Amin (

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) an ...

; , 1585- Dec. 28, 1640) was a

noble and an important military and political leader in the early years of the

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-speak ...

. He was the second son 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 ...

's younger brother

Šurhaci Šurhaci (; ; 1564 – 25 September 1611), was a Jurchen leader, a member of the Aisin Gioro clan, he was a younger brother of Nurhaci, the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, the predecessor of the Qing dynasty. Under the Ming dynasty government ...

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 ch ...

clan.

Biography

Nurhaci's reign

In 1608, and again in 1613, he played an important part in

's campaign against the tribes of the Hūlun alliance, namely against

Bujantai Bujantai (Manchu: ; ) (died 1618) was a Jurchen ''beile'' (chieftain) of the Ula tribal confederation. Bujantai was descended from Nacibulu (納奇卜祿), the ancestor of the Nara lineages of Ula and Hada. Tradition spoke of Nacibulu as havin ...

and the Ula tribe. At first he held the rank of a

taiji Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. T ...

(Mongolian rank of a minor prince). In 1616 when Nurhaci assumed the title of Khan, Amin was named as one of the Four Senior Beile to assist in the administration. In terms of seniority he held the rank of Second Beile, and was given command of the

Bordered Blue Banner The Bordered Blue Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was one of the lower five banners. According to the general annals of the Eight Banners, the Bordered Blue B ...

. He took part in 1619 in the

Battle of Sarhū The Battle of Sarhū (薩爾滸之戰; 萨尔浒之战; ''Sà'ěrhǔ zhī zhàn'') refers to a series of battles between the Later Jin dynasty (the predecessor of the Qing dynasty) and the Ming dynasty and their Joseon allies in the winter o ...

against the expeditionary force sent by the Ming Court under Yang Hao. In 1621 he fought bravely during the taking of

Shenyang Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the provi ...

and

Liaoyang Liaoyang () is a prefecture-level city of east-central Liaoning province, China, situated on the Taizi River. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang, the provincial capital, by car. Liaoyang is home to Liaoning University's College of F ...

and was of the commanders of the expedition which drove

Mao Wenlong Mao Wenlong (; 10 February 1576 – 24 July 1629), courtesy name Zhennan, was a Chinese military general of the Ming dynasty. He is best known for commanding Ming forces in the naval battles against forces of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in the Y ...

from

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

. In 1626, after the death of Nurhaci and the succession of the Fourth Beile,

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 ...

as khan, Amin and the other two Senior Beile, Daišan and Manggūltai, ruled jointly with Hong Taiji.

Hong Taiji's reign

In 1627 Amin was in command of the expedition to Korea and was successful in forcing the king of Korea to sue for peace. His aim in subjugating Korea was probably to make himself ruler of that country, but he was opposed by the other princes who had been sent as his assistants, including his own brother, Jirgalang, and his nephews, Dudu and Yoto. When these princes signed separately a treaty with the Korean king, Amin was so angry that he set his troops in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

free for three days of pillaging. In 1629, when Hong Taiji invaded China, Amin was left at

Mukden Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the provinc ...

as regent. After Hong Taiji returned to Mukden in April 1630 Amin was sent to Yongping to guard the four cities that had been recently conquered. Amin arrived at Yongping on May 6, but soon the Ming troops counter-attacked and defeated the Manchus in several battles. On June 22, when the Ming troops were approaching Yongping, before fleeing the city with his troops, Amin disobeyed the orders of Hong Taiji by plundering and massacring the population of Yongping. Upon his arrival at Mukden in July 1630, Amin was arrested and tried for fleeing from his post, disobeying orders, for not having confronted the enemy in a single engagement, for losing many of his troops, and for other misdemeanors. A council of princes and high officials condemned him to death on sixteen counts, but Hong Taiji intervened and commuted his sentence to incarceration. Amin died in prison in 1640.

Legacy

The fall of Amin cleared the way for Hong Taiji to consolidate his power over the other Manchu princes (the Four Senior Beile). The Bordered Blue Banner which was under Amin's control was given to his younger brother, Jirgalang, a devoted follower of Hong Taiji. From this it is clear that Hong Taiji was still fearful of radically altering the Banner arrangements which his father had designated. However the elimination of Amin as one of the Four Senior Beile made it easier for Hong Taiji to reduce the power of Manggūltai in 1631 and to appropriate for himself the latter's Plain Blue Banner.

Family

Consorts and issue: * Primary consort, of the Hoifa Nara clan, daughter of beile Taishi (台诗) * Second primary consort, of the Hoifa Nara clan, daughter of beile

Baindari Baindari (Manchu: ; ) (?-1607) was a Jurchen ''beile'' (chieftain) of the Hoifa tribal confederation. He was a member of the Nara clan although his ancestors were originally members of the Ikderi clan and belonged originally to the Nimaca tribe ...

* Third primary consort, of the

Nara clan Nara (Manchu: , Wade-Giles: nara hala, Chinese: , or ) is a clan name shared by a number of royal Manchu clans. The four tribes of the Hūlun confederation () – Hada (), Ula (), Hoifa () and Yehe () – were all ruled by clans bearing this ...

, daughter of Ezhu (额诸) * Fourth primary consort, of the Jarud

Borjigin A Borjigin, ; ; russian: Борджигин, Bordžigin; English plural: Borjigins or Borjigid (from Middle Mongolian);''Histoire des campagnes de Gengis Khan'', p. 119. Manchu plural: is a member of the Mongol sub-clan, which started with ...

clan, daughter of beile Heshuoqi (和硕齐) * Fifth primary consort, of the

clan, daughter of beile Seteli (塞特里) ----Issue: # Hongketai (宏科泰), born to Primary Consort, Lady Hoifa Nara # Ai'erli, Defender Duke by Grace (镇国公爱尔礼), born to First Primary Consort, Lady Hoifa Nara # Gu'ermahun, Prince Wenjian of the Fourth Rank (温简贝子固尔玛浑), born to First Primary Consort, Lady Hoifa Nara # Gong'a, Defender Duke by Grace (镇国公恭阿), born to Fourth Primary Consort, Lady Jarud Borjigit # Guogai, Defender Duke by Grace Duanchun (端纯镇国公果盖), born to Fourth Primary Consort, Lady Jarud Borjigit # Guolai, Defender Duke by Grace (镇国公果赖), born to Fourth Primary Consort, Lady Jarud Borjigit *

References

Literature

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amin 1585 births 1640 deaths Deliberative Princes and Ministers Manchu Bordered Blue Bannermen Imperial Clan of Qing dynasty