Hongli

Hongli
Emperor Hongli in 1944
Emperor of the Heavenly Empire of Daxia
Reign	1938 - 1946
Predecessor	Emperor Zhishun
Successor	Office abolished
Born	March 18th 1895 Palace of Columns, Mirzak, Daxia
Spouse	Keuto
Issue	Rui, Puru, Kosei
House	Royal Qian clan
Father	Emperor Zhishun
Mother	Empress Enfu

Emperor Hongli (18 March 1895 - 22 September 1948) nicknamed His Joyful Majesty was the twelfth and last emperor of the Qian dynasty to rule over Daxia. His reign lasted from 1938 to 1946, having succeeded his father Emperor Zhishun after the latters death. Ascending to the imperial throne during the height of the Second Great War, he continued his predecessors anti-Levantine policies and pushed for continued participation in the war. Daxian failure to achieve its major war goals, the rapidly deteriorating economic situation and the rising agitation of socialist forces caused the army led by general Dai Hanjian to carry out a coup in 1946. Dubbed the Glorious Revolt, it marked the end of the Qian dynasty and of the millenarian rule of Daxia by monarchs. Hongli was placed under house arrest until 1948 when he died of complications of diabetes; his teenage son and heir died soon after in unclear circumstances. Hongli's royal consort, Princess Keuto of Metzetta was allowed to depart back to her homeland with two of the emperor's daughters after renouncing any imperial pretenses on their behalf. Modern evaluations of Hongli see him as an ineffective leader too fixated in the war that dominated the early part of his reign, allowing internal events to spiral out of control and destroy the monarchy.

Early life

Hongli was born in 1895 in the Palace of Columns, seven kilometres west of Mirzak. He was the second son of Emperor Zhishun, his mother was Empress Enfu. Hongli's elder brother died of tuberculosis when Hongli was seven, making Hongli the heir apparent to the imperial throne. Hongli was educated by private tutors in the Palace of Columns and spent the majority of his time there, going to the capital on rare occasions. He disdained traditional royal pursuits such as calligraphy and poetry, preferring hunting and womanizing in his leisure time. Upon reaching the age of fifteen he was enrolled in the Imperial War Academy, graduating after four years and being commissioned as a lieutenant in the imperial army.