Eidu (

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

: , , 1562–1622) was a

officer and a member of the

Niohuru The Niohuru (Manchu: ; in Manchu) were a prominent Manchu clan during the Qing dynasty. The clan had inhabited the Changbai Mountains since as early as the Liao dynasty. The clan was well known during the Qing dynasty for producing a variety of ...

clan.

Family

Consort and their respective issue(s): *Madame, of unknown clan (失姓氏夫人) **Banxi (班席), first son **Tuerxi (图尔席), ninth son *Madame, of the Gioro clan (觉罗氏夫人) **Daqi (达启), second son **Cherge (车尔格), third son **Dalong'ai (达隆), sixth son **Maohai (冒海), seventh son **Turgei (图尔格, d. 1645), eight so n **Yierdeng (益而登), tenth son **Esēn (额森), twelfth son **Chahao'er (超哈而), thirteenth son **Ge'erte (格而特), fourteenth son **Suohuan (索欢), fifteenth son *Madame, of the Tongyin clan (佟殷氏) **Handai (涵岱), fourth aom **Adahai (阿达海), fifth son *Madame, of the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as c ...

clan (愛新覺羅夫人氏, 1595 – June/July 1659), personal Mukushen (穆庫什), daughter of

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing (), was a Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late 16th century in Manchuria. A member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, he reigned ...

Ebilun Ebilun (Manchu:, Mölendroff: ebilun; ; died 1673) was a Manchu noble and warrior of the Niohuru clan, most famous for being one of the Four Regents assisting the young Kangxi Emperor from 1661 to 1667, during the early Qing dynasty (1644–191 ...

(遏必隆, d.1673), sixteen son **Fiyanggū (费扬古), seventeen son **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏), second daughter ***married Nikan of the

clan, son of Crown Prince

Cuyen Cuyen (; 1580 – 14 October 1615) was a Manchu prince and eldest son of the Later Jin ruler Nurhaci, the early patriarch of the Qing dynasty. An accomplished warrior, Cuyen was instrumental in the consolidation of Nurhaci's authority among riv ...

*Concubine, of the Shi clan (妾室氏) **Aode (熬德), eleventh son *unknown: **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏, 1593–1612), known as Consort Yuan, first daughter ***married

Hong Taiji Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin ...

of the

clan and had issues (one son) **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏),third daughter **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏), fourth daughter ***married

Jirgalang Jirgalang or Jirhalang (Manchu: 19 November 1599 – June 11, 1655) 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 ...

of the

clan. **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏), fifth daughter **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏), sixth daughter **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏), seventh daughter **Lady Niohuru (钮祜禄氏), eight daughter

Early life

Eidu's grandfather had established a home in a valley of the Yengge ("wild grape") mountain range, which formed the easternmost spur of the

Changbai Mountains The Changbai Mountains (simplified Chinese:长白山; traditional Chinese:長白山) are a major mountain range in Northeast Asia that extends from the Northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, across the border between ...

, in the southeast area of the present-day

Jilin Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...

. Eidu's parents were murdered in a feud when he was very young, and he escaped only through the protection of a neighbour. At the age of twelve, he took revenge by killing his parents' murderer, after which he fled to the home of an aunt, who was married to the chieftain of the fortress of Giyamuhu. Here he became a close friend of the chieftain's son, Gahasan Hashu, who later married

's sister.

Military career

In 1580, Nurhaci, then twenty-one years old, passed through Giyamuhu and stopped at the chieftain's home. The eighteen-year-old Eidu was so impressed by his qualities of leadership that he attached himself to Nurhaci and remained his close associate for more than forty years. In 1583, he accompanied Nurhaci and proved himself an able fighter. Four years later he captured the town of Barda, and received from Nurhaci the title of baturu, "conquering hero." After a long and successful career of military achievement, he joined the Bordered Yellow Banner in 1615 and was appointed as one of the five principal dignitaries in government the following year. In 1617 he captured a number of Ming fortresses in company with Anfiyanggu, and in 1619, was at the forefront of the decisive battles waged by Nurhaci against the three armies of Yang Hao. As a reward for his services, he was given a sister of Nurhaci as one of his wives. Eidu's second son, Daki, was brought up in the royal establishment and married the fifth daughter of Nurhaci. When Daki spoke out against Nurhaci's sons, Eidu put him to death, prompting Nurhaci to call Eidu his most patriotic officer.

Death and legacy

Eidu died in 1621. In 1634, he was posthumously awarded the rank of a viscount, which was inherited by his sixteenth son,

. In 1636, his rank was raised to that of duke (non-hereditary). His name was entered in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, his tomb was moved to a location near that of Nurhaci. A stone tablet was erected in front of the tomb in 1654. The rank of viscount was taken from Ebilun in 1637, due to a misdemeanour, but was restored in 1713 and given to his son, Yende. After Yende was made a duke in 1724, the title of viscount was inherited by other branches of Eidu's family. Eidu had sixteen sons, among whom the most prominent were the youngest, Ebilun, and the eighth, Turgei, who took part in many military campaigns during Hong Taiji's reign and was highly regarded for his bravery. Among the grandsons of Eidu the most notable was Centai, who served as a

Grand Secretary The Grand Secretariat (; Manchu: ''dorgi yamun'') was nominally a coordinating agency but ''de facto'' the highest institution in the imperial government of the Chinese Ming dynasty. It first took shape after the Hongwu Emperor abolished the off ...

in 1651, and was made a viscount while commanding the Manchu forces in

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

against Ming generals. Many other descendants of Eidu held office throughout the Qing period.

References

{{Reflist 1562 births 1621 deaths Manchu politicians Jurchens in Ming dynasty Manchu Bordered Yellow Bannermen