Hešeri (;

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

: ''Hešeri''), is a clan of

nobility with

Jianzhou Jurchens The Jianzhou Jurchens () were one of the three major groups of Jurchens as identified by the Ming dynasty. Although the geographic location of the Jianzhou Jurchens changed throughout history, during the 14th century they were located south of ...

roots, originally hailing from the area which is now the modern Chinese provinces of

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

and

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

. It was once one of the most important and powerful noble families in the early

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, second only to the royal House of

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro is 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 chie ...

, to whom they were closely related by marriage. The power of the Hešeri family reached its zenith in the period of Duke

Hešeri Sonin Soni (1601–1667), also known as Sonin, and rarely Sony ( mnc, ; ), was a Manchu noble of the Hešeri clan who served as one of the Four Regents of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722) during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). His clan belonged to ...

and his third son Lord Hešeri Songgotu (from approximately 1650 to 1705). Although its influence declined following Songgotu's death, the Hešeri clan continued to be the hereditary nobility and play a role in Chinese politics until the demise of the

in early 1912.

History

Origins

The name Hešeri was first recorded in the ''Thirty Common Surnames of Jurchen'' during the later

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(c. 800-850), and is said to be derived from the name of an ancestral river (''šeri'' loosely translating to water-spring in the

Manchu language Manchu ( ) is a critically endangered language, endangered Tungusic language native to the historical region of Manchuria in Northeast China. As the traditional native language of the Manchu people, Manchus, it was one of the official language ...

). Alternatively, some have suggested that the name may stem from that of an ancient

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

. During the

, the Hešeri lived on the northern outskirts of the empire, co-existing to some degree with the then extant Khitan and the Liao dynasty they founded (which dynasty the Jurchen ultimately conquered and destroyed in 1125Michal Biran (2005). The Empire of the Qara Khitai in Eurasian History: Between China and the Islamic World. Cambridge University Press. pp. 29-30. ); while the bulk of the clan maintained their ancestral residencies, the (second) ascendancy of the Jurchen (renamed by this time to Manchu) during the

and the administrative and military appointments clan Hešeri enjoyed as a result saw moderate diffusion of Hešeri throughout the more interior northern and central provinces. After the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

of 1911 and the resulting 1912 collapse of the

, the vast majority of Hešeri saw fit to distance themselves from their

origins. To accomplish this, the more Han-sounding diminutive ''He'' (Chinese: 赫 / 何) was adopted as a replacement surname (commonly spelled ''Ho'' in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and several other

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

-speaking regions); a few Hešeri went further and changed their surnames completely to ''Gao'' (高), ''Kang'' (康), ''Zhang'' (张), ''Lu'' (芦), ''He'' (贺), ''Suo'' (索), ''Ying'' (英), ''Hao'' (郝), ''Hei'' (黑), ''Pu'' (普), ''Li'' (李), or ''Man'' (满).

Notable figures

Jin dynasty

In the 119-year history of the Jin dynasty, at least 52 people from this clan were powerful enough to affect the government's decisions. Their names were recorded in the ''

History of Jin The ''History of Jin'' (''Jin Shi'') is a Chinese historical text, one of the '' Twenty Four Histories'', which details the history of the Jin dynasty founded by the Jurchens in northern China. It was compiled by the Yuan dynasty historian and ...

''. *Lihua, Empress Qinxian (), wife of Taizu of Jin *Zhining, Prince Jinyuan of the Second Rank (). *Liangbi, Prince Jinyuan of the Second Rank (). *Ziren (). *Cupei (). *Machan (), Cupei's brother. *General Heshilie Zhizhong (紇石烈執中; also known as Hushahu 胡沙虎) *Yawuta (; ?-1231), a general. *Heshilie Zhushennu (紇石烈諸神奴), husband of Emperor Shizong of Jin's 14th daughter

Qing dynasty

Males

* Šose (Chinese: ), Sonin's father. Fluent in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, Mongolian and

. Awarded the honorific Baksi ("Knowledgeable Man", Chinese: 巴克什 ''Bākèshí'') by the Qing dynasty's founding father,

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin dynasty. As the leader of the House of Aisin-Gi ...

. ** Sonin (Chinese: ; ?-1667), Duke of the First Rank (Chinese: ), Chief minister, Grand Councillor (Chinese: ) of the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizu of Qing, personal name Fulin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China pro ...

. Senior among the

Four Regents of the Kangxi Emperor The Four Regents of the Kangxi Emperor were nominated by the Shunzhi Emperor to oversee the government of the Qing dynasty during the early reign of the Kangxi Emperor before he came of age. The four were Sonin, Ebilun, Suksaha, and Oboi. Backgr ...

; *** Gabula (Chinese: ; ?-1681), first son of Sonin, Duke of the First Rank (Chinese: ). Father in law and Chief Minister (Chinese: ) of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

. *** Songgotu (Chinese: ; ?-1703), third son of Sonin, Grand Councillor (Chinese: ), Baohe Scholar (Chinese: ) Chief Minister of the

, main signatory of the

Treaty of Nerchinsk The Treaty of Nerchinsk of 1689 was the first treaty between the Tsardom of Russia and the Qing dynasty of China after the defeat of Russia by Qing China at the Siege of Albazin in 1686. The Russians gave up the area north of the Amur River as ...

. ***Xinyu (Chinese: 心裕), fifth son of Sonin, Earl of the First Rank (Chinese: ). ***Fabao (Chinese: 法保), sixth son of Sonin, inherited the Duke of the First Rank from his father. *Hife (Chinese: ; ?-1662), Šose's brother.

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

of the Third Rank (Chinese: ). He had the same language skill as his elder brother. Also awarded the honorific Baksi and honored as one of only three companions to the then-emperor with the

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

" newhose merit aided our Way." **Suwayamboo (Chinese: ; 1641–1684), son of Hife, Sonin's cousin. Viscount of the Third Rank (Chinese: ) . Minister of River Transport for the

(Chinese: ). ***Sungseo (Chinese: ; ?-1755), grandson of Suwayamboo (), Viscount of the First Rank (Chinese: ), Co-minister of Rites (). *Erdeni (Chinese: , not to be confused with Panchen Erdeni), originally from the

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

clan, one of the two inventors of the Manchu script. He was inducted into the clan and given the surname Hešeri by the Qing ruler

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 a reward for his contributions. *Dingshou (Chinese: ; ?-1731), the General of Light Chariot of the Third Rank (Chinese: ) one of the greatest military generals of the early Qing dynasty. Ultimately served as Vice Governor of the Mongolian Plain Yellow Banner. *Songzhu (Chinese: ; 1657–1735), Grand Councillor (Chinese: ), Minister of Rites(Chinese: ), Wenhua Scholar (Chinese: ), Royal Tutor (Chinese: ) *Giyamo (Chinese: ; 1711-1777), Minister of River Transport (Chinese: ), Minister of Home Office (Chinese: ). *Guangliang (Chinese: ; ?-1800), General of

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

. *Fuzhina (Chinese: ; ?-1810),

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

(or more precisely

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

) of

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

(Chinese: ). *Saicungga (Chinese: ; ?-1826), Baron of the Second Rank (Chinese: ), Governor of the Mongolian Plain Yellow Banner. Served also as the Governor of the Manchu Plain Red Banner and the Mongolian

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 ...

prior to this appointment. Awarded the posthumous title 'Taizitaishi (Chinese: )'. *Jirun (Chinese: ; ?-1826), Governor of the Manchu Plain Blue Banner, Minister of River Transport (Chinese: ), Governor of

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

(Chinese: ), Co-Minister of Works (Chinese: ). *Fulehungga (Chinese: ; ?-1829), Baron of the First Rank (Chinese: ),内阁学士, Co-Minister of Wars (Chinese: ), Co-Minister of Foreign Affairs (Chinese: ) *Nadanju (Chinese: ; ?-1832), Minister of Rites (Chinese: ), Co-Minister of Wars (Chinese: ). *Shutong'a (Chinese: ; 1776–1836), Vice Military Conmmander of

Zhili Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...

(Chinese: ). *Chunqing (Chinese: ; ?-1847), Viceroy of

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

and

(Chinese: ). *Mutengge (Chinese: ; 1780–1852), General of Jiangnin (Chinese: ). *Šuhingga (Chinese: ; ?-1858), Viceroy of

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

and

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

(Chinese: ), Co-Minister of Wars (Chinese: ), 軍機大臣, dead as 雲南巡撫. *Shuyuan (Chinese: ; ?-1859), Supreme Court Shaoqing (Chinese: ), 盛京戶部侍郎兼奉天府府尹, 戶部右侍郎兼管錢法堂事務. *Hebao (Chinese: ), 兵部员外郎, 通政司参议. *Yinggui (Chinese: ; ?-1879), Viceroy of

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

and

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

(Chinese: ), General of the Army (Chinese: ). Gained title 太子太保 after his death. *Warda (Chinese: ), a general. *Tundali (Chinese:), an important military commander. *Hechun (Chinese: ; ?-1860), Viceroy and Imperial Admiral of

Jiangnan Jiangnan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta. The region encompasses the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Jiangsu ...

(Chinese: ) and military commander. *Encang (Chinese: ), a military commander. *Rushan (Chinese: ), Magistrate of

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

(Chinese: ). *Sebjengge (Chinese: ; ?-1907), General of

Ningxia Ningxia, officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in Northwestern China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was later separated from Gansu in 1958 and reconstituted as an autonomous ...

(Chinese: ) ; Prince Consort

Females

Imperial Consort * Empress ** Empress Xiaochengren (1654–1674), the

's first empress, the mother of Chenghu (1670–1672) and Yunreng (1674–1725) * Imperial Noble Consort ** Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe (1856–1932), the Tongzhi Emperor's consort * Consort ** Consort Ping (d. 1696), the

's consort, the mother of Yinji (1691) ** Consort Chang (1808–1860), the

Daoguang Emperor The Daoguang Emperor (16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanzong of Qing, personal name Mianning, was the seventh List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing e ...

's noble lady * Imperial Concubine ** Imperial Concubine Xi (d. 1702), the

's imperial concubine * Second Class Female Attendant ** Second Class Female Attendant Mu (d. 1832), the

's second class female attendant Princess Consort * Primary Consort ** Yun'e's second primary consort * Secondary Consort ** Mianyu's secondary consort (d. 1860) ** Yicong's secondary consort, the mother of Zailian (1854–1917), Zaiyi (1856–1923), fifth daughter (b. 1857), Zaiying (1859–1930) and Zaisheng (1860–1864)

Modern Era

* Ying Lianzhi (Chinese:英斂之; 1867–1926), also known as Ying Hua (英华), founder of the prominent newspaper ''

Ta Kung Pao ''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'' in Latin-based languages) is a Hong Kong-based, state-owned Chinese-language newspaper. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government i ...

'', and founding member of The Catholic University of Peking.

Gallery

File:ConsortsDaoguang4.jpg, Consort Chang in daily dress ("Imperial Court in 1844" by He Shikui) File:孝诚仁皇后朝服像.jpg, Empress Xiaochengren

References

External links

THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF CHINA The Qing Empire To 1800
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heseri Manchuria Jurchen history Qing dynasty people Manchu clans Plain Yellow Banner