Zhengde Emperor

Zhengde Emperor 正德帝
Palace portrait on a hanging scroll, kept in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Emperor of the Ming dynasty
Reign	19 June 1505 – 20 April 1521
Enthronement	19 June 1505
Predecessor	Hongzhi Emperor
Successor	Jiajing Emperor
Born	26 October 1491 Hongzhi 4, 24th day of the 9th month (弘治四年九月二十四日) Shuntian Prefecture, North Zhili, Ming dynasty (present-day Beijing, China)
Died	20 April 1521 (aged 29) Zhengde 16, 14th day of the 3rd month (正德十六年三月十四日) Bao Fang, Ming dynasty
Burial	Kangling Mausoleum, Ming tombs, Beijing, China
Spouse	Empress Xiaojingyi
Names Zhu Houzhao (朱厚㷖) Era name and dates Zhengde (正德): 24 January 1506 – 27 January 1522 Posthumous name Emperor Chengtian Dadao Yingsu Ruizhe Zhaode Xiangong Hongwen Sixiao Yi (承天達道英肅睿哲昭德顯功弘文思孝毅皇帝) Temple name Wuzong (武宗)
House	Zhu
Dynasty	Ming
Father	Hongzhi Emperor
Mother	Empress Xiaochengjing

The Zhengde Emperor (Chinese: 正德帝; pinyin: Zhèngdé Dì; 26 October 1491 – 20 April 1521), personal name Zhu Houzhao (朱厚㷖), was the 11th emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1505 to 1521. He was the Hongzhi Emperor's eldest son. Zhu Houzhao took the throne at only 14 with the era name "Zhengde", meaning "right virtue" or "rectification of virtue".

In the 1510s, Zhengde led an expedition against the Northern Yuan and squashed rebellions by Prince Anhua and Prince Ning. Infamous for his childlike behavior, the emperor was also known for favoring eunuchs such as Liu Jin who took advantage of his position in the court to squander vast sums of money. The emperor was also involved with several correspondences with the Malaccan government about their mutual distrust against the Portuguese, whom the Ming fought several conflicts with. He eventually died at age 29 from an illness he contracted after drunkenly falling off a boat into the Yellow River. He left behind no sons and was succeeded by his first cousin Zhu Houcong.