Empress Dowager Cixi , Empress Dowager Ci'an , Yixin , Zeng Guofan
35-645: Eight regents: Zaiyuan , Duanhua , Jingshou, Sushun , Muyin , Kuang Yuan, Du Han, and Jiao Youying Xinyou Coup ( simplified Chinese : 辛酉政变 ; traditional Chinese : 辛酉政變 ; pinyin : Xīnyǒu Zhèngbiàn ), also known as the Qixiang Coup (祺祥政變 or 祺祥之變) and Beijing Coup (北京政變), was a Chinese palace coup that occurred in November 1861 during the Qing dynasty . It was instigated by Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an , and Yixin to seize power after
70-407: A jiduwei . A first-class duke plus yunjiwei was the equivalent of 23 grants of yunjiwei . The Qing dynasty, much like previous dynasties, used an "official rank" system ( 品 ; pǐn ). This system had nine numbered ranks, each subdivided into upper and lower levels, in addition to the lowest "unranked" rank: from upper first pin ( 正一品 ), to lower ninth pin ( 從九品 ), to the unranked ( 未入流 ), for
105-458: A pin , they were considered equivalents of convenience rather than actual official ranks. Historically, Chinese noble titles were usually created with a shiyi ( 食邑 ; shíyì ; fief ) each, although the fief could be only nominal. The Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty enfeoffed cadet branch princes and other nobles in different regions of China. The Qing dynasty ended this tradition; with only
140-497: A complicated peerage system for royal and noble ranks . In principle, titles were downgraded one grade for each generation of inheritance. Occasionally, a peer could be granted the privilege of shixi wangti ( 世襲罔替 ; shìxí wǎngtì ; "perpetual heritability"), which allowed the title to be passed down without downgrading. Throughout the Qing dynasty, there were 12 imperial princely families that had this privilege. They were known as
175-838: A few exceptions, no fief was ever named. No Qing prince was enfeoffed with territory. Instead, noble titles were created without a name, or were bestowed a meihao ( 美號 ; meǐhào ; titular name). These names were usually descriptive of the peer's merit, virtue, or the circumstances leading to his ennoblement. The Dukes Yansheng kept their traditional fief in Shandong under Qing rule. Titular names were unique for imperial princes, while non-imperial peers' titular names may overlap. Following Ming dynasty tradition, single-character names were reserved for qinwang s, while junwang s used two-character names. All other peers normally had two-character names, but could receive up to four characters. Since noble titles were primarily awarded for military service,
210-611: A lower title than the one they would have received had they been the heir. Non-heir sons of other peers were also occasionally granted a lower title. Whether imperial or not, the inheritance or bestowal was never automatic, and had to be approved by the Emperor, the Ministry of Personnel , or the Imperial Clan Court . Imperial princes, upon reaching adulthood at the age of 20, had to pass tests in horse-riding, archery and
245-599: A prince, ex. Wang Yuying , Yongxuan 's servant was promoted to secondary consort. Remaining spouses could be promoted to higher positions in special circumstances, ex. lady Wanyan , Yongcheng 's unranked spouse was given a title of secondary consort. If imperial prince ascended the throne, his primary consort was named as empress, secondary consorts were named as noble consorts, consorts or concubines and mistresses were granted titles from first class female attendant to concubine or consort and given honorific names. Princess consorts held titles according to their husbands. If
280-404: A total of 19 ranks. All government personnel, from the highest chancellors to the lowest clerk, held an official rank ex officio , which determined their salary, uniform, privileges and order of precedence. This pin system existed in parallel to the noble ranks detailed in this article. Many higher noble titles ranked above this system ( 超品 ; chāopǐn ). And while some titles corresponded to
315-459: The Manchu language before they were eligible for titles. Imperial princesses, other than the Emperor's daughters, were usually granted titles upon marriage, regardless of age. Princesses' titles were also usually fixed after they were granted, and were not affected by changes in their fathers' nobility ranks. Yunjiwei ("sub-commander of the cloud cavalry") was originally a military rank created in
350-587: The Second Opium War , Zaiyuan and Muyin (穆蔭) travelled to Tongzhou to replace Guiliang (桂良) in the peace negotiations with British and French officials. When the negotiations failed, the Mongol general Sengge Rinchen took members of the British delegation, including Harry Smith Parkes , Henry Loch , Thomas William Bowlby (a journalist for The Times ), and their escorts hostage. The majority of
385-523: The Sui dynasty , but it was later turned into a military honour in the Tang dynasty as part of the xun guan ( 勳官 ; xūn guān ) system. The Qing dynasty abolished the separate military honour system and merged it into the nobility rank system, using yunjiwei as the lowest grantable rank of nobility, and the basic unit of rank progression. For example, a yunjiwei who received another grant of yunjiwei became
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#1732765279162420-581: The Xinyou Coup and seized power from the eight regents. Zaiyuan was arrested, imprisoned, and given a piece of white silk cloth to commit suicide by hanging himself with the cloth. After Zaiyuan's death, the Prince Yi peerage was inherited by Zaidun (載敦), one of his distant relatives. Primary Consort Secondary Consort Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Princesses' consorts The Qing dynasty (1644–1912) of China developed
455-447: The " iron-cap princes ". The noble titles were inherited through a system of loose primogeniture : The eldest son from the peer's first wife was usually the heir apparent, but inheritance by a younger son, a son of a concubine, or brother of the peer was not uncommon. According to their birth (by the chief consort, secondary consort or concubines) and their father's rank, non-heir sons of imperial princes were also entitled to petition for
490-442: The boy emperor returned to the capital before the rest of the party, along with Zaiyuan and Duanhua, two of the eight regents, while Sushun was left to accompany the deceased emperor's procession. Cixi's early return to Beijing meant that she had more time to plan with Prince Gong and ensure that the power base of the eight regents was divided between Sushun and his allies, Zaiyuan and Duanhua. In order to remove them from power, history
525-564: The death of the Xianfeng Emperor . On his deathbed, the emperor had appointed a group of eight regents, led by Sushun , who were adjutants general and grand councillors , to assist his infant son Zaichun ( Tongzhi Emperor ) in governing the empire. The eight regents, Sushun, Zaiyuan , Duanhua , Jingshou (景壽), Muyin , Kuang Yuan (匡源), Du Han (杜翰) and Jiao Youying (焦祐瀛) were stripped of official positions. Later, several of them were executed or forced to commit suicide. While most of
560-517: The eight regents; the two had long been close friends since Cixi first came to the imperial household. Tensions grew between the two Empresses Dowager and the eight regents, who were led by Sushun . The regents did not appreciate Cixi's interference in political affairs, and their frequent confrontations with the Empresses Dowager left Empress Dowager Ci'an frustrated. Ci'an often refused to come to court audiences, leaving Cixi to deal with
595-603: The emperor could be posthumously honoured as empress, ex. Lady Niohuru, primary consort of Minning, Prince Zhi of the First Rank was honoured as Empress Xiaomucheng , Lady Sakda, primary consort of Yizhu was honoured as Empress Xiaodexian . The same rule was for primary consort of the imperial prince who died before the marriage, e.g. Lady Nara, primary consort of Yongkui, Prince Li of the First Rank. Palace maids from prince's residence could be promoted in case of princess consort's death or in case when they had children with
630-527: The emperor's coffin back to Beijing, Cixi conspired with court officials and imperial relatives to seize power. Cixi's position as the lower-ranked empress dowager had no intrinsic political power attached to it. In addition, her son, the young emperor, was not a political force himself. As a result, it became necessary for her to ally herself with other powerful figures, including the late emperor's principal wife, Empress Dowager Ci'an. Cixi suggested that they become co-reigning empress dowagers, with powers exceeding
665-703: The group – except the two diplomats – died from torture or disease; the survivors were released later. In the meantime, Anglo-French expeditionary forces closed in on Beijing . On 18 October, in retaliation for the capture and deaths of the peace delegation, British and French forces sacked and burnt the Old Summer Palace . Zaiyuan had already fled with the Xianfeng Emperor to the Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei . Prince Gong , who
700-403: The ministers alone. Secretly, Cixi had begun gathering the support of talented ministers, soldiers, and others who were ostracized by the eight regents for personal or political reasons. Among them was Prince Gong , who had been excluded from power, yet harboured great ambitions, and Prince Chun , the sixth and seventh brothers of the Xianfeng Emperor, respectively. While Cixi aligned herself with
735-599: The most painful method, known as slow slicing ("death by a thousand cuts"), but Cixi declined the suggestion and ordered that Sushun be beheaded, while the other two also marked for execution, Zaiyuan and Duanhua, were given pieces of white silk for them to hang themselves with. In addition, Cixi refused outright the idea of executing the family members of the regents, as would be done in accordance with imperial tradition of an alleged usurper. Ironically, Qing imperial tradition also dictated that women and princes were never to engage in politics. In breaking with tradition, Cixi became
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#1732765279162770-535: The only empress dowager in the Qing dynasty to rule from "behind the curtains", a practice known as chuí lián tīng zhèng ( 垂帘听政 ) in Chinese. Zaiyuan Zaiyuan (16 October 1816 – 8 November 1861), formally known as Prince Yi , was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty . He was one of the eight regents appointed by the Xianfeng Emperor to assist his successor, the Tongzhi Emperor . Zaiyuan
805-489: The prince was demoted, princess consort could be treated appropriately. After the demotion of prince, princess consort returned her regalias to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If the prince was born in a non-iron cap cadet line, his future title depended on the position of his consort. Nevertheless, they addressed themselves as "qie". On the other hand, princess consort was mainly addressed as "fujin" or "furen" according to
840-750: The prince. The supervisor of princely manor held lower 4 rank in 9-pin system. The four ranks above were granted solely to direct male-line descendants of the Emperor. These titles below were granted to cadet lines of the imperial clan. The above six ranks are titles that enjoy the "Eight Privileges". The titles below do not enjoy the "Eight Privileges" and have no imperial duties. All of the above titles are chaopin ( 超品 ; chāopǐn ), outranking official ranks. The ranks below are ranked first to fourth pin respectively. The first three jiangjun ranks are each further subdivided into four classes: first class plus yunjiwei , first class , second class , and third class . Regardless of title and rank, an imperial prince
875-537: The princess remained his primary spouse – even after her death. However, if an efu remarried or promoted a consort to be his primary spouse, he lost all rights obtained from his marriage to the princess. The following titles were granted to consorts of imperial princes: If the princess consort divorced a prince or died, the second princess consort held the title of "step consort" (继福晋, pinyin: jì fújìn). Divorced princess consorts were stripped of their privileges and returned to their maiden manors. Dead primary consorts of
910-491: The rank of beizi and direct imperial clansmen. The "Eight Privileges" entitled the prince to participate in state councils and share the spoils of war. However, the prince was also bound to reside in the capital and render service to the imperial court. In 1816, the princes were forbidden from reporting matters via eunuchs. Thus, most of the princes employed officials as managers of domestic affairs. The range of tasks of those officials included conveyance of memorials on behalf of
945-527: The royal family fled the Western occupation of Peking in the Second Opium War , Prince Gong remained in the city to deal with the crisis. He would gain respect from the Westerners as a result of his conduct. By the time of the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, Empress Dowager Cixi had become a shrewd political strategist . In Rehe Province , while waiting for an astrologically favourable time to transport
980-426: The title of her husband. All princess consorts regardless of rank were listed in imperial genealogy (Jade Tables). Princess consorts could wear chaofu befitting imperial consorts on solemn ceremonies, but were prohibited from wearing yellow-grounded robes. The crown of princess consort had peacocks instead of phoenixes and no tiers on the finial. Princess consort wore jifu with roundels of dragons matching patterns on
1015-581: The titular names predominantly described martial virtues, e.g., zhongyong gong ( 忠勇公 ; zhōngyǒng gōng ; "loyal and brave duke"). However, a particularly common titular name was cheng'en gong ( 承恩公 ; chéng'ēn gōng ; "duke who receives grace"), which was frequently granted to the Empress's family members. At the top of the imperial hierarchy, the highest six ranks enjoyed the "Eight Privileges" ( 八分 ; bafen ; jakūn ubu ). These privileges were: Peacock feathers, however, were prohibited for princes above
1050-401: The two princes, a memorial came from Shandong asking for her to "listen to politics behind the curtains," i.e., to assume power as de facto ruler. The same memorial also asked Prince Gong to enter the political arena as a principal "aide to the Emperor". When the Xianfeng Emperor's funeral procession left for Beijing, Cixi took advantage of her alliances with Princes Gong and Chun. She and
1085-469: Was "emperor's charioteer". It was usually granted to the spouse of a princess above the rank of zongnü . The efu s were separated into seven ranks corresponding to the rank of the princesses the efu married. Efu s who married gulun gongzhu s and heshuo gongzhu s held ranks equivalent to the beizi s and dukes respectively. The remaining efu s had equivalent official rank from the first to fifth pin . An efu retained his title and privileges as long as
Xinyou Coup - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-840: Was addressed as " A-ge " ( ᠠᡤᡝ ; age ; 阿哥 ; À-gē ), which means "lord" or "commander" in Manchu. of the First Rank the Second Rank the Third Rank the Fourth Rank Rank's Consort Second Rank's Consort Rank's Consort The following titles were granted to female members of the imperial clan: Comparison of titles for imperial princesses Rank Second Rank Third Rank Fourth Rank Shizi First Rank Zhangzi Second Rank Third Rank Efu ( ᡝᡶᡠ 额驸 ; 額駙 ; éfù ), also known Fuma ( 驸马 ; 駙馬 ; fùmǎ ), translated as "Prince Consort". Its original meaning
1155-632: Was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as a descendant of Yinxiang (1686–1730), the 13th son of the Kangxi Emperor . He inherited his ancestors' peerage, " Prince Yi of the First Rank ", in 1852 during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor (r. 1820–50). Zaiyuan took up important positions during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (r. 1850–61), including a minister in the Imperial Clan Court and an imperial guard commander. In 1860, during
1190-572: Was ordered to remain behind to make peace with the invaders, successfully concluded the Convention of Beijing with British, French and Russian officials. Before the Xianfeng Emperor died in 1861, he appointed Zaiyuan, Sushun , Duanhua and five others as regents to assist his son, who succeeded him as the Tongzhi Emperor (r. 1861–75). Later that year, Prince Gong, with support from the Empress Dowagers Ci'an and Cixi , launched
1225-732: Was rewritten: the regents were dismissed for having carried out incompetent negotiations with the "barbarians" that had caused the Xianfeng Emperor to flee to Rehe Province "greatly against his will", among other charges. To display her high moral standards, Cixi executed only three of the eight regents. The verdict of the other five regents was: Jingshou, retained his honorary title efu (額駙) and banned from participating in political activities; Muyin, forced to serve at frontier military outposts in Xinjiang (軍臺效力); Kuang Yuan, Du Han and Jiao Youying, stripped of official positions. Prince Gong had suggested that Sushun, Zaiyuan and Duanhua be executed by
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