Prince Rui of the First Rank (
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 ...
: ; ''hošoi sabingga cin wang''), or simply Prince Rui, 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). As the Prince Rui peerage was not awarded
"iron-cap" status, this meant that each successive bearer of the title would normally start off with a title downgraded by one rank ''vis-à-vis'' that held by his predecessor. However, the title would generally not be downgraded to any lower than a
''feng'en fuguo gong'' except under special circumstances.
The first bearer of the title was Mianxin (綿忻; 1805–1828), the
Jiaqing Emperor
The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, personal name Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He was ...
's fourth son, who was made "Prince Rui of the First Rank" in 1819. It was briefly renamed to Prince Duan of the Second Rank (Prince Duan) between 1894 and 1900 when
Zaiyi inherited the title. The title was passed down over three generations and held by four persons.
Members of the Prince Rui peerage
*
Mianxin (綿忻; 1805–1828), the Jiaqing Emperor's fourth son, held the title Prince Rui of the First Rank from 1819 to 1828, posthumously honoured as Prince Ruihuai of the First Rank (瑞懷親王)
**
Yizhi (奕誌; 1827–1850), Mianxin's eldest son, held the title Prince Rui of the Second Rank from 1828 to 1850, posthumously honoured as Prince Ruimin of the Second Rank (瑞敏郡王)
***
Zaiyi (1856–1922),
Yicong's second son and Yizhi's adopted son, held the title of a
''beile'' from 1861 to 1894, made an acting
''junwang'' in 1889, succeeded Yizhi under the title "Prince Duan of the Second Rank" in 1894, stripped of his title in 1900
***
Zaixun (1885–1949),
Yixuan's sixth son and Yizhi's adopted son, initially a
''buru bafen fuguo gong'' from 1887 to 1889, promoted to
''feng'en fuguo gong'' in 1889 and
''feng'en zhenguo gong'' in 1890, made a
''beile'' in 1902 and an acting
''junwang'' in 1908
Family tree
, -
, Legend:
* - Title bearers
* - Emperors
, -
,
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:Rui, Prince
Qing dynasty princely peerages
Peerages of the Bordered Red Banner