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House of Aisin-Gioro

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House of Aisin-Gioro
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese愛新覺羅
Simplified Chinese爱新觉罗
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinàixīn juéluó
Manchu name
Manchu script
The House of Aisin Gioro
CountryQing, Manchukuo
Founded1644
FounderEmperor Nurhaci
Current headHengzhen
Final rulerXuantong Emperor (Puyi)
TitlesEmperor of Qing
Emperor of Manchukuo
Estate(s)China
Deposition1912: Monarchy dissolved

Aisin Gioro was the family name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The House of Aisin Gioro ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a republican government in its place. The word aisin means gold in the Manchu language, and "gioro" is the name of the place in present day Yilan, Heilongjiang Province. In Manchu custom, families are identified first by their Hala (哈拉), i.e. their family or clan name, and then by Mukūn (穆昆), the more detailed classification, typically referring to individual families. In the case of Aisin Gioro, Aisin is the Mukūn, and Gioro is the Hala. Other members of the Gioro clan include Irgen Gioro (伊尔根觉罗), Susu Gioro (舒舒觉罗) and Silin Gioro (西林觉罗) etc.

The Jin dynasty (jin means gold in Chinese) of the Jurchens, ancestors of the Manchus, was known as aisin gurun, and the Qing dynasty was initially named () amaga aisin gurun, or Later Jin dynasty. Since the fall of the Empire, a number of members of the family have changed their surnames to Jin (Chinese: 金) after the former dynasty. For example, Puyi's younger brother changed his name from Aisin-Gioro Puren (愛新覺羅溥任) to Jin Youzhi (金友之) and his children in turn are surnamed Jin.

Family naming code

Before the founding the Qing Dynasty, the naming of children in the Aisin Gioro clan was quite random. After taking control of China, however, the family gradually incorporated Han Chinese ways of naming. During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, all of Kangxi's sons were to be named with a generation prefix preceding the given name. There were three characters chosen, Cheng (承), Bao (保), and Chang (长), before finally deciding on Yin (胤) in Kangxi. The Yongzheng Emperor's sons switched from Fu (福) to Hong (弘). Following Yongzheng, the Qianlong Emperor decided that all subsequent male offspring would have a generation code placed in their name according to a Generation Poem, of which Qianlong composed the first four characters, 永 綿 奕 載. Moreover, the names of brothers (born to the same father) will often contain a similar radical or meaning. In one case, the Yongzheng Emperor changed the generation code of his brothers as a way of keeping his own name unique. Such practices apparently ceased to exist after the Daoguang Era.

  Order Generation code Radical code Examples
1 Yongzheng Emperor Yin, 胤/Yun, 允 Fortune (Shi) 示 Yinzhi, 胤祉
2 Qianlong Emperor Hong, 弘 Sun/Day (Ri) 日 Hongzhou, 弘晝
3 Jiaqing Emperor Yong, 永/Yong, 顒 Jade (Yu) 玉 Yongqi,永琪
4 Daoguang Emperor Mian, 綿/Min, 旻 Emotion (Xin) 心 Mianyu, 綿愉
5 Xianfeng Emperor Yi, 奕 Literary (Yan) 言 Yixin, 奕訢
6 Guangxu Emperor Zai, 載 Water (Shui) 水 Zaifeng, 載灃
7 Xuantong Emperor Pu, 溥 Human (Single Ren) 人 Pujie, 溥傑
8 Yu'e, 毓峨 Yu, 毓 Mountain (Shan) 山 Yuzhan, 毓嶦
9 Hengtai, 恒鈦 Heng, 恒 Metal/Gold (Jin) 金 Hengjiang, 恒鏹

Subsequent: Qi 启, Dao 焘, Kai 闿, Zeng 增, Qi 祺

Foundation

The Aisin Gioro clan, as a Manchu clan, claimed descent from the Jurchen people, who were united under the Jin Dynasty by the Jin emperors who descended from Hanpu, Indeed, as the ruling clan of the Qing Dynasty, the Aisin Gioro claimed a clan/familial relationship with the ruling clan of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla (who were the Gimhae Kims, a major Korean clan to the present day - at the very least they used the same character 金 in their last names), and, by extension, set the tone, at least on paper, for a friendly relationship with Silla's successor state at the time (which was at first Goryeo, but after that dynasty was deposed, the Joseon Dynasty, as successor to Goryeo, became by extension the successor to Silla as well) in Joseon.[1]

The Veritable Records and other documents contain another foundation myth of the Aisin Gioro clan:

There was a lake called Bulhūri at the foot of Bukūri Mountain, located to the east of the Paektu Mountains. When three angels bathed in that lake, a magpie left a fruit on the youngest angel Fekulen's clothes. She ate the fruit and became pregnant. She mothered Bukūri Yongšon, the founder of Aisin Gioro. He was later welcomed by the people as the Beile. He settled at Odoli Castle on the Omohoi Plain and became the founder of the Manchu State.

This myth has interested some historians.[citation needed] Similar stories can be found in the founding mythologies of other peoples of northern Asia.[citation needed] Yongšon seems to have come from Chinese yingxiong (英雄; hero) and Odoli would be modern-day Hoeryong (hangul: 회령, hanja: 會寧) in North Hamgyong Province (Hangul: 함경 북도, Hanja: 咸鏡北道), North Korea. A recent study found that a 1635 article of Jiu Manzhou Dang (old Manchu archives), which was omitted from later documents, says that a man from the Hūrha tribe on the Upper Amur River told the exactly same myth.[citation needed] In fact, Kangxi period maps shows Bukūri Mountain and Bulhūri Lake near Heilongjiang. It is believed that the Manchu imperial family incorporated Hūrha's legend into their own foundation myth.[citation needed]

From Fanca to Ningguta Beise

Suffering from tyranny, the people raided Odoli and killed all Bukūri Yongšon's descendants except Fanca. A magpie saved Fanca's life. Fanca's descendant Mengtemu went eastward to execute his ancestors' revenge in Hetu Ala and settled there. Mengtemu's sons were Cungšan and Cuyan. Cungšan's sons were Tolo, Toimo, and Sibeoci Fiyanggū. Sibeoci Fiyanggū's son was Fuman, and Fuman's six sons were called Ningguta Beise (Six Kings; or ningguta i mafa), who lived around Hetu Ala.

Mengtemu is identified as Möngke Temür (猛哥帖木儿), who left Odoli at the invitation of the Ming Dynasty and was appointed as leader of the Jianzhou Left Guard. On the other hand, the founder of the Jianzhou Right Guard was Möngke Temür's half-brother Fanca. It is unclear whether he was the same person as Mentemu's ancestor, or if this was just a mistake by the Manchus. The Jianzhou Left Guard fell into chaos in the early 16th century. In addition, Sibeoci Fiyanggū and Fuman seem to have been fictional, because they did not appear in Chinese or Korean records. Maybe they were fabricated by the imperial family to claim its linkage to Möngke Temür.[citation needed]

1 Although Aisin Gioro is usually pronounced "Aixin Jueluo" in Mandarin, some argue that it should be "Aixin Jiaoluo", since the only pronunciation of the character 覺 corresponding to Manchu gio is jiao[citation needed].

Notable Aisin-Gioros

The Emperors

Main article: List of Emperors of the Qing Dynasty

Iron-cap princes and their descendants

Main article: Qing Dynasty nobility

By Qing tradition, the sons of Princes do not automatically inherit their father's title, but rather will inherit a title one level lower. However, there were 12 princes during the Qing Dynasty who were named "iron-cap princes", meaning that their princely titles will be "passed on forever" through each succeeding generation.

Prominent political figures

Others

Present-day

References

  1. ^ Original passage: 新羅王金姓則金之逺派. From Research on the Origin of the Manchus (Manzhou yuanliu kao 滿洲源流考), chapter 7.
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