Princes of the Ming dynasty

The princes of the Ming dynasty were titled and salaried members of the imperial bureaucracy with nominal lordship over various fiefs throughout China. All were members of the imperial Zhu clan descended from the twenty-six sons of Zhu Yuanzhang. None controlled the administration of their nominal fief (unlike some tribal leaders or Confucius's descendants, the Dukes of Overflowing Sagacity, who continued to rule their territories outside of the normal provincial system).

Like all members of the imperial family, the princes were not bound by the standard imperial administration or courts. Instead, their status, promotions, and punishments were regulated by the Imperial Clan Court, itself staffed and directed by other members of the clan in the capital.

Generation names

Hongwu Emperor considered that names of descendants would duplicated, he had given generation name poems to all of his sons and Zhu Shouqian. Every 1st generation princes have poems with 20 characters. Also, Hongwu formulated his descendants' given name must use characters with Wu Xing (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal & Water), only descendants of Zhu Shouqian not need to followed.

Title

The Chinese title of these lords was Wáng (王), which was held by the "emperors" of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and by the "kings" of the Warring States. The English translation of "prince" is generally preferred for these Ming rulers, however, owing to their extremely limited authority.

Male members
  • Crown prince, Great Imperial Son (皇太子, Huang Taizi), for eldest son and heir of an Emperor.
    • Crown prince, Great Imperial Grandson (皇太孙), for eldest son of a crown prince.
  • First-rank Prince (亲王), for imperial son.
    • Hereditary Prince, Princely Son (世子), for eldest son and heir apparent of a 1st rank prince.
      • Hereditary Prince, Princely Grandson (世孙), for eldest son of a hereditary prince.

Some princes of Ming dynasty had passed their own princely title to their great-grandson too, their heir apparent namely called "shizengsun" (世曾孙, Princely Great-Grandson)

  • Second-rank commandery prince, for all others son of a crown prince or 1st-rank prince except their heir apparent.
    • Commandery chief son (郡长子), for eldest son and heir apparent of a commandery prince.
      • Commandery chief grandson (郡长孙), for eldest son of a chief son.
  • Defender general (镇国将军), for all others son of a 2nd-rank commandery prince except his heir. The privilege of this title was same as 1st junior-rank officers.
  • Bulwark general (辅国将军), for son of a defender general. Its privilege was same as 2nd junior-rank officers.

Some sons of commandery princes were mothered by their abuse concubine or they have offended, they have directly granted the title with bulwark general.

  • Supporter General (奉國將軍), for son of a bulwark general. The privilege of this title was same as 3rd junior-rank officers.
  • Defender lieutenant (鎮國中尉), for son of a supporter general. The privilege of this title was same as 4th junior-rank officers.
    • Defender lieutenant's primary consort called as reverent lady (恭人).
  • Bulwark lieutenant (輔國中尉), for son of a defender lieutenant. The privilege of this title was same as 5th junior-rank officers.
    • Bulwark lieutenant's primary consort called as proper lady (宜人).
  • Supporter lieutenant (奉國中尉), for son of a bulwark lieutenant. The privilege of this title same as 6th junior-rank officers.
    • Supporter lieutenant's primary consort called as peace lady (安人).

Son of a supporter lieutenant would held the title of supporter lieutenant.

Female members
  • Princess (公主), for imperial daughter, imperial sister and imperial aunt.
    • Prince Consort Commander (駙馬都尉), for imperial son-in-law.
  • Commandery princess (郡主), for daughter of a crown prince or 1st-rank prince.
  • County princess (縣主), for daughter of a commandery prince.
  • Commandery lady (郡君), for daughter of a defender general.
  • County lady (縣君), for daughter of a bulwark general.
  • Village lady (鄉君), for daughter of a supporter general.
  • Clanswoman (宗女), for daughter of a lieutenant.

Except imperial daughter and clanswoman, all of consorts of these female members were called as "yibin" (儀賓), their ranks apart were same 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th junior-rank officials

Offenders imperial member called as Commoner (庶人). If a 1st-rank prince was demoted, the imperial court would appointed one of their peerage members to presided the other members of the peerage, and namely called them as "clan councilor" (宗理).

As the serious population growth of the imperial members during Wanli's reign, Wanli Emperor ordered to reduced their salaries and restricted the succession order. The new succession order for a 1st-rank prince was: if a prince has no heir, a 2nd-rank commandery prince can succeeded the 1st rank princely title. However, except for his eldest son designated as heir, his all other sons cannot promoted to 2nd-rank princes and still hold the title of defender general.

History

During the Hongwu era at the founding of the dynasty, the emperor enfeoffed his many sons and gave them control over large garrisons of as many as 20,000 men. In the succeeding Jianwen era, an attempt by the emperor to demote or disarm his many powerful uncles (known in Chinese as 削蕃, lit. "The Weakening of the Marcher Lords") prompted the Jingnan Campaign of the Prince of Yan which ended with the apparent death of the young emperor in a palace fire and Yan's ascension as the Yongle Emperor. Despite justifying his campaign as an effort to uphold the traditions of the Hongwu Emperor and to free his nephew from the ill counsel of the court advisors, the Yongle Emperor completed the work of removing the imperial clan from the militarized borders with Mongolia, Manchuria, and Annam. For example, he granted the territory of the Prince of Ning – whose capture and support had been essential for Yan's victory and with whom he had promised to divide the empire – to allied Mongols and placed the prince himself in an ungarrisoned sinecure in Nanchang.[2]

Over the course of the dynasty, some titles were absorbed by the crown, others abolished following unsuccessful revolution, and still others created for cadet branches of the dynasty.

Crown Prince
Main article: Taizi

The crown prince of the empire was known as the Taizi (lit. "Supreme Son"). Under the terms of the Hongwu Emperor's dynastic instructions, he was to be selected in accordance with strict Confucian agnatic primogeniture: the eldest son of the primary consort succeeded, . Although legitimizing the ascension of the Yongle Emperor involved forged claims that he had been selected by the Hongwu Emperor over his brother Crown Prince Yiwen in direct violation of the emperor's own policy, the practice was subsequently observed except in the aftermath of the Tumu Incident. This repeatedly led to teenaged and even infant princes ascending to the throne and contributed to the domination of the government by powerful eunuch dictators.

Those crown princes who failed to ascend to the imperial throne were given posthumous names including their title of taizi. They include:

Salaries for princes and other imperial members

In 1370, Hongwu Emperor enfeoffed 10 princely peerages: Qin, Jing, Yan, Zhou, Chu, Qi, Tan, Lu (鲁) and Jingjiang. The salaries for princes and princess were set up in 1376:

  • For a 1st-rank prince:
    • 50 thousands koku of rice for a year
    • 25 thousands of banknotes for a year
    • 40 pairs of brocades for a year
    • 300 pairs of reels for a year
    • each 100 pairs of "sha" and "luo" for a year
    • 500 pairs of silk for a year
    • each 1000 of grass cloth and winter cloth for a year
    • 2000 tael of cotton for a year
    • 2000 "yin" of salt for a year
    • 1000 catties of tea for a year
    • 50 pairs of horses forage for a month
    • Satin for a year for self-made by own carpenters
  • For Prince of Jingjiang:
    • 20 thousands koku of rice for a year
    • 10 thousands of banknotes for a year
    • 20 pairs of horses forage for a month

The other supplies for Prince of Jingjiang were half amount of a 1st-rank prince.

  • For imperial daughter has not granted the title of a princess and married yet:
    • each 10 pairs of reels, "sha" and "luo" for a year
    • each 30 pairs silk, grass cloth and winter cloth
    • 200 taels of cotton for a year
  • For imperial daughter has granted the title of a princess:
    • granted a farmland
    • 1500 koku of rice for a year
    • 2000 of banknotes for a year

Supplies for son of a 1st-rank prince has not granted any titles were same as non-title imperial daughter, while for non-title 1st-rank princely daughter were half amount of non-title 1st-rank princely son.


See also

References
  1. 万历《大明会典》
  2. "Zhu Quan". History of Ming, Folio 117, p.14a. Taiwan ed, p. 3591. Accessed 14 Oct 2012.
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