Biography

He was the second son of Kuśala (Emperor Mingzong) and a younger brother of Toghun Temür (Emperor Huizong). His mother was Babusha of the Naiman tribe, who met Kusala when he lived in exile in Central Asia under the Chagatai Khanate.

When his father Kuśala died and was succeeded by his younger brother Tugh Temür (who is thought to have poisoned Kuśala), Rinchinbal was appointed to Prince of Fu. Tugh Temur made his son Aratnadara heir apparent in January 1331. In order to secure her son's throne, Tugh Temur's Khatun Budashiri executed Rinchinbal's mother, Babusha, and exiled Toghan Temur to Korea. These proved unnecessary, however, Aratnadara died one month after his designation as heir.

Although Tugh Temür had a son named El Tegüs when he died in 1332, it is said that on his deathbed the Khagan expressed remorse for what he had done to his elder brother and his intention to pass the throne to Toghan Temur, Kusala's eldest son, instead of his own son. The grand councilor El Temür resisted letting Kuśala's eldest son Toghun Temür accede to the throne since he was suspected of having poisoned his father Kuśala. When Tugh Temur's widow and El Tegüs's mother Budashiri Khatun respected Tugh Temür's will of making Kuśala's son succeed the throne, the 6 year old Rinchinbal was chosen. While Toghun Temür was kept far away from the capital Dadu, Rinchinbal was in Dadu and had become favored by Tugh Temür. Rinchinbal was enthroned as the new emperor on October 23, 1332, but he died on December 14.

El Temür again asked Budashiri to install El Tegüs but it was declined again. He had no choice but to invite Toghun Temür back from far-away Guangxi in southwest China.

Ancestry

生平

《元史》記載，元寧宗于泰定三年三月二十九癸酉日（1326年5月1日）生于北方草原。

至順三年八月十二日（1332年9月2日），元文宗崩。據雜史，元文宗在死前下詔讓元明宗之子繼承皇位。文宗死後，把持朝政的燕鐵木兒為了繼續專權，就請求元文宗皇后卜答失里立她的兒子古納答剌為帝。卜答失里為了執行丈夫的遺詔，予以拒絕。由于當時元明宗的長子妥懽貼睦爾（後來的元惠宗）遠在廣西靜江（今廣西桂林），而次子懿璘質班卻深得文宗寵愛，受封為鄜王，留在文宗身邊。

至順三年十月初四（1332年10月23日），卜答失里皇后遂奉文宗遺詔擁立年僅7歲的懿璘質班在大都大明殿登上皇位，是為元寧宗。因為皇帝年幼，卜答失里皇后臨朝稱制，成了元朝的實際統治者。

懿璘質班即位後未改元，年號仍舊是「至順」，至順三年十一月二十六日（1332年12月14日），元寧宗在大都病逝，年僅7歲，在位僅53天。

至元三年正月十日（1337年2月10日），元惠宗為懿璘質班上謚號衝聖嗣孝皇帝、廟號寧宗。

家庭

妻妾

• 答里也忒迷失皇后，弘吉剌氏，1368年去世，元寧宗的哥哥元惠宗將她升祔寧宗廟。

無子女

相關史料

• 《至正條格》，1346年元惠宗頒布的元朝第三部法律，現存殘本收錄1260年—1344年元朝官方頒布的關于法律方面的聖旨條畫、律令格例以及司法部門所判案例的匯編，史實多為《元史》所不載。

• 《元史·寧宗本紀》 ，明朝官修正史

• 《新元史·寧宗本紀》 ，民國官修正史

• 《續資治通鑑》 ，清朝史學家畢沅撰寫。

• 《元史類編》，清朝史學家邵遠平撰寫。

• 《元史新編》，清朝史學家魏源撰寫。

• 《元書》，清朝史學家曾廉撰寫。

• 《蒙兀兒史記》，清末民初史學家屠寄撰寫。

評價

後世史家大多認為元寧宗在位時日及壽命皆短促，未曾作實際統治，並批評當時的大臣為他加上廟號是違反禮制及不學無術。

• 清朝史學家魏源《元史新編》的評價是：「烏乎!《春秋》未逾年之君稱子，故子般不與閔公並立廟謚。寧宗以負扆匝月之殤，而入廟稱宗，立後媲謚，無一人引大誼以匡正之，斯元代禮臣博士之陋也。修史者又踵其失而立《本紀》，斯又明臣之陋也。今以附諸《文宗本紀》之末。」

• 清朝史學家曾廉《元書》的評價是：「論曰：文宗殺明宗皇后，播告天下，言妥懽帖睦爾非明宗子，既出之于靜江，乃立皇子阿剌忒答剌為皇太子，公私之情見矣。皇天弗佑，元良夭喪，及大慚，而愛其少子之弱，非妥懽帖睦爾不能延其祚，而不可為之辭矣。則亦曰立明宗子，一似以明其固讓之初志也者。任後人之擁戴，猶武宗之孫也。惟寧宗亦弗永年而大位卒，歸于向所猜忌之兄子，天也！人豈有為哉！」

• 清末民初史學家屠寄《蒙兀兒史記》的評價是：「鄜王之立，不再月而殤。既未逾年改元，又未有所建設，顧乃追尊上謚，立廟稱宗，甚乖《春秋》魯般書子卒之義。蒙兀君臣瞢不知經，誠無足責，而明初脩勝國之史，仍立之本紀，不加裁正，宜乎魏源譏其陋也。退附《文宗本紀》，自邵遠平始。」

• 民國官修正史《新元史》柯劭忞的評價是：「《春秋》之義，未逾年之君稱子。寧宗即位匝月而殤，乃入廟稱宗；其廷臣不學如此，豈非失禮之大者哉。」