In fact, the study of the history of the Ming Dynasty can see the rise and fall curve of a dynasty from the changes in its territory. At its peak, the territory of the Ming Dynasty was about 10 million square kilometers, mainly during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. This period was the peak of the Ming Dynasty and a period of territorial expansion.
The Ming Dynasty, a shining pearl in the long river of Chinese history,Since 1368, Ming Taizu Zhu YuanzhangAt the beginning of its establishment, to 1644, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself, a total of 276 years.
The establishment of the Ming Dynasty was a sacred mission entrusted to Zhu Yuanzhang by history. During the Red Turban Rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he rose to prominence and joined Guo Zixing's rebel army, eventually becoming king in 1364. Four years later, he ascended the throne of the emperor, with the country name "Ming", and the capital was Nanjing.
During the reign of Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, and Nanjing became the accompanying capital. During this period, the Ming Dynasty experienced the rule of Hongwu, the prosperity of Yongle, the rule of Renxuan, etc., with economic prosperity and social stability. However, after the Civil Revolution in 1449, the Ming Dynasty began to enter the middle stage, with intensified political corruption, fierce disputes between eunuchs and chiefs, and the Mongols and Japanese forces in the north.
In the late Ming Dynasty, after the Ming Dynasty came to power in 1582, political corruption intensified, and peasant uprisings were frequent. At this time, the rise of the Jurchen Houjin in the northeast posed a serious threat to the Ming Dynasty. In 1644, Li Zicheng invaded Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself, and the Ming Dynasty fell. Subsequently, the Qing troops entered the customs, and the territory of the Ming Dynasty was gradually replaced by the Qing Dynasty.
Nowadays, the maps used in history textbooks are the work of the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, which can only roughly show the outline of the Ming Dynasty's territory, but cannot depict the evolution of its administrative divisions and territory in detail.
In fact, the territory of the Ming Dynasty went through three significant stages of change: from the founding of the Ming Taizu to the period before the accession of Ming Xuanzong, the territory of the Ming Dynasty continued to expand;During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty to Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, the territory shrankAfter Ming Shizong, the Ming Dynasty gradually declined until it finally collapsed. In the time of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, the territory of the Ming Dynasty was about 4 million square kilometers. However, this figure is not representative of the entire Ming Dynasty period.
During the period from the founding of the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang to the accession of Ming Xuanzong, the Ming Dynasty experienced a period of territorial expansion. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, continued to implement many important reform policies, which gradually stabilized the Ming Dynasty, and the territory of the Ming Dynasty gradually expanded during this period. After Ming Taizu's son Ming Chengzu Zhu Di succeeded to the throne, he continued to implement many pioneering policies to strengthen the national strength and expand the territory. During this period, the Ming Dynasty launched a number of foreign expeditions and achieved a series of victories, which gradually expanded its territory.
Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, this wise ruler, perfectly inherited the military talent of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. His life is like a glorious war epic, with crusades in the east and west, stability in the north and south, demonstrating unparalleled military talent. Under his wise leadership, the territory of the Ming Dynasty reached an unprecedented vastness, and the map of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, Nuer Gandu Division, Guanxi Qiwei, Annam, and Wusi Zangdu Division 5 parts, like a splendid picture scroll, showing the glory and glory of the Ming Dynasty.
However, during the reign of Ming Xuanzong to Ming Shizong, the territory of the Ming Dynasty began to shrink. During this period, the Ming Dynasty faced the problem of internal and external troubles, internal political corruption and ** corruption aggravated social instability, and external invasion and aggression also brought threats to the territorial security of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Ming Dynasty also carried out some conquest and expansion actions, on the whole, their territory had begun to shrink.
After Ming Shizong, the Ming Dynasty gradually declined and eventually collapsed. The decline of the Ming Dynasty was mainly caused by the ineffectiveness of internal politics and external troubles. The ineffectiveness of internal affairs is mainly manifested in the corruption of the government, financial difficulties, and the decline of the army, which has led to social chaos and the decline of national strength. External invasions and invasions also brought great threats to the Ming Dynasty, gradually weakening the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
Overall, the Ming Dynasty's territory had three periods of significant change: expansion, contraction, and decline. The area of the Ming Dynasty was at its largest during the Yongle period, reaching about 10 million square kilometers. However, the Ming Dynasty eventually fell under the invasion of the Qing Dynasty and became one of the landmark events in Chinese history. Studying the changes in the territory of the Ming Dynasty can not only understand the rise and fall of Ming Dynasty history, but also gain an in-depth understanding of the development and evolution of Chinese history.