Early reign
Chongzhen grew up in a relatively quiet environment because as the younger son of the Taichang emperor, he was not a part of the power struggle his elder brother Tianqi had endured. He succeeded his brother to the throne at the age of 17 and eliminated the eunuch Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke. Unlike his brother Tianqi, Chongzhen tried to rule by himself and did his best to salvage the dynasty. However, years of internal corruption and an empty treasury made it almost impossible to appoint capable ministers to fill important government posts. And when he did have able ministers, Chongzhen tended to be suspicious of them and imposed harsh penalties if he suspected them of disloyalty. In 1630, merely three years after pledging his full support, Chongzhen even executed Yuan Chonghuan, a capable marshal who had been very successful at keeping the Manchus in the northeastern frontier at bay. This injustice caused a public uproar and created an atmosphere of distrust and fear of reprisal amongst his ministers. It also sealed the fate of the Ming dynasty, as there were no other capable generals to fend off the Manchus.
Fall of the Ming Dynasty
In the 1630s and '40s the Ming dynasty was fading quickly. Constant popular uprisings broke out throughout the country. Intensified attacks from the Manchus further aggravated the situation. In April 1644, the popular army led by rebel Li Zicheng finally broke through the Ming defenses and occupied Beijing. Meanwhile, General Wu Sangui threw open the gates of the Shanhai Pass and invited the Manchus into China. Chongzhen gathered the entire imperial household and ordered them to commit suicide rather than surrender. Hopeless and fearful for their lives, many did as they were told, including the Empress, who hanged herself. One of his daughters, , refused to commit suicide. In a fit of rage, Chongzhen had her left arm severed. Chongzhen, still wearing his imperial attire, fled to the nearby Jingshan Park with eunuch Wang Cheng'en . Distraught by the countless officials who had since abandoned him, Chongzhen lamented, "I should not be the emperor of a subjugated nation, but you, my subjects, must be resigned to such a fate. I have never mistreated any of the officials in my service; yet on this day, why does nary a single one remain by my side?" He then hanged himself, with the help of Wang Cheng'en, on the Guilty Chinese Scholartree, putting an end to the Ming dynasty.
Legacy and personality
Chongzhen's tenure as emperor effectively ended the Ming dynasty. Although his intention to revive the failing dynasty was genuine, his means to achieve them proved disastrous. He has been blamed for being narrow-minded, quick to judgement, and prone to suspicion and paranoia. Though the Ming dynasty had been in decline for many decades prior to his reign, Chongzhen would expect quick results. If they were not to his satisfaction, he would quickly administer punitive actions. This resulted in the expulsion of the remaining handful of capable and loyal Ming ministers which ultimately hastened the downfall of the Ming dynasty.
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