In 1627 Zhu Youjian, the Chongzhen Emperor, became the 17th - and what would turn out to be the last - Emperor of China’s Ming Dynasty. It had ruled a vast realm stretching 6.5 million square kilometres for 250 years.

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Timothy Brook to discover more about Zhu Youjian’s remarkable life and startling death, and explore the nature of his power and how it collapsed.

This episode was edited by Thomas Ntinas and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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