2nd October 1627: The Chongzhen Emperor, the last ruler of the Ming Dynasty, ascends the throne

Zhu Youjian was born in 1611 and came to power at the age of 16 following the death of his older brother, the Tianqi Emperor. His era name Chongzhen means ‘honourable and auspicious’ but his reign, and the Ming Dynasty, were to end with his suicide in the face of widespread rebellion.
The Chongzhen Emperor inherited a dynasty on the brink of collapse. Economic instability and social unrest were rife while threats from external forces, including the encroaching Manchu tribes, also threatened the stability of the empire. Within the imperial court the emperor battled against corrupt officials but, faced with a depleted treasury he struggled to implement the necessary reforms while his impatience saw him dismiss or even execute ministers at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile persistent drought and famine acted as a catalyst for peasant uprisings in the countryside.
As the Manchu threat on the northern border intensified, the Chongzhen Emperor increased taxation and conscription, which fuelled internal rebellion. By 1641 rebel armies had begun to establish their own kingdoms within his lands, and the emperor’s own eunuch generals had begun to turn against him. As rebels sacked Beijing on 25 April 1644, the Chongzhen Emperor climbed the small Meishan hill near his palace and hanged himself.
The emperor’s suicide signalled the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. This was followed by a long period of political turmoil before the Qing Dynasty, founded by the Manchus, consolidated its control.

[@paulcowlishaw]

Can we get the history of the Wright brothers

[@historypod]

I looked at their first flight in an episode a couple of years ago - ua-cam.com/video/pTac5ApoHGA/v-deo.html
Let me know if there's another event you'd like me to look at and I'll see what I can do.

[@paulcowlishaw]

@@historypod cool. I'll look it up. What about how the Indy 500 came about

[@historypod]

Good shout. Looks like that was in May, so I'll make a note to do it then :)

[@paulcowlishaw]

@@historypod cool. I always watch it after Monaco grand prix