Born the second son of the 12th shogun Ashikaga Yoshiharu. Not the heir, he became a monk at Kōfuku-ji in Nara.
His brother, the 13th shogun Yoshiteru, was killed (the Eiroku Incident) and Yoshiaki was placed under watch. With the help of Hosokawa Fujitaka and others he escaped Nara and sought daimyō support to become shogun.
He turned to Asakura Yoshikage of Echizen, but the Asakura were slow to act.
Backed by Oda Nobunaga he entered Kyoto and became the 15th shogun. So grateful was he that he reportedly called Nobunaga "father".
Nobunaga issued rules restricting the shogun, and their relations soured. Yoshiaki sent letters to daimyō everywhere, building an encirclement against Nobunaga.
After Takeda Shingen's death he took up arms at Makishima castle but was defeated and expelled from Kyoto, effectively ending the Muromachi shogunate.
He moved to Tomo in Bingo (Fukuyama, Hiroshima) under Mōri protection. Still holding the title of shogun, he kept urging daimyō to overthrow Nobunaga.
After Toyotomi Hideyoshi took power he returned to Kyoto, gave up the shogunate and took the tonsure. Granted lands by Hideyoshi, he served at his side as a companion.
He died of illness in Osaka, the last shogun of the Muromachi shogunate.
Takeda ShingenAsakura YoshikageOda NobunagaShibata KatsuieAkechi MitsuhideHosokawa Yūsai (Fujitaka)Azai NagamasaMōri Terumoto
Shimazu YoshihiroNiwa NagahideAshikaga YoshiteruToyotomi HideyoshiMaeda ToshiieHōjō UjimasaAshikaga YoshihideImagawa Ujizane
People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.