Zhu Youdun
| Zhu Youdun 朱有燉 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Zhou | |||||||
| Born | 7 February 1379 | ||||||
| Died | 8 July 1439 (aged 60) | ||||||
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| House | Zhu | ||||||
| Father | Zhu Su | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 朱有燉 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 朱有炖 | ||||||
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Zhu Youdun (7 February 1379 – 8 July 1439) was an imperial prince of the Ming dynasty. He was the eldest son of Zhu Su, Prince of Zhou, who was the fifth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the first emperor of the dynasty. He was renowned for his talents as a poet, writer, and playwright, particularly in the zaju genre.
During the Jianwen Emperor's reign (1398–1402), the imperial court implemented a policy to weaken the princes, leading to Zhu Youdun and his father being stripped of their titles and reduced to commoner status, followed by exile to Yunnan. Their titles were only restored in 1402 after the Yongle Emperor took the throne. After his father's death in 1425, Zhu Youdun succeeded him as Prince of Zhou and ruled for nearly 14 years. In 1439, he died in his princely seat in Kaifeng, and was given the posthumous name Prince Xian of Zhou.