Tumu Crisis

Crisis of the Tumu Fortress
Map showing the Tumu campaign, 1449
Date 1 September 1449 Location Huailai County, North Zhili, Ming China 40°23′N 115°36′E / 40.383°N 115.600°E / 40.383; 115.600 Result Mongol victory Capture of Ming Emperor Yingzong Return to status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Northern Yuan, Oirat Mongols	Ming dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Taisun Khan Esen Taishi Alag-Temur	Emperor Yingzong of Ming (POW) Wang Zhen † Zhang Fu †
Strength
20,000	500,000[1][2]
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	土木堡之變
Simplified Chinese	土木堡之变
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tǔmùbǎo zhībiàn
Tumu Crisis
Traditional Chinese	土木之變
Simplified Chinese	土木之变
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tǔmù zhībiàn
Jisi Incident
Traditional Chinese	己巳之變
Simplified Chinese	己巳之变
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jǐsì zhībiàn
class=notpageimage| Location in China

The Crisis of the Tumu Fortress, also known as the Tumu Crisis, or the Jisi Incident, was a border conflict between the Oirat Mongols and the Ming dynasty. On 1 September 1449, the Ming army, with a strength of half a million soldiers, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the much weaker Mongols. In this battle, the Mongols were able to capture the Ming emperor Yingzong.^[1] This defeat was one of the biggest military failures in the Ming dynasty's three centuries of existence, and it was largely attributed to the poor leadership of the Ming army.