For example, in the Song Dynasty, it was stipulated: "Princes and brothers are called princes when they are granted a kingdom. The prince's son inherits the title directly, and the close relatives of the clan inherit it. Those who have a special decree are granted the title of co

Before the Ming Dynasty, the titles of clan members and heroes with different surnames were not so clearly distinguished. For example, in the Song Dynasty, it was stipulated: "Princes and brothers who are granted a kingdom are called princes. The son of the prince who inherits the throne is the heir, and the close relatives of the clan inherit it. Those who have a special decree are granted the title of county king. Those who are favored by the ancestors of the clan and inherit the kingdom are those who have a special decree. Duke. The remaining close relatives of the clan are granted the title of Duke of the County." However, in addition to princes, these titles can be awarded to meritorious officials with different surnames. Even eunuchs can also be granted the title of Duke of the County or the State! The most typical example is Tong Guan, the eunuch who was called the "Prince Prime Minister" in the late Northern Song Dynasty. He was once named Duke of Chu by Song Huizong Zhao Ji for his "efforts in pacifying Fangla", and later was named Duke of Chu by Zhao Ji and Jin for his "military merit". King of Guangyang! As for the county princes, county princes, etc., there is even less to say. Even princes could be granted titles to heroes with different surnames in the Song Dynasty! It's just that most of them are posthumous gifts, and they are rarely awarded to living heroes with different surnames. For example, Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Liu Guangshi and others were all posthumously awarded the title of prince after their death. Of course, there were also people with different surnames who were granted princes in the Song Dynasty. For example, in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin named Zhou Gong Emperor Guo Zongxun, who had already enthroned the Zen throne, as Prince Zheng. But this is a special situation and can only be regarded as an individual case rather than a common phenomenon. The Yuan Dynasty was much the same, and the clans did not have special titles.

Northern Song Dynasty·Eunuch County Prince Tongguan (still photo)

In the third year of Hongwu, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang granted various titles to various disciples and heroes with different surnames. But unlike previous dynasties, Zhu Yuanzhang listed the titles of his own family members separately and no longer overlapped with those of the opposite sex! The titles awarded to heroes with different surnames are divided into three grades - duke, marquis and uncle. Except for a few founding Yuanrong such as Xu Da, Li Wenzhong, Deng Yu, Tang He and a few "Jingnan" heroes such as Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng, they were posthumously awarded Except for the county kings, there are no heroes with different surnames in the Ming Dynasty who have been awarded royal titles. certainly. The clan also no longer grants titles to heroes with different surnames, including Dukes of the Kingdom, and the two suddenly become distinct!

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang (portrait)

The Qing Dynasty further strengthened this "distinction between Jingwei and Jingwei". Except for a few subordinate generals in the early Qing Dynasty who were granted royal titles, during the entire two hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, all those who were granted clan titles There are only three grandsons: Fu Heng, Fu Kangan, and Delin! Moreover, Fu Heng only "gifted the title of county king" and did not actually grant it. Only Fukang'an was named Beizi during his lifetime, and after his death, he was named the county king and could inherit it. Fukang'an's son Delin inherited the title of Baylor after Fukang'an's death, but during the Jiaqing period, Emperor Renzong of the Qing Dynasty found various reasons and was demoted to Beizi, and was later directly deprived of the title by Emperor Jiaqing! In other words, in the Qing Dynasty, only father and son Fukang'an and Delin were actually awarded clan titles while they were still alive. As for Sun Kewang, Kong Youde, Wu Sangui and others, whether their royal titles are included in the clan title system is still controversial... Next, we will make a simple comparison of the clan titles in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Fukang'an, Prince of Jiayong County in the Qing Dynasty (portrait)

"Simple and rough" - the clan title of the Ming Dynasty

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was a guy who advocated "simple and rough". This can be seen from his treatment of the sons of Prince Yiwen Zhu Biao The attitude can also be seen. After Zhu Biao passed away, Zhu Yuanzhang chose to appoint the emperor's grandson. His successor Zhu Yunwen was older, and his successor Zhu Yunxi was more "rooted and mature". Who should he appoint? Zhu Yuanzhang was simply "simple and rude" - "It doesn't matter whether you are the direct descendant of the original wife or the direct descendant of the stepmother, I, Zhu Yuanzhang, only recognize you as my direct descendants, and we will come in order of your teeth, eldest and youngest!" So! , the step-brother Zhu Yunwen, who was born as a concubine, actually climbed over the head of the Yuan Dynasty Zhu Yunxi and became the emperor's grandson.

Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty (Emperor Jianwen) Zhu Yunwen (Portrait)

In terms of clan title, Zhu Yuanzhang still did not change his "simple and rough" style! The royal titles of the Ming Dynasty were divided into eight levels: Prince, County Prince, General of Zhenguo, General of Auxiliary State, General of Fengguo, Lieutenant of Zhenguo, Lieutenant of Fengguo, and Lieutenant of Fengguo. The person who is awarded the title of Prince must be a prince! Of course, the exception is Jingjiang Fan. The founder of Jingjiang Fan, King Zhu Xinglong of Nanchang, although he is the eldest son of Emperor Renzu Zhu Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty, can still be regarded as a "prince".But Zhu Shizhen's emperor was after all pursued by his son Zhu Yuanzhang, and the identity of Zhu Xinglong's eldest son was too sensitive, so Zhu Yuanzhang only gave his brother a title of county prince, and the title of Jingjiang prince given to his grandson Zhu Shouqian was also a county title. The title of king was only slightly higher than that of other county princes at the beginning, but it was always lower than that of prince.

Ming Dynasty King Zhu Shouqian of Jingjiang (wax figure)

As for the inheritance method of clan titles in the Ming Dynasty, it is even more "simple and crude"! Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that all princes and princes, except for the crown prince's son who succeeded to the title of prince, would be granted the title of county king, regardless of their legitimate concubines; except for the prince's crown prince who succeeded to the title of county prince, all the princes' sons, regardless of their legitimate concubines, would be granted the title of general of the country... Others are as follows: By analogy, Lieutenant Fengguo, who has the lowest title, no longer distinguishes between direct concubines and concubines. His descendants will be awarded the title of Lieutenant Fengguo for generations to come! In short, everyone has a share and will never fail. As long as they are descendants of Zhu Yuanzhang and his brother Zhu Xinglong, they can still get the title of Lieutenant of Fengguo no matter how bad they are!

"Complicated" - the clan titles of the Qing Dynasty

In view of the lesson learned in the late Ming Dynasty that "all the efforts of the country could not support the clan", the Qing Dynasty was much more cautious about the granting of clan titles, which also made the clan titles of the Qing Dynasty extremely "complicated" ", the title itself is divided into prince, county king, Beile, Beizi, the eight points of the town's Duke, the eight points of the auxiliary Duke, the eight points of the town's Duke, the eight points of the auxiliary Duke, the town There are twelve levels of General of the State, General of the Auxiliary State, General of Fengguo and General of Feng'en. Among them, General of the Zhenguo, General of the Auxiliary State and General of Fengguo are divided into three levels. There are a total of eighteen levels in total, which is ten levels more than the old Zhu family!

In addition, the royal family titles in the Qing Dynasty were also artificially divided into eight-point nobility and non-eight-point nobility. Those who entered the eighth-fen auxiliary Duke and above were all eighth-fen nobility, and could enjoy the "Zhu Lun, Purple Rein, and Back". Pot, purple mat, gems, eyes, leather strips, eunuchs" eight special treatments. At the same time, when you are knighted again, you can also get a varying number of Eight Flags Niulu as a flag share. Those who do not enter the title of Duke of Bafen Town or below are not eligible for the title of Bafenjun, and cannot enjoy the above-mentioned special treatment.

The inheritance method of clan titles in the Qing Dynasty is also different from the "simple and crude" Ming Dynasty. The clan titles in the Ming Dynasty were typically hereditary, while those in the Qing Dynasty were inherited. For example, as long as a prince in the Ming Dynasty has sons, one of the sons, usually the eldest son or the eldest son of a concubine, can definitely become a prince. However, when the title of prince in the Qing Dynasty is inherited by a son, he must be promoted to the first level. If there is no favor granted by the emperor, the prince's son can only attack the county king, and the county king's son can only attack Baile, and so on. Until the prince was demoted to the Duke of Bafen Town, the prince was demoted to the Duke of Fubafen Town, Beile was demoted to the Duke of Burubafen Town, Beizi was demoted to the Duke of Burubafen Town, and the Duke of Bafen Town was demoted. After being demoted to the rank of General of the Zhenguo and the Duke of the Eighth Auxiliary State to the rank of General of the Auxiliary State, their descendants can inherit the lowest-ranking title, which is hereditary and non-replaceable. Moreover, only the descendants of the eighth-quarter peerage have the hereditary treatment. If the first holder of the title does not enter the eighth-quarter peerage, his descendants must be demoted from generation to generation. After being demoted to General Feng En, they can be inherited by their biological descendants three times. Then he stopped attacking and was reduced to an idle clan without a title. If General Feng En died and had no biological descendants, the title could not be passed on to his heirs. Even if there was only one generation and no inheritance, the title would be stopped immediately!

In the clan of the Ming Dynasty, except for the son of Xijue, all other sons, regardless of whether they were legitimate concubines, were demoted to the first level of nobility according to their fathers, including the emperor's son. Except for the crown prince, all princes, regardless of their legitimate concubines, will be crowned princes; except for the prince's crown prince, all princes, regardless of their legitimate concubines, will be crowned princes... and so on. But the Qing Dynasty was different. Even the prince might not be able to obtain a title. For example, Yong Cang, the twelfth son of the emperor Gaozong Hongli of the Qing Dynasty, was "deposed" because his biological mother, Huifa Nala, was not abolished. This prince could not obtain a title even after his death! It was not until the Jiaqing period that his half-brother Qingrenzong Yongyan granted him the title of Baylor.Moreover, the titles in the Qing Dynasty were not as "evenly distributed" as in the Ming Dynasty. Even princes were not all given the title of prince. Usually, the titles they were initially granted were only Beizi, Baylor, etc., and many princes even remained just Baylor throughout their lives. , or even lower... Of course, there are also those who are newly crowned princes and county kings. It mainly depends on their relationship with the emperor, me, and the emperor's brothers. For example, Prince Yinxiang of Yixian was awarded a title for the first time in the first year of Yongzheng's reign. Emperor Yinzhen of the Qing Dynasty directly gave him a title of prince.

As for the sons of princes, county princes and other clans, except for those who want to inherit the title, they do not have a natural title and must take the exam. The so-called test title refers to determining a benchmark title based on the father's title and the status of the biological mother, and then taking an examination organized by the clan government. Only those with excellent scores in the exam can obtain the benchmark title. Those with poor scores will be downgraded to a title as appropriate. The worst thing is that there is no title to be awarded, even if I am a prince! For example, the brothers Duanhua and Sushun in the late Qing Dynasty. Duanhua inherited the title of their father, Prince Zheng Shen, Urgong'a, while Sushun only received the title of third-class auxiliary general. The same man, but his title is different by N levels! Rather than being only one level apart like the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this also depends on the relationship with the emperor. If the emperor wants to "raise the stakes," he can. For example, Hongchang, the eldest son of the concubine Yinxiang, Prince of Yixian, was born to the Guarjia family of Yinxiang's side Fujin. If according to the regulations, he can only participate in the examination for the title of second-class general of the country, and the highest initial title can only be awarded the title of the second-class general of the country. But who is Yinxiang? He is the "Executive Deputy Emperor"! Zong Yinzhen of the Qing Dynasty simply gave his nephew the title of Bei Viscount, without even taking the exam...

Portrait of Prince Yixian Yinxiang of the Qing Dynasty "Iron Hat"

However, there was a special type of royal title in the Qing Dynasty, wasn't it? The one who needs to surrender is often called the "Iron Hat King". The so-called "iron hat kings" refer to the eight military princes and princes confirmed during the Qianlong period - Prince Li, Prince Zheng, Prince Rui, Prince Yu, Prince Su, Prince Zhuang (Chengze) and Prince Keqin, Prince Shun. Prince Chengjun, as well as Prince Yi who was enfeoffed during the Yongzheng period, and Prince Gong (who was of the same lineage as Ning), Prince Chun, and Prince Qing who were enfeoffed during the late Qing Dynasty. The titles of these twelve princes and county princes do not need to be downgraded when they are inherited. The sons of the princes still hold the title of princes, and this is the case from generation to generation. Even if a certain "Iron Hat King" is removed from his title due to a crime, the title itself will still be retained and will be inherited by his descendants, or even his son! For example, Cao Xueqin's uncle, the "Iron Hat" Prince Pingjun (King Keqin) Nersu, after he was deposed, the title of Prince Ping was inherited by his son Fu Peng.

Qing Dezongzai's "Bensheng Examination" - "Iron Hat" Prince Chunxian Yixuan

But this hereditary substitution is limited to the title itself. The other sons of the "Iron Hat King" still have to take the exam, and their descendants The attack must also be surrendered, and there will be no special treatment. For example, Sushun mentioned earlier, his father Urgong'a was the "Iron Hat" Prince Zheng, but the title of Prince Zheng was forfeited by his brother Duanhua, so Sushun could only take the exam and get a third-class title. The title of general of the auxiliary country. If Sushun had not been killed because of the "Qixiang Coup", his son would still only be able to descend the title without any special treatment in the future.

Finally, let me talk about the idle clan of the Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty did not have such a concept, because the clan of the Ming Dynasty was based on the title of Lieutenant Fengguo, and all the descendants of Lieutenant Fengguo were awarded the title of Lieutenant Fengguo. However, General Fengen of the Qing Dynasty could only inherit three times, and then stopped the attack. The descendants of General Fengen who did not have titles were collectively called idle clans. They did not have titles, but they were still "paid" by the clan mansion on time, but It was just the "minimum wage" in the Qing Dynasty clan. Before the Qianlong Dynasty, the idle clan did not have any top robes or grades. During the Qianlong period, in order to highlight the uniqueness of the "Tianhuang nobles", Hongli, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, authorized the idle clan to wear the robes of the fourth-grade military attache.However, the treatment is still based on the treatment of the original idle clan, and the fourth-grade military attache is not given the actual position. He is only given a set of official uniforms...