Prince Yi of the First Rank, or simply Prince Yi, 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 Yi 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 Yongxuan (永璇; 1746–1832), the
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...
's eighth son, who was made "Prince Yi of the First Rank" in 1797. The title was passed down over seven generations and held by seven persons.
Members of the Prince Yi peerage
*
Yongxuan (永璇; 1746–1832), the Qianlong Emperor's eighth son, held the title Prince Yi of the Second Rank from 1779 to 1797, promoted to Prince Yi of the First Rank in 1797, posthumously honoured as Prince Yishen of the First Rank (儀慎親王)
**
Mianzhi (綿志; 1768–1834), Yongxuan's eldest son, held the title of a
''buru bafen fuguo gong'' from 1799 to 1803, promoted to
''beizi'' in 1803 and then to
''beile'' in 1809, made an acting
''junwang'' in 1813, stripped of his title in 1815 and 1823 but restored again in 1819 and 1823, inherited the Prince Yi peerage in 1832, posthumously honoured as Prince Yishun of the Second Rank (儀順郡王)
***
Yiyin (奕絪; 1817–1893), Mianzhi's fourth son, held the title of a
''feng'en fuguo gong'' from 1800 to 1801, inherited the Prince Yi peerage in 1801 as a
''beile'', made an acting
''junwang'' in 1884
**** Zaihuan (載桓; 1838–1859), Yiyin's eldest son, posthumously honoured as a
''beizi''
***** Puyi (溥頤; 1858–?), Zaihuan's son
****** Yukun (毓崐; 1875–1901), Puyi's eldest son, held the title of a
''beizi'' from 1884 to 1901, posthumously made an acting
''beile'', had no male heir
****** Yuqi (毓岐; 1883–1916), Puyi's fifth son, held the title of a
''feng'en zhenguo gong'' from 1901 to 1916
******* Hengyue (恆鉞; 1911–?), Yuqi's eldest son, held the title of a
''feng'en zhenguo gong'' from 1917
*** Yiji (奕績; 1798–1813), Mianzhi's third son, posthumously honoured as a
''buru bafen fuguo gong'' in 1813
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:Yi, Prince
Qing dynasty princely peerages
Peerages of the Bordered White Banner
*