How did the prince of Yan’s rebellion begin in 1399?

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Yongle The Yongle emperor, detail of a portrait; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

The rebellion of the prince of Yan (Zhu Di) began in August 1399 as a direct response to the policies of his nephew, the Jianwen emperor.

Following the death of the Hongwu emperor in 1398, the new emperor sought to consolidate central authority by stripping regional princes of their power. Influenced by Confucian scholar-officials, the Jianwen emperor systematically imprisoned, exiled, or forced his uncles to commit suicide. As the prince of Yan became increasingly isolated and endangered by these actions, he launched his rebellion under the stated justification of an "avuncular duty" to rescue the inexperienced emperor from the influence of malicious advisers.1