HIS280Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Single Whip, Defter, Filial Piety
Document Summary
January 11: ming dynasty : turning inward. Ming turning inward = moving away from sea exploration and focusing on defense. Under his leadership, they kidnap the ming emperor and leave the dynasty emperor-less. Beijing panics and decides that the younger bro will take the throne. In 1450, esen releases the kidnapped ruler, after he realizes that no one is paying for his ransom $ This may have been strategic: it ends up being worse to have two brother battling out the role of ruler. Mongol threat is still real, and not too far away from the capital. In response to this threat, the ming invest in defense: great wall (the one we know today, not the qing one from before) It requires a lot of resources to build, upkeep, and patrol them. 1550, a mongol khan finds a break in the wall and gets to beijing, demanding trade. Also non-mongol threats beyond the wall: ming dynasty: politics & progress.
