Aisin Gioro Mianyu ( 綿愉; 8 March 1814 – 9 January 1866) was

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

imperial prince as the fifth son of the

Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from ...

and the first holder of the Prince Hui of the first rank title. As Prince Hui of the First Rank peerage was not granted iron-cap status, each successive bearer of the title would hold diminished rank vis-a-vis his predecessor.

Life

Mianyu was born on 8 March 1814 to Consort Ru in the

Palace of Eternal Longevity Palace of Eternal Longevity ( Chinese: ; Pinyin: Yongshougong) one of the Six Western Palaces in the Forbidden City. It was a residence of imperial concubines since 1420. History Yongshou Palace was built in 1420 as a part of Inner Court's west ...

. In 1820, shortly ater the death of

in the

Chengde Mountain Resort Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde (; Manchu: ''Halhūn be jailara gurung''), is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the Shuangqiao District of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, northern China, about 225 km northea ...

, Mianyu was granted a title of Prince Hui of the Second Rank (惠郡王) by

Empress Dowager Gongci Empress Xiaoherui (20 November 1776 – 23 January 1850), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and second empress consort of Yongyan, the Jiaqing Emperor. She was Empress consort of Qin ...

as the successor to the imperial throne has not been appointed. In 1830, he performed Grand Sacrifices together with Yiwei, while in 1835 he made sacrifices together with Yishao, Prince Ding of the First Rank. In 1839, Mianyu was promoted to the prince of the first rank. In 1840, he performed Grand Sacrificial Rites twice.

Military career

In 1851, Mianyu was appointed as a commander of Manchu forces of the

Bordered Yellow Banner The Bordered Yellow Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. The Bordered Yellow Banner was one of three "upper" banner armies under the direct command of the emperor ...

and was entrusted with managing the affairs of the Gioro family school. In 1856, when Second Opium War broke out, Mianyu was in charge of administration of Beijing and was vested with powers of Generalissimus Possessing a Mandate, which meant that he would be one of the commanders of Eight Banner Forces. When

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin ( mn, Сэнгэринчен, ᠰᠡᠩᠭᠡᠷᠢᠨᠴᠢᠨ) was a Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi em ...

suffered several defeats in Tongzhou, Mianyu sent emergency so as to protect Five Capitals (places where Qing dynasty emperors used to reside during the imperial tours). In 1853, when Taiping rebellion started,

Xianfeng Emperor The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), or by temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing (), given name Yizhu (), was the eighth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1850 t ...

did not issue any decrees ordering Mianyu and Sengge Rinchen to take action using armed forces despite the fact that losses of Qing forces could be less. The main reason of this decision could be belief that Europeans were regarded as inferior nation in comparison to Manchurians and Chinese. However, when the rebels organised

Northern Expedition (Taiping Rebellion) The Northern Expedition () was a failed campaign by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom against the Qing dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion. Its purpose was to capture Beijing and then complete an encirclement of northern and western China. Launche ...

, Sengge Rinchen's cavalry was sent to defeat the rebels.

Death and succession

Apart from military successes, Mianyu is credited with literary work named "Series of the Airi Study" (《爱日寨集》). He was one of the teachers of the young Zaichun, the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), born Zaichun of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the ninth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively laste ...

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese noblewoman, concubine and later regent who effectively controlled ...

and

Empress Dowager Ci'an Empress Xiaozhenxian (12 August 1837 – 8 April 1881), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and empress consort of Yizhu, the Xianfeng Emperor. She was Empress consort of Qing from ...

had him in high regard, mostly due to his moral character considered the most upright in his generation. Mianyu died on 9 January 1866 and was succeeded by his eldest son Yixiang.

Family

Mianyu was initially married to Ldy Guwalgiya, daughter of fifth rank literary official Bolin'e (博林额) since 1828. In 1837, he married another Lady Guwalgiya, daughter of Guiliang (桂良) and elder sister of Princess Consort Gongzhong of the First Rank ( Yixin's wife). Through the marriage with Lady Guwalgiya and Lady Hesheri, Mianyu was correlated with the most prominent Manchu clans. ---- Primary Consort * First primary consort, of the

Gūwalgiya Gūwalgiya ( Manchu Chinese: ; ) was one of the most powerful Manchu clans. It is often listed by historians as the first of the eight prominent Manchu clans of the Qing dynasty. After the demise of the dynasty, some of its descendants siniciz ...

clan (嫡福晋瓜尔佳氏, d. 1835) ** ''First son'' (15 March 1835 – 17 March 1835) * Second primary consort, of the

clan (继福晋瓜尔佳氏, d. 1852) ** Yixiang (奕详, 15 March 1849 – 13 February 1886), fifth son Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, of the

Hešeri Hešeri ( Chinese: 赫舍里; Pinyin: Hesheli; Manchu: ''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 ...

clan (侧福晋赫舍里氏, d. 13 April 1860) * Secondary consort, of the Yang clan (侧福晋杨氏) ** Prince of the Fourth Rank Yimo (奕谟, 22 May 1850 – 17 August 1905), sixth son * Secondary consort, of the Ligiya clan (侧福晋李佳氏)
管女子-->惠亲王侧福晋 ** ''Second son'' (22 December 1838) * Secondary consort, of the Xiegiya clan (侧福晋谢佳氏) ** ''Yicheng'' (奕诚, 7 April 1845 – 15 April 1847), third son ** Grace Defender Duke Yixun (奕询, 6 March 1849 – 16 August 1871), fourth son

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mianyu Qing dynasty imperial princes Prince Hui (first rank) Jiaqing Emperor's sons 1814 births 1866 deaths