 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2023) |
Ejen (Manchu: ᡝᠵᡝᠨ; Chinese: 額真 or 主) is a Manchu word literally meaning "lord" or "master". [1] [2] It was used during the Qing dynasty of China to refer to leaders or officials of the Eight Banners or the Emperors of the Qing dynasty as the supreme leaders of the Eight Banners system. [3] [4]
The term can be traced back to the Later Jin dynasty before 1636. At this time, ejen was a borrowed word from Mongolian, meaning "lord" or "master". During the Later Jin dynasty the objects referred to by the term ejen in Manchu were originally diverse. For example, after the establishment of the Eight Banners system in the early 17th century, the term was used in the official names of the Eight Banners, such as Gūsa ejen, Meiren-i ejen, Jalan ejen, and Niru ejen. At this time Jurchens (later became known as the Manchus) commonly used Khan to refer to the sovereign, and ejen was rarely used in this sense. Even when it was used with this meaning, it appeared in general expressions such as gurun i/de ejen ("lord of/in the country"), and it was also used to the refer to the Mongol khans and the Emperor of the Ming dynasty. But by 1634, the term ejen in the official names of the Eight Banners mentioned above, except for the highest-level Gūsa ejen, was changed to janggin (meaning "general"), such as Meiren-i janggin, Jalan janggin, and Niru janggin. After the Ming-Qing transition, ejen began to become a title for the emperor of the Qing dynasty who was the supreme leader of the Eight Banners system, along with titles like the Son of Heaven and Huangdi. The word was often used by Bannermen officials to refer to the emperor of the Qing dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, and by this time it was rarely used as a common noun to refer to the "master" of various groups. [5] Since the relationship between Bannermen officials and the Emperors was comparable to that between "master and servant" in a household, Bannermen officials often used the term Booi Aha or Nucai (meaning "servant") for self-address at court when addressing the Emperor. [6]
The Eight Banners were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin and Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu households were placed. In war, the Eight Banners functioned as armies, but the banner system was also the basic organizational framework of all of Manchu society. Created in the early 17th century by Nurhaci, the banner armies played an instrumental role in his unification of the fragmented Jurchen people and in the Qing dynasty's conquest of the Ming dynasty.
Oboi was a prominent Manchu military commander and courtier who served in various military and administrative posts under three successive emperors of the early Qing dynasty. Born to the Guwalgiya clan, Oboi was one of four regents nominated by the Shunzhi Emperor to oversee the government during the minority of the Kangxi Emperor. Oboi reversed the benevolent policies of the Shunzhi Emperor, and vigorously pushed for clear reassertion of Manchu power over the Han Chinese. Eventually deposed and imprisoned by the new emperor for having amassed too much power, he was posthumously rehabilitated.
Hooge, formally known as Prince Su, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was the eldest son of Hong Taiji, the second ruler of the Qing dynasty.
Hešeri, is a clan of Manchu nobility with Jianzhou Jurchens roots, originally hailing from the area which is now the modern Chinese provinces of Jilin and Liaoning. It was once one of the most important and powerful noble families in the early Qing dynasty in China, second only to the royal House of Aisin Gioro, to whom they were closely related by marriage.
Amban is a Manchu language term meaning "high official", corresponding to a number of different official titles in the imperial government of Qing China. For instance, members of the Grand Council were called Coohai nashūn-i amban in the Manchu language and Qing governor-generals were called Uheri kadalara amban.
Empress Xiaokangzhang, was the consort of the Shunzhi Emperor and mother of the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing dynasty. She was part of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Tunggiya clan. Xiaokangzhang was a posthumous name bestowed on her; she was honoured as Empress Dowager Cihe during the reign of her son and was posthumously honoured as empress, although she never held the rank of empress consort during her lifetime.
Taksi or posthumously titled as Emperor Xuan was a Jurchen chieftain and father of Nurhaci, founder of the Later Jin dynasty, and the fourth son of Giocangga. A member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, he was killed in an attack on Gure by a rival Jurchen chieftain Nikan Wailan in 1583.
Duanhua was a Manchu prince and regent of the Qing dynasty.
The Qing dynasty (1644–1912) of China developed a complicated peerage system for royal and noble ranks.
Laimbu was a Manchu noble of the early Qing Dynasty.
The Imperial Household Department was an institution of the Qing dynasty of China. Its primary purpose was to manage the internal affairs of the Qing imperial family and the activities of the inner palace, but it also played an important role in Qing relations with Tibet and Mongolia, engaged in trading activities, managed textile factories in the Jiangnan region, and even published books.
Jirgalang or Jirhalang was a Manchu noble, regent, and political and military leader of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the Aisin Gioro clan, he was the sixth son of Šurhaci, a younger brother of Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing dynasty. From 1638 to 1643, he took part in many military campaigns that helped destroy the Ming dynasty. After the death of Huangtaiji in September 1643, Jirgalang became one of the young Shunzhi Emperor's two co-regents, but he soon yielded most political power to co-regent Dorgon in October 1644. Dorgon eventually purged him of his regent title in 1647. After Dorgon died in 1650, Jirgalang led an effort to clean the government of Dorgon's supporters. Jirgalang was one of ten "princes of the first rank" (和碩親王) whose descendants were made "iron-cap" princes (鐵帽子王), who had the right to transmit their princely titles to their direct male descendants perpetually.
Booi Aha is a Manchu word literally meaning "household person", referring to hereditarily servile people in the Eight Banner system in 17th-century Qing China. It is often directly translated as "bondservant", although sometimes also simply rendered as the common word, slave, or more specifically within Chinese social and political context as nucai.
Irgen Gioro is a Manchu clan and family name, which was officially categorized as a "notable clan", and member of the eight great houses of the Manchu nobility in Qing dynasty. Sibe and Nanai people also has Irgen Gioro as their family name.
The Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers, also known as the Council of Princes and High Officials and Assembly of Princes and High Officials, or simply as the Deliberative Council, was an advisory body for the emperors of the early Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Derived from informal deliberative groups created by Nurhaci (1559–1626) in the 1610s and early 1620s, the Council was formally established by his son and successor Hong Taiji (1592–1643) in 1626 and expanded in 1637. Staffed mainly by Manchu dignitaries, this aristocratic institution served as the chief source of advice on military matters for Hong Taiji and the Shunzhi and Kangxi emperors. It was particularly powerful during the regencies of Dorgon (1643–1650) and Oboi (1661–1669), who used it to enhance their personal influence.
Prince Shuncheng of the Second Rank, or simply Prince Shuncheng, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1644–1912). It was also one of the 12 "iron-cap" princely peerages in the Qing dynasty, which meant that the title could be passed down without being downgraded.
Oros Niru was a military unit of the Qing dynasty of China. It consisted of Russian Cossacks that were captured during the border conflicts between the Russian Empire and Qing China. Formally, this niru was known as the 17th niru of the 4th jalan of the Manju Gusa ejen of Bordered Yellow Banner (鑲黃旗滿洲都統第四參領第十七佐領).
Hitara, earlier known as Hitan, was a clan of Manchu nobility belonging to the Manchu Plain White Banner. Due to the marriage of Empress Xuan to the Jurchen chieftain Taksi, the clan was called "Old Maiden House". Their ancestral homes were located in the Changbai Mountains, Niyaman Mountains and Dong'e valley, from the beginning of Ming dynasty. After the demise of the Qing dynasty, descendants of this clan changed their surnames to Zhao (赵), Tu (图), Wen (文), Qi (齐/祁), Sun (孙), Zhu (祝), Xi (希/喜/奚), Liu (刘), Xian (线) and other names.
Donggo was a clan of Manchu nobility belonging to the Manchu Plain White Banner, one of the 3 upper banners of Eight Banner system. Several lineages were members of Manchu Plain Red Banner.