
Prince Chun of the First Rank, or simply Prince Chun, was the title of a
princely peerage used in China during the
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 ...
-led
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 ...
(1644–1912). It was also one of the
12 "iron-cap" princely peerages in the Qing dynasty, which meant that the title could be passed down without being downgraded.
The first bearer of the title was
Yixuan (1840–1891), the seventh son of 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 ...
. He was awarded the title by his fourth brother, the
Xianfeng Emperor
The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), also known by his temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing, personal name Yizhu, was the eighth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper. During his re ...
, who succeeded their father. The title was passed down over two generations and held by only two persons – Yixuan and his fifth son,
Zaifeng (1883–1951) – who were the biological fathers of the
penultimate and
last emperors of the Qing dynasty respectively.
Members of the Prince Chun peerage
*
Yixuan (1840–1891), 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 seventh son, initially a
''junwang'' (second-rank prince) from 1850 to 1864, accorded
''qinwang'' (first-rank prince) status in 1864 and given a ''qinwang'' title in 1872. In 1874, his title, Prince Chun of the First Rank, was
made hereditary. He was
posthumously honoured as Prince Chunxian of the First Rank (醇賢親王).
** Zaiguang (載洸; 1880–1884), Yixuan's fourth son, had no male heir
**
Zaifeng (1883–1951), Yixuan's fifth son, initially a
''buru bafen zhenguo gong'' from 1884 to 1891, held the title Prince Chun of the First Rank from 1891 to 1949
**
Zaixun (1885–1949), Yixuan's sixth son, held a
''buru bafen fuguo gong'' title from 1887 to 1889 and a
''feng'en fuguo gong'' title from 1889 to 1902, adopted as Yizhi (Prince Rui)'s son
**
Zaitao (1887–1970), Yixuan's seventh son, held a
second class ''zhenguo jiangjun'' title from 1890 to 1893, adopted as Yihe (Prince Zhong)'s son
Family tree
See also
*
Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty (1644–1912) of China developed a complicated peerage system for royal and noble ranks.
Rule of inheritance
In principle, titles were downgraded one grade for each generation of inheritance.
* Direct imperial princes wit ...
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chun, Prince
Qing dynasty princely peerages
Peerages of the Bordered White Banner