Songgotu (

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 ...

: ; ; 1636 – 1703) was a minister during the reign 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 ...

of the

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 ...

. He was an uncle of the emperor's primary spouse, Empress Xiaochengren of the Hešeri clan, who died during childbirth. He was also the son of Sonin, one of the

four regents 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 ...

appointed to assist the young Kangxi Emperor during his minority. As Empress Xiaochengren's paternal uncle, he was also therefore, the grand-uncle of Yinreng, who was crown prince throughout most of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Songgotu did not inherit the noble title First-class Duke or First-class Earl from his father Sonin because his mother was not the primary consort, therefore, he had the lowest status of his brothers. His sixth brother and fifth brother inherited the noble titles First-class Duke and First-class Count. His oldest brother, Gabula, was Empress Xiaochengren's father, and he also had the noble title First-class Duke. Songgotu helped the young Kangxi Emperor depose

Oboi Oboi (Manchu: , Mölendorff: Oboi; ) (c. 1610–1669) was a prominent Manchu military commander and courtier who served in various military and administrative posts under three successive emperors of the early Qing dynasty. Born to the Guwalg ...

, a

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

during the reign of the young emperor. Gradually, Songgotu gained more power and became one of the most prominent officials under Kangxi. He was involved in a long power struggle with Mingju, another official at Kangxi's court. He also acted as a diplomat and signed 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 ...

with Russia. During Kangxi's expedition against Dzungar khan Galdan, Songgotu advocated for a withdrawal, but was reprimanded by the emperor for suggesting such a strategy. Songgotu was later implicated in the heir-apparent crisis, and he was imprisoned until death. Kangxi rescinded recognition for all of Songgotu's achievements during the latter's life, with the sole exception of the Treaty with Russia.

In fiction

* '' The Deer and the Cauldron'' (), a ''

wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...

'' novel by Louis Cha. In the story, Songgotu was an aristocrat who befriended the protagonist Wei Xiaobao.

References

* * Spence, Jonathan. ''Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-hsi''.

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

(1974) {{ISBN, 0-224-00940-0. Qing dynasty diplomats Deliberative Princes and Ministers 1636 births 1703 deaths Grand secretaries of the Qing dynasty Manchu Plain Yellow Bannermen Hešeri clan 17th-century Chinese diplomats