Nara clan
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Nara (Manchu: ᠨᠠᡵᠠ ᡥᠠᠯᠠ, Wade-Giles: nara hala, Chinese:
The head of each clan held the princely title of "beile" (
During the Jin dynasty, Nara was listed as one of the noble "white clans" (
Nar is the Mongolian word for 'sun'. In Mongolia, the sun is associated to Genghis Khan as the nara tamga is the main tamga attributed to him.
History
[edit]The Naras lived in the Haixi area, which encompasses parts of modern-day Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia. The Hada Naras and Ula Naras are native to Manchuria and shared an ancestor. The Yehe Naras were founded by a Tümed Mongol prince Singgen Darhan who conquered the local Nara tribe and assumed their name, establishing his rule over the banks of the Yehe river. The Hoifa Naras, on the other hand, came from the local Ikderi clan.
During Nurhaci's efforts to unite the Jurchen people, the Naras resisted because they had always been rather well-treated by the Ming government. Instead they tried to appease Nurhaci by offering him a daughter from each of the tribal rulers, the most famous of which were Lady Abahai of the Ula tribe and Monggo Jerjer of the Yehe tribe.[1] Nonetheless, Nurhaci eventually began his assault against the Naras, and the Hada, Ula and Hoifa tribes soon fell. The Yehe Naras were able to resist the longest as they were the largest and strongest of the tribes, but even they soon had to enlist the help of the Ming empire.
Using Ming's sympathy towards the Yehe Naras as an excuse, Nurhaci began to wage war against the Ming forces as well. Both the Ming soldiers and the Yehe Naras were defeated in subsequent battles, including the Battle of Sarhu, and the Yehe Nara prince Jintaiji was either forced to kill himself or hanged, but not before he allegedly cursed Nurhaci that as long as one of Jintaiji's descendants lived, even a female one, he or she would remember the clan's vendetta and bring down the Aisin Gioros. The last prince of the Ula tribe Bujantai, who was fighting alongside the Yehe Naras, was captured as well and later killed by Nurhaci's first son, Cuyen.
The Hada and Hoifa clans fell from prominence after Nurhaci's Manchurian conquest, whereas Ula and Yehe survived the defeat and integrated into Qing's Banner aristocracy. They continued to be powerful clans in the Qing court, often named among the eight great Manchu houses. Modern day Nara descendants mostly hail from these two clans.
Present-day descendants of the Nara clan generally adopted "Nà" (
Notable figures of the Nara
[edit]- Men
- Wenbin (
文 彬 ; 1825–1880), a prominent government official
Prince Consort
Date | Prince Consort | Princess |
---|---|---|
1614 | Moluohun ( |
Šurhaci's sixth daughter (b. 1595) by secondary consort Gūwalgiya |
1616 | Badana ( |
Šurhaci's eighth daughter (b. 1602) by secondary consort Gūwalgiya |
1619 | Ezhayi (鄂札 |
Nurhaci's seventh daughter (1604–1685) by Irgen Gioro |
1623 | Muwuna ( |
Šurhaci's 12th daughter (b. 1610) by mistress Ayan Gioro |
1712 | Xingde ( |
Princess Huaike (1695–1717), the Yongzheng Emperor's second daughter by Consort Qi (Li) |
1795 | Bozhechentian ( |
Yongxing's fourth daughter (b. 1776) by secondary consort Liugiya |
- Women
Imperial Consort
- Empress
- Empress Nara (1718–1766), the Qianlong Emperor's second empress, the mother of Yongji (1752–1776), fifth daughter (1753–1755) and Yongjing (1756–1757)
- Noble Lady
- Noble Lady, the Kangxi Emperor's noble lady, the mother of Wanfu (1675–1679) and Yinzan (1679–1680)
Princess Consort
- Primary Consort
- Secondary Consort
- Concubine
- Monggo Gege (1575-1603) Hong Taiji's concubine, the mother of Lady (1635–1661), Gose (1637–1670) and 13th daughter (1638–1657)
- Dodo's concubine, the mother of Zhulan (1635–1665)
- Hooge's concubine, the mother of Qizheng'e (1634–1677)
- The Shunzhi Emperor's concubine, the mother of sixth daughter (1657–1661)
- Fuquan's concubine, the mother of Princess (1700–1733), Princess (1701–1732) and seventh daughter (1703–1704)
- Yinxiang's concubine, the mother of Amuhulang (1726–1727)
Wanyan Nara
[edit]Nacibulu was the first to adopt the clan name Nara. A Jurchen clan native to Manchuria, they descended from the imperial Wanyan clan of the Jin dynasty.
The Nara gradually grew to become the dominant clan in the Haixi region, culminating in the establishment of the Hūlun confederation in the 16th century, with Nara princes at its core. At the same time, this Nara clan split into two branches: the senior Hada line founded by Kesina, leader of the Hūlun confederation, and the junior Ula line founded by Kesina's younger brother Gudai Juyan.
Notable figures of the Wanyan Nara
[edit]- Nacibulu (
納 齊 布 祿 ; fl. 14th century)- Shangyandorheqi (
尚 延 多 爾 和 齊 ), Nacibulu's son- Jiamaka (
嘉 瑪喀), Shangyandorheqi's son
- Jiamaka (
- Shangyandorheqi (
Hada Nara
[edit]The Hada Nara (哈達
Under the prince (beile) Wangtai, the Hada Nara gained ascendency over the Haixi Jurchens. He assumed the title Wan Khan (
In 1574, Wang Tai captured the rebellious Jianzhou Jurchen leader Wanggao, and was rewarded by the Ming court with the titles Right Pillar of State (
Upon Wangtai's death (1582), a succession struggle ensued, sapping Hada of its strength and allowing the Yehe Nara and later Nurhaci to eclipse its power. In 1599, Narimbulu of Yehe invaded Hada. Weakened, Menggebulu (beile of Hada) requests aid from Nurhaci. Nurhaci sent two thousand troops led by Fiongdon (
Nurhaci's general Yangguli (
In 1601, Nurhaci married his daughter to Urgūdai, who succeeded Menggebulu. The Ming court accused Nurhaci of attempting to annex Hada. In response, Nurhaci released Urgūdai from Jianzhou and allowed him to return to rule Hada. Learning this, Narimbulu of Yehe again started raiding Hada. Severely weakened and defenseless, Urgūdai eventually capitulated and submitted to Nurhaci's rule, becoming the last beile of Hada.
Notable figures of the Hada Nara
[edit]- Men
- Kesina (
克 什納), Suitun's son; leader of the Hūlun confederation, founder of the Hada Nara line- Wangzhong (Wangju Wailan) (
王 忠 ; d. 1552), Kesina's second son; first beile of Hada state
- Wangzhong (Wangju Wailan) (
- Wangtai (Wan) (
王 台 ; d. 1582), Wangzhong's nephew; Khan of Hūlun confederation, legitimised client overlord of Haixi under Ming- Hurhan (扈爾罕; d. 1582), Wangtai's first son
- Daišan (岱善; d. 1591), Hurhan's son
- Menggebulu (
孟 格 布 祿 ; 1565–1600), Wangtai's son- Ulhūda (
吳 爾 古代 ), Menggebulu's first son; last independent beile of Hada
- Ulhūda (
- Hurhan (扈爾罕; d. 1582), Wangtai's first son
Prince Consort
Date | Prince Consort | Princess |
---|---|---|
1601 | Urgūdai | Nurhaci's third daughter (Mangguji; 1590–1636) by primary consort (Fuca Gundei) |
- Women
Princess Consort
- Primary Consort
- Šurhaci's second primary consort, the mother of Eshitai (1584–1656)
- Manggūltai's second wife, the mother of Maidali (1603–1634), Guanggu (1604–1606), Sahaliang (1606–1642), Ebilun (b. 1609), Feiyanggutai (b. 1610) and Aketama (1620–1622)
- Hooge's first primary consort (d. 1636)
- Yunyou's primary consort, the mother of third daughter (1699–1702) and Princess (1701–1729)
- Secondary Consort
Ula Nara
[edit]The Ula Nara (
Of the four tribes, Ula was the economic and cultural powerhouse of Manchuria. The Ula tribe were mostly traders, buying horses, livestock, and fur from the steppe Mongols and selling them at the Jianzhou plateau on the Liao river basin, the economic center and farmland of the Manchu region. They in turn buy grains such as millet and corn at Jianzhou and sell them to the Mongols. The Ula Naras, for a large part, controlled trade between Manchuria and Mongolia by controlling the mountain pass at modern day Baicheng, Jilin, where the only passage between the two areas was located.
The Nara chief Buyan built the Ula Castle by the Hulan river and founded the Ula state. (Ula means "riverside" in Manchu.)
Ula and Jianzhou had numerous conflicts, culminating in the Battle of Mount Gele. Defeated at Mount Gele, Mantai fled back to Ula but was killed by his subordinates 3 years later in 1596.
On the other hand, Mantai's younger brother, the second beile Bujantai was captured at Mount Gele. Bujantai submitted to Nurhaci and married both Nurhaci's and Surgaci's daughters. Upon Mantai's death, Nurhaci aided Bujantai in defeating other Ula Nara pretenders to regain the Ula throne. The following year, he married his younger sister to Surgaci to formalise the alliance. Two years later, he again married Mantai's daughter Lady Abahai to Nurhaci, who later became his primary consort.
The alliance between Ula and Jianzhou did not last, however. Warka, a Donghai Jurchen tribe, after repeated harassment by Bujantai, sought to submit to Nurhaci. Nurhaci sent troops to annex Warka, which Ula tried to intercept. The alliance broken, the two states resumed their conflicts. Eventually, Nurhaci captured Ula Castle and annexed the Ula state. Bujantai alone fled to Yehe, and spent the rest of his life under the protection of the Yehe Nara.
The descendants of the last Ula princes were mostly incorporated into the Plain White Banner. They supplied numerous high officials and imperial consorts to the Qing court and are among the most prominent Manchu noble houses.
Butha Ula Nara
[edit]After Nurhaci captured the Ula, he kept the royal clansmen in hostage. In order to induce Bujantai to surrender, Nurhaci showered Hongko, Bujantai's youngest son, with favours. He married one of his daughters to Hongko, granted a small fief near the Ula capital, named him the beile of Butha Ula (
As he reached maturity, Hongko realised that his independence is only nominal. He plotted to rebel against Jin, but the plot was exposed and Hongko forced to commit suicide. His two sons survived his downfall. The eldest Ulon took the Chinese surname Zhao and hid out in exile, eventually reintegrating into their Ula kins into the Plain White Banner years later. The younger Ula (not to be confused with the clan name) was saved by his Aisin Gioro mother and brought back into the Jin fold.
Notable figures of the Ula Nara
[edit]- Men
- Gudai Juyan (
古 對 硃顏), founder of the Ula Nara line- Tailan (
太 蘭 ), Gudai Juyan's son- Buyan, Tailan's son; first beile and founder of the Ula state
- Bugan (
布 干 ), Buyan's first son- Mantai (满泰; d. 1596), Bugan's second son
- Bujantai (1575–1618), Bugan's third son; last independent beile of Ula
- Bokdo (
博 客 多 ; d. 1607), Buyan's youngest son - Changzhu (
常 柱 ), Buyan's grandson
- Bugan (
- Buyan, Tailan's son; first beile and founder of the Ula state
- Tailan (
Prince Consort
Date | Prince Consort | Princess |
---|---|---|
Changzhu | Taksi's daughter | |
1598 or 1599 | Bujantai | Šurhaci's first daughter (Eshitai; 1584–1656) by secondary consort (Hada Nara) |
1603 | Šurhaci's second daughter (E'enzhe; 1584 – 1638 or 1639) by secondary consort (Fuca) | |
1608 | Nurhaci's fourth daughter (Mukushen; 1595–1659) by mistress (Giyamuhut Gioro Zhenge) |
- Women
Imperial Consort
- Empress
- Abahai, Empress Xiaoliewu (1590–1626), Nurhaci's fourth primary consort, the mother of Ajige (1605–1651), Dorgon (1612–1650) and Dodo (1614–1649)
- Duoqimuli, Empress Xiaojingxian (1681–1731), the Yongzheng Emperor's empress, the mother of Honghui (1697–1704)
- Consort
- Huase, Consort Hui (d. 1732), the Kangxi Emperor's consort, the mother of Chengqing (1670–1671) and Yunzhi (1671–1735)
- Imperial Concubine
- Zhanjimai, Imperial Concubine Tong (1664–1744), the Kangxi Emperor's noble lady, the mother of Princess Chunque (1685–1710)
Princess Consort
- Primary Consort
- Hunai, Šurhaci's fifth primary consort, the mother of Jirgalang (1599–1655)
- Hong Taiji's second primary consort, the mother of Hooge (1609–1648), Loge (1611–1621) and Princess (1621–1654)
Hoifa Nara
[edit]The Hoifa Nara (
Wangginu was the first of the clan to assume the beile title. He built his castle on the Hurki Mountain, which provided him a secure power base. He established Hoifa as a major force in the Haixi region, and even withstood assaults by the Chahar Mongols.
Upon Wangginu's death, Baindari seized the throne, killing seven of his uncles in the process. Hoifa was a major member of the coalition defeated by Nurhaci at the Battle of Mount Gele (
Notable figures of the Hoifa Nara
[edit]- Males
- Anggūli Singgūli (
昂 古里 星 古 力 ), of the Ikederi clan, adopted the Nara clan name - Beicen (備臣)
- Nalingga (
納 領 噶) - Laha (
拉 哈) - Gahacan (噶哈
禪 ), tributary commander (都 督 ) under Ming - Cinegen Darhan (
齊 訥根達 爾 漢 ), tributary commander (都 督 ) under Ming- Wangginu (
王 機 褚), Cinagen Darhan's son; first beile and founder of Hoifa state- Baindari (d. 1607), Wangginu's grandson
- Wangginu (
- Females
Imperial Consort
- Consort
- Consort He (d. 1836), the Daoguang Emperor's consort, the mother of Yiwei (1808–1831)
- Imperial Concubine
- Imperial Concubine Shun (1809–1868), the Daoguang Emperor's first class female attendant
- Noble Lady
- Noble Lady Na (1825–1865), the Daoguang Emperor's second class female attendant
Princess Consort
- Primary Consort
- Šurhaci's eighth primary consort
Yehe Nara
[edit]The Yehe Nara (
Initially, Yehe was relatively weak and was frequently raided by Hada. Conflict between Yehe and Hada continued until the reign of Cinggiyanu and Yangginu, who were sons of the beile Taicu. They expanded Yehe's territory through conquest of smaller neighbouring states, consolidated Yehe's powerbase with the construction of two castles, and made peace with Hada; Cinggiyanu married a daughter of Wangtai and Wangtai married Cinggiyanu's younger sister. With the support of Hada, Cinggiyanu and Yangginu successfully defeated the other sons of Taicu and gained the throne of Yehe themselves.
From the rule of Cinggiyanu and Yangginu, the Yehe Nara had a unique system of co-princeship. Cinggiyanu and Yangginu built two castles on strategic locations only several li apart. These were the West Yehe Castle and the East Yehe Castle, held by Cinggiyanu's and Yangginu's families respectively. The two co-princes were both equal beiles, ruled Yehe jointly, and acted in unity until the fall of Yehe.
Upon Wangtai's death, Yehe, along with Hoifa and Ula, broke away from Hada's hegemony. They allied to attack Hada, only to be defeated by the reinforcement from Ming. Cinggiyanu and Yangginu both died in this battle, and were succeeded by Bujai and Narimbulu respectively.
Narimbulu allied with their Tümed and Khorchin Mongol kins to attack Hada again. This time Narimbulu managed to defeat the Ming reinforcement and destroyed Hada as a major power, becoming the most powerful of the Haixi tribes and the new leader of the Hulun confederation.
Seeing Nurhaci's rise, Yehe initially sought to make peace by marrying Narimbulu's sister Monggo Gege to Nurhaci (later Empress Xiaocigao).[1] She would later give birth to Hong Taiji, who would succeed Nurhaci and found the Qing dynasty. This peace was short-lived, however, and Yehe soon entered a long struggle against Nurhaci's domination. Princes Bujai and Narimbulu lead the nine-tribe coalition against Nurhaci's Jianzhou forces at the Battle of Mount Gele, which ended in decisive defeat. The Yehe state continued to resist the newly formed Jin dynasty until the fall of the East Yehe Castle, the last bastion to stand against Jin's Manchurian conquest.
The Yehe Nara is the most legendary of the Nara clans today, in part due to its status as the last Jurchen clan to challenge Nurhaci's hegemony, in part to the imperial favourites they issued, and also because of Empress Dowager Cixi, who descended from a cadet branch of the East Yehe Nara belonging to the Bordered Blue Banner. The descendants of the princes of East Yehe were mostly incorporated into the Plain Yellow Banner; a cadet branch descending from Asi Darhan (
A popular legend says that Gin Taisi, the last prince of East Yehe, upon defeat by Nurhaci, cursed that the Yehe Nara will be the downfall of the Aisin Gioro clan, even if there's only Yehe Nara daughters left. This curse was supposedly fulfilled with Empress Dowager Longyu who formally abdicated on the behalf of Puyi leading to the end of the Manchu dynasty.
Notable figures of the Yehe Nara
[edit]- Men
- Singgen Darhan (
星 根 達 爾 漢 ) - Sirke Minggatu (
席 爾 克明 噶圖) - Cirugani (
齊 爾 噶尼), adopted the Nara clan name - Cukungge (褚孔
格 ), first beile and founder of the Yehe state- Taicu (
台 杵 ), Jukungge's son- Cinggiyanu (
清佳 砮; d. 1584), Taicu's first son; first beile of West Yehe- Bujai (d. 1593), Cinggiyanu's son
- Buyanggū (
布 揚 古 ; d. 1619), Bujai's younger brother
- Yangginu (楊吉砮; d. 1584), Taicu's second son; first beile of East Yehe
- Narimbulu (
納 林 布 祿 ; d. 1609), Yangginu's son; leader of the Hulun confederation - Gintaisi (d. 1619), Narimbulu's younger brother
- Narimbulu (
- Cinggiyanu (
- Taicu (
- Suna (
蘇 納 ; d. 1648)- Suksaha (d. 1667), Suna's son by Nurhaci's sixth daughter; served as one of the Four Regents of the Kangxi Emperor
- Ruilin (
瑞 麟, 1809–1874), the Viceroy of Liangguang from 1865 to 1874
Prince Consort
Date | Prince Consort | Background | Princess |
---|---|---|---|
1613 | Suna | Father: Baisan ( |
Nurhaci's sixth daughter (1600–1646) by mistress (Giyamuhut Gioro Zhenge) |
Mingju | Ajige's fifth daughter (1637–1694) | ||
1720 | Yongfu | Yuntang's third daughter (1704–1727) by mistress (Wanggiya) |
- Women
- Chia-ying Yeh (born 1924), poet and Sinologist, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada[3]
- Na Ying (born 1967), female pop singer
- Chen Lihua (born 1941), entrepreneur and philanthropist
Imperial Consort
- Empress
- Monggo Jerjer, Empress Xiaocigao (1575–1603), Nurhaci's third primary consort, the mother of Hong Taiji (1592–1643)
- Xingzhen, Empress Xiaoqinxian (1835–1908), the Xianfeng Emperor's noble consort, the mother of the Tongzhi Emperor (1856–1875)
- Jingfen, Empress Xiaodingjing (1868–1913), the Guangxu Emperor's empress
- Consort
- Consort Shu (1728–1777), the Qianlong Emperor's consort, the mother of Yongyue, the emperor's tenth son (1751–1753)
- Consort Lu (1841–1895), the Xianfeng Emperor's noble lady
- Imperial Concubine
- Imperial Concubine Shu (1840–1874), the Xianfeng Emperor's noble lady
- Imperial Concubine Yu (1843–1863), the Xianfeng Emperor's noble lady
Princess Consort
- Primary Consort
- Cuyen's second wife, the mother of first daughter (1601–1670), second daughter (1603–1623), third daughter (1606–1673) and Nikan (1610–1652)
- Daišan's second primary consort, the mother of Princess (1602–1649), Sahaliyan (1604–1636), Wakda (1606–1652) and Balama (1608–1631)
- Subenzhu, Daišan's third primary consort, the mother of Mandahai (1622–1652), Princess (1624–1685), Princess (1626–1646) and Hūse (1628–1646)
- Wanzhen (1841–1896), Yixuan's primary consort, the mother of first daughter (1861–1866), Zaihan (1865–1866), the Guangxu Emperor (1871–1908), third son (1875) and Zaiguang (1880–1884)
- Secondary Consort
- Nanakun, Nurhaci's secondary consort, the mother of Princess (1612–1646)
- Wuyunzhu, Hong Taiji's secondary consort, the mother of Šose (1629–1655)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Veit, Veronika (2007). The Role of Women in the Altaic World: Permanent International Altaistic Conference, 44th Meeting, Walberberg, 26-31 August 2001. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 188. ISBN 978-3-447-05537-6.
- ^ Hummel, Arthur W. (2010-10-29). Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period, 1644-1912 (2 vols). Global Oriental. pp. vi. ISBN 978-90-04-21801-7.
- ^ 九十高龄汉学家叶嘉莹:
我 的 一生 "根 "在中 国 . Chinanews (in Chinese). 6 November 2014.