Jiajing Emperor
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The Jiajing Emperor (September 16, 1507–January 23, 1567) was the 11th emperor of China (Ming dynasty) between 1521-1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the Zhengde Emperor's cousin.
Though his long rule gave the dynasty an era of stability, Jiajing neglected his official duties which resulted in the decline of the dynasty at the end of the 16th century. Particularly during his later years, Jiajing was known for spending a great deal of time on Daoist pursuits in hopes of finding medicines to prolong his life. Additionally, Jiajing had been a notoriously cruel emperor towards both his subjects as well as concubines. This led to an internal plot by his concubines to assassinate him in 1542 by strangling him while he slept. The plot was ultimately foiled and all of the concubines involved were summarily executed.
Emperor Jiajing died in 1567 and was succeeded by his son.
| Preceded by: Zhengde Emperor | Emperor of China (Ming Dynasty) 1521–1567 | Succeeded by: Longqing Emperor |