龙五子，号葵庵；康熙年间投诚满清，钦命荣禄大夫头等兼管内阁大臣。

• 郑默（《清史稿》作「郑世默」），郑芝龙六子，后与父亲一同就戮。

女

• 芜索拉·德·巴尔卡斯（Ursola de Bargas）

• 郑婉，嫁杨瑞琏

相关艺术作品

小说

• 1993年《龙虎风云》壹、贰：陈舜臣著，远流出版社。ISBN 978-957-32-2068-8、ISBN 978-957-32-2069-5

• 1998年《郑芝龙大传》：陈文德著，远流出版社。ISBN 978-957-32-3482-1

• 2002年《台湾第一世家之一：船王郑芝龙》：秦就著，实学社。ISBN 978-957-2072-37-0

• 2004年《开拓台湾的先驱：郑芝龙传奇》： 朱景和著，华文出版社。ISBN 978-7-5075-1560-2

• 2013年《郑芝龙︰海商传奇》：安之忠著，当代世界出版社。 ISBN 978-7-5090-0918-5

• 2015年《郑森》（全套三册）：朱和之著，印刻出版。ISBN 978-9-8638-7015-9

• 2019年《北海和觞》：俞不周著，中国华侨出版社。ISBN 978-7-5113-7863-7

戏剧

• 舞台剧「一官风波」：邱坤良编导。

　• 2001年 5月台湾台北国立艺术学院戏剧学系夏季公演。

　• 2002年 台北艺术大学戏剧学系秋季公演，广州、北京巡回公演

• 2011年 台客歌舞剧《黄金海贼王》金枝演社剧团

• 2021年 台湾戏曲艺术节《海贼之王—郑芝龙传奇》，明华园戏剧总团制作。

音乐

• 闪灵〈尼可拉斯〉(2013年)

History

Early life

Zheng was born in Fujian, the son of Zheng Shaozu (郑绍祖), a mid-level financial official for the Quanzhou government and Zheng Shaozu's wife Lady Huang (黄氏). Just like other typical Zheng clans in Fujian, Zheng Zhilong's ancestors originated in Northern China but due to the Uprising of the Five Barbarians and Disaster of Yongjia by the Five Barbarians, the Zheng family were among the northern refugees who fled to Southeastern China and settled in Fujian. They later moved to Zhangzhou and moved on to Nan'an. Between 1144 and 1210 Zheng Zhilong's ancestors moved to Longxi county and moved on to Nan'an. Between 1144 and 1210, Zheng Chenggong's ancestor Zheng Boke moved from Qiangtian to Longbei County's Jubei Village (now Longhai Bangshan Town) and his second son was in the early years of the Yuan Dynasty. He came to Zhangzhou from the north and opened in Gugu County. Ji Liye is the ancestor of the Longshan Zheng. There is a passage in the Zheng genealogy contained in the Selected Works of Genealogical Data of Fujian and Taiwan Relations, indicating that Zheng's entry into the shackles, "or in Sanshan, Yusong. Yu Chao, is not one place." Among them, the one that arrived in Zhangzhou lived in Longxi at the end of the Song Dynasty, which is now the Yangxi Village of Bangshan Town, Longhai. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was moved from Yangxi to Lushan, which is now the Fujian Longhai Yanyan. Zhengu County. Subsequently, it was moved from the ancient county to Nan'an. The epitaph of the 13th ancestor of the Anping Zheng of Jinjiang was written by Hong Chengchou, the governor of the Ming Dynasty. Hong Chengchou stated in the epitaph of Zheng Chenggong: "Zheng Zhijin was also the first to visit the Fengting Pavilion of Xianyou, the hometown of migration and climbing scales. There is Fengting Bridge garbage, and today its name still exists in the beginning of the ancestors of the ancestors and the number is passed down to the nickname Guo Zhaisheng. The epitaph also mentioned that due to frequent violations, it was forced to move south to the Anping area of Jinjiang, which is now the Anhai area.

Contemporary biographies tell a possibly apocryphal story of how when Zheng was a child, he and his brothers wanted to eat longan fruit. They found a fruit tree in an enclosed courtyard but whose branches hung over the top of the wall into the street. They threw stones in the hope of knocking some of the fruit clusters loose. It happened to be the courtyard of the governor of Quanzhou City and he was struck by the stones. The boys ran but were caught and hauled before the governor. Due to the child's age and apparent charisma, the governor forgave Zheng and released him, saying "This is the face of one destined for wealth and nobility." The story may or may not be true, but it encapsulated the character of Zheng: he ran wild, grasped at low hanging fruit, got in trouble and came out the better for it. Accounts vary as to the year of his birth. One gives it as 1595, others as 1604 or in between those years like 1600. Most agree he was born in 1604.

Zheng was said to be "very good looking" and when he first came to Japan he was 18 years old.

Zheng left home as a teenager, jumping aboard a merchant ship. Sources vary on why he left home, some saying he slipped his hand up the skirt of one of his father's concubines, others recording his father chasing him through the streets with a stick. Zheng went to Macau where his mother's brother lived (his uncle). The story of him trying to touch his father's concubine is deemed to be "implausible", with it more likely he ran away because he wanted to or his father kicked him out for delinquent behavior like his tendency to engage in constant fighting and vandalism in public. He was baptized as a Catholic in Macau, receiving the Christian name Nicholas Gaspard. His uncle asked him to take some cargo to Hirado, Japan, where he met a rich old Min man named Li Dan, the Japanese city's Kapitan Cina or Chinese headman, who became his mentor and possible lover. Li Dan had close ties with the Europeans and he arranged for Zheng to work as an interpreter for the Dutch (Zheng spoke Portuguese which the Dutch could also speak). Zheng spoke Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. In 1622, when Dutch forces took over the Pescadores archipelago off the Taiwan Strait, Li Dan sent Zheng to the Pescadores to work with the Dutch as a translator in peace negotiations during the war between the Ming and Dutch over the islands. Before leaving Japan, he met and married a local Japanese woman named Tagawa Matsu. He impregnated her with Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga), leaving Japan before she gave birth in 1624. The terms 合卺 and 隔冬 are used to describe his marriage to Tagawa Matsu in the Taiwan Waiji while the term 割同 was used by Foccardi.

The group of traders working with the Kapitan Cina wanted to arrange for a fellow Chinese woman, Lady Yan to marry Zheng Zhilong.

Zheng Zhilong allegedly had an unknown daughter with another Japanese woman who was not Tagawa Matsu but this is only mentioned by one writer, Palafox who is very unreliable. This alleged daughter was supposedly among the Japanese who converted to Christianity. The alleged daughter was mentioned in "history of the Conquest of China" by Palafox while Japanese and Chinese accounts make zero mention of any daughter who could hardly have been ignored while reaching her teenager years. It is more likely that the Kapitan Cina's daughter Elizabeth could be this alleged daughter of Zheng Zhilong by the mystery Japanese woman, if she was even a real person in the first place.

After Li died in 1625, Zheng acquired his fleet.

Pirate

The Dutch East India Company, also called the VOC, wished to gain free trade rights with China and to control and commerce routes to Japan. To accomplish these goals, they collaborated with some Chinese pirates to pressure the Ming Dynasty in China to allow trade. Zheng Zhilong initially worked as a translator, although there is debate if he was engaging pirate activities simultaneously. Regardless, most scholars agree that he joined with other Chinese pirates, probably Li Dan or Yan Siqi. In 1624, Zheng officially became a privateer for the Dutch East India Company after they colonized Taiwan. During this time, he was still aligned with Li Dan. The Dutch did not like how powerful Li Dan was becoming, so they used Zheng Zhilong to weaken Li Dan's position. However, Li Dan died before they could fully complete their plan. With Li Dan dead, Zheng Zhilong became the unopposed leader of the Chinese pirates.

Following his ascension to power, began to build up his fleets. With access to European sailing and military technology he made his armada of junks superior to the Chinese Imperial navy. Zheng prospered and by 1627 he was leading four hundred junks and tens of thousands of men, including Chinese, Japanese, and even some Europeans. He had a bodyguard of former black slaves who ran away from the Portuguese. By 1630, he controlled all shipping in the South China Sea.

In addition to attacking shipping in the South China Sea, Zhen Zhilong also increased his power by selling protection passes to fisherman and merchants. At the height of his power, no one dared sail without one of his passes for fear of retribution. However, he was not universally hated. He was actually loved by many peasants in the southern provinces of China. He earned their respect by refraining from unnecessary attacks on their towns and giving some stolen grain to them during famines. He also gave unemployed fisherman and sailors jobs in his vast fleet.

Shibazhi challenges the Ming fleet

Shibazhi (十八芝) were a pirate organization of 18 well-known Chinese pirates, founded in 1625 by Zheng Zhilong. Members included Shi Lang's father Shi Daxuan (施大瑄). They began to challenge the Ming fleet and won a series of victories. In 1628, Zheng Zhilong defeated the Ming Dynasty's fleet. The Ming Dynasty's southern fleet surrendered to Shibazhi, and Zheng decided to switch from being a pirate captain to working for the Ming Dynasty in an official capacity. Zheng Zhilong was appointed major general in 1628. Stories tell of how Cai, the governor who had forgiven Zheng for stoning him so many years ago, came to Zheng and asked for a position in the Ming navy. Zheng granted this request. Whether or not this story is true is unknown, but it reflects the popular appraisal of Zheng who was seen as a benevolent leader.

Service under the Ming

After joining the Ming navy, Zheng and his wife resettled on an island off the coast of Fujian, where he operated a large armed pirate fleet of over 800 ships along the coast from Japan to Vietnam. He was appointed by the Chinese Imperial family as "Admiral of the Coastal Seas". In this capacity he defeated an alliance of Dutch East India Company vessels and junks under renegade Shibazhi pirate Liu Xiang (刘香) on October 22, 1633 in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay. The spoils that followed from this victory made him fabulously wealthy. He bought a large amount of land (as much as 60% of Fujian), and became a powerful landlord.

Zheng would continue to serve the Ming dynasty after the fall of the Ming capital Beijing in June 1644. His brother Zheng Zhifeng was made a marquis under the Southern Ming, although he was forced to abandon his post at Zhenjiang by a superior Qing force. After the capture of Nanjing in 1645, Zheng accepted an offer to serve as commander-in-chief of the imperial forces and was ordered to defend the newly established capital in Fuzhou under the Prince of Tang.

Surrender to Qing

In 1646, Zheng decided to defect to the Manchus leaving the passes of Zhejiang unguarded, allowing Manchu forces to capture Fuzhou. His defection was facilitated by Tong Guozhen and Tong Guoqi. His brothers who still controlled most of the Zheng army, and his son Koxinga refused to defect to the Qing and asked him to not surrender. Zheng Zhilong did not listen and the Qing noticed his followers and army had not followed him in his defection, so he was placed under house arrest and taken to Beijing. His bodyguard of former African slaves all died trying to stop the arrest and protect their master.

The Qing then marched to one of his castles in Anhai to humiliate his Japanese wife Tagawa Matsu. Different accounts say that Tagawa was raped by Qing forces and then committed suicide or that she committed suicide while directing the fight against the Qing. The Qing did not trust Zheng afterwards due to their role in Tagawa's death.

Zheng Zhilong, along with his servants and sons who went with him were kept under house arrest for many years, until 1661. The Qing initially sentenced Zheng and his remaining servants and sons with him to death by lingchi but commuted their sentence to death by decapitation instead. He would later be executed by the Qing government in 1661 at Caishikou, as a result of his son Koxinga's continued resistance against the Qing regime.