Dorgon
Encyclopedia
Dorgon (literally "badger" in Manchu
) (17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650), also known as Hošoi Mergen Cin Wang, the Prince Rui (和碩睿親王), was one of the most influential Manchu
princes in the early Qing Dynasty
. He laid the groundwork for the Manchu rule of China
.
, Liaoning province), China. He is the fourteenth son of the Manchu leader Nurhaci
. His mother was Lady Abahai
; Dodo
and Ajige
were his full brothers, and the future emperor Hong Taiji
was his half-brother. Dorgon became one of the most powerful of the princes, and was instrumental in moving Manchu forces into Beijing in 1644. During Hong Taiji's reign he took part in many military campaigns, including conquests of the Mongols and of Korea
.
, eldest son of Hong Taiji, for the throne. In the end, they compromised, and Dorgon supported the dead emperor's ninth son, his nephew Fulin
(later the Shunzhi Emperor
), to ascend the throne. He was made regent
because Shunzhi was only six at the time of his ascension, and thus became de facto ruler of the country. He was rumored to have married Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, although this claim has been repeatedly disputed, and has become one of the four great mysteries of the Qing Dynasty. He was later given the title "Uncle of the Emperor, Prince Regent" (皇叔父攝政王), which then becomes "Father of the Emperor, Prince Regent" (皇父攝政王).
, Hebei Province
), Dorgon received the posthumous rank of Emperor, the only time this happened during the Qing Dynasty
. He was given the title "Maode Xiuyuan Guangyie Dinggong Anmin Lizheng Cheng Jingyi Huangdi" (懋德修遠廣業定功安民立政誠敬義皇帝). His temple name
was Chéngzōng (成宗), which means 'Becoming Ancestor'. Even the Shunzhi Emperor
bowed three times before Dorgon's coffin.
produced a long list of his crimes, which included: secretly preparing forbidden material such as yellow robes (strictly used by the Emperor), plotting to take the throne from the Shunzhi Emperor
, calling himself the Father of the Emperor, and killing Hooge, Prince Su
and taking his concubines for himself. It is believed that Dorgon had been engaged in a fierce power struggle with the young Shunzhi Emperor
as the Emperor reached maturity. As the opposition forces gained power, the Shunzhi Emperor
posthumously stripped Dorgon of all his titles and even flogged his corpse. He was rehabilitated during the reigns of the Kangxi Emperor
and Qianlong Emperor
and acknowledged as a loyal prince of the Qing Dynasty
.
Dorgon died leaving a surviving daughter but no male offspring. However, he adopted his nephew (fifth son of his brother Dodo
) as heir to his princely title.
Manchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
) (17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650), also known as Hošoi Mergen Cin Wang, the Prince Rui (和碩睿親王), was one of the most influential Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
princes in the early Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. He laid the groundwork for the Manchu rule of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Early life
Dorgon was born in Yenden, Manchuria (now XinbinXinbin Manchu Autonomous County
Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County , or simply Xinbin County , is one of the three counties under the administration of Fushun City, in the east of Liaoning Province, Northeast China...
, Liaoning province), China. He is the fourteenth son of the Manchu leader Nurhaci
Nurhaci
Nurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
. His mother was Lady Abahai
Lady Abahai
Lady Abahai was the primary consort of Nurhaci, founder of the Qing Dynasty. She bore Nurhaci three sons - Ajige, Dorgon, and Dodo. She was erroneously identified with Nurhaci's son and successor, Hong Taiji, in earlier sources....
; Dodo
Dodo (prince)
Dodo was a Manchu prince and military general of the early Qing Dynasty. His title was "Prince Yu of the First Rank" .-Family background:...
and Ajige
Ajige
Ajige was a prince and general of the Qing Dynasty. He was born of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the 12th son of Nurhaci, khan of the Later Jin Dynasty ....
were his full brothers, and the future emperor Hong Taiji
Hong Taiji
Hong Taiji , also transliterated as Huang Taiji based on the Chinese language transcription of his name, was the first Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.Hong Taiji was the first Emperor of the Qing dynasty after acceding to the title in 1636...
was his half-brother. Dorgon became one of the most powerful of the princes, and was instrumental in moving Manchu forces into Beijing in 1644. During Hong Taiji's reign he took part in many military campaigns, including conquests of the Mongols and of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
Rise to power
After Hong Taiji's death, Dorgon was involved in a power struggle with Hooge, Prince SuHooge, Prince Su
Hooge was a prominent Manchu prince. He was the eldest son of Emperor Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty. He was the founder of the House of Prince Su .-Life:...
, eldest son of Hong Taiji, for the throne. In the end, they compromised, and Dorgon supported the dead emperor's ninth son, his nephew Fulin
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor was the third emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China, which he did from 1644 to 1661. "Shunzhi" was the name of his reign period...
(later the Shunzhi Emperor
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor was the third emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China, which he did from 1644 to 1661. "Shunzhi" was the name of his reign period...
), to ascend the throne. He was made regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
because Shunzhi was only six at the time of his ascension, and thus became de facto ruler of the country. He was rumored to have married Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, although this claim has been repeatedly disputed, and has become one of the four great mysteries of the Qing Dynasty. He was later given the title "Uncle of the Emperor, Prince Regent" (皇叔父攝政王), which then becomes "Father of the Emperor, Prince Regent" (皇父攝政王).
Death
After he suddenly died on a hunting trip on 31 December 1650 at the age of 38 in Kharahotun (modern-day ChengdeChengde
Chengde , previously known as Jehol or Re He , is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China, situated northeast of Beijing. It is best known as the site of the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden and palace formerly used by the Qing emperors as summer residence...
, Hebei Province
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), Dorgon received the posthumous rank of Emperor, the only time this happened during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. He was given the title "Maode Xiuyuan Guangyie Dinggong Anmin Lizheng Cheng Jingyi Huangdi" (懋德修遠廣業定功安民立政誠敬義皇帝). His temple name
Temple name
Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive...
was Chéngzōng (成宗), which means 'Becoming Ancestor'. Even the Shunzhi Emperor
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor was the third emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China, which he did from 1644 to 1661. "Shunzhi" was the name of his reign period...
bowed three times before Dorgon's coffin.
Posthumous demotion and restoration
However, in 1651, forces once opposed to Dorgon, led by former co-regent Jirgalang, Prince ZhengJirgalang
Jirgalang or Jirhalang , the sixth son of Nurhaci's younger brother Šurhaci of the Aisin Gioro clan, was a Manchu noble and an important military and political leader in the early years of the Qing dynasty. From 1638 to 1643, he took part in many military campaigns that helped bring down the fall...
produced a long list of his crimes, which included: secretly preparing forbidden material such as yellow robes (strictly used by the Emperor), plotting to take the throne from the Shunzhi Emperor
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor was the third emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China, which he did from 1644 to 1661. "Shunzhi" was the name of his reign period...
, calling himself the Father of the Emperor, and killing Hooge, Prince Su
Hooge, Prince Su
Hooge was a prominent Manchu prince. He was the eldest son of Emperor Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty. He was the founder of the House of Prince Su .-Life:...
and taking his concubines for himself. It is believed that Dorgon had been engaged in a fierce power struggle with the young Shunzhi Emperor
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor was the third emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China, which he did from 1644 to 1661. "Shunzhi" was the name of his reign period...
as the Emperor reached maturity. As the opposition forces gained power, the Shunzhi Emperor
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor was the third emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China, which he did from 1644 to 1661. "Shunzhi" was the name of his reign period...
posthumously stripped Dorgon of all his titles and even flogged his corpse. He was rehabilitated during the reigns of the Kangxi Emperor
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
and Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
and acknowledged as a loyal prince of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
.
Dorgon died leaving a surviving daughter but no male offspring. However, he adopted his nephew (fifth son of his brother Dodo
Dodo (prince)
Dodo was a Manchu prince and military general of the early Qing Dynasty. His title was "Prince Yu of the First Rank" .-Family background:...
) as heir to his princely title.
Personal information
- Father
- NurhaciNurhaciNurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
- Nurhaci
- Mother
- Lady AbahaiLady AbahaiLady Abahai was the primary consort of Nurhaci, founder of the Qing Dynasty. She bore Nurhaci three sons - Ajige, Dorgon, and Dodo. She was erroneously identified with Nurhaci's son and successor, Hong Taiji, in earlier sources....
, daughter of Prince Mantai of the Ulanara (烏拉貝勒滿泰), posthumously honored as Empress Xiaoliewu (孝烈武皇后)
- Lady Abahai
- Wife
- Lady Borjigit (博爾濟吉特氏) (died January 1650), daughter of Jisang Arzhai (吉桑阿爾寨), of MongolianMongolsMongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
descent, posthumously honored as Empress Chengzongyi (成宗義皇后)
- Lady Borjigit (博爾濟吉特氏) (died January 1650), daughter of Jisang Arzhai (吉桑阿爾寨), of Mongolian
- Concubine
- Lady Tunggiya (佟佳氏), daughter of Shangshu Menggetu (尚書 蒙格圖), of Jurchen descent
- Lady Borjigit (博爾濟吉特氏)