Hešeri


Hešeri, is a clan of Manchu nobility with Jianzhou Jurchens roots, originally hailing from the area which is now the modern Chinese provinces of Jilin and Liaoning. It was once one of the most important and powerful noble families in the early Qing dynasty in China, second only to the royal House of Aisin Gioro, to whom they were closely related by marriage. The power of the family reached its zenith in the period of Duke Hešeri Sonin and his third son Lord Hešeri Songgotu. Although its influence declined following Songgotu's death, clan Hešeri continued to be the hereditary nobility and play a role in Chinese politics until the demise of the Qing dynasty in early 1912.

History

Origins

The name Hešeri was first recorded in the Thirty Common Surnames of Jurchen during the later Tang dynasty, and is said to be derived from the name of an ancestral river. Alternatively, some have suggested that the name may stem from that of an ancient tribe. During the Tang dynasty, the Hešeri lived on the northern outskirts of the empire, co-existing to some degree with the then extant Khitan and the Liao dynasty they founded ; while the bulk of the clan maintained their ancestral residencies, the ascendancy of the Jurchen during the Qing dynasty and the administrative and military appointments clan Hešeri enjoyed as a result saw moderate diffusion of Hešeri throughout the more interior northern and central provinces.
After the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the resulting 1912 collapse of the Qing dynasty, the vast majority of Hešeri saw fit to distance themselves from their Manchu origins. To accomplish this, the more Han-sounding diminutive He was adopted as a replacement surname ; a few Hešeri went further and changed their surnames completely to Gao, Kang, Zhang, Lu, He, Suo, Ying, Hao, Hei, Pu, Li, or Man.

Notable figures

Jin dynasty

In the 119-year history of the Jin dynasty, at least 52 people from this clan were powerful enough to affect the government's decisions. Their names were recorded in the History of Jin.

Males

; Prince Consort
DatePrince ConsortPrincess
1768Kumeng Yunqi's sixth daughter by secondary consort

Females

; Imperial Consort
Imperial ConsortEmperorSonsDaughters
Empress XiaochengrenKangxi Emperor1.Chenghu
2. Yunreng, Crown Prince|Prince Li |Prince Limi
Consort Ping Kangxi Emperor1.Yinji
Concubine Xi Kangxi Emperor
Consort Chang Daoguang Emperor
Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe Tongzhi Emperor

; Princess Consort
Princess ConsortPrinceSonsDaughters
Primary consort Prince Yun'e is
Primary consortPrince An of the First Rank, Yolo 1. Prince An of the Second Rank, Ma’erhun
2. Duke, Jiangxi
3. Prince Qin of the Second Rank, Yunduan		1. Princess of the Third Rank
2, Princess of the Forth Rank
3. Princess of the Forth Rank
Primary consortPrince of the Third Rank, Chani
Primary consortPrince of the Third Rank, Yulang 1. Hengyao
1. Henghui
2. Hengxiang
3. Hengfen
4. Hengfu
Primary consortPrince Su of the First Rank, Huafeng
Primary consortPrince Su of the First Rank, Shanqi 1. Xianzhang
2. Xiande
3. Xianzheng
Primary consortPrince of the Third Rank, Yihui 1. Prince of the Forth Rank, Zaijun
2. Zaiqin
Primary consortPrince of the Third Rank, Zaiying 1. Puwei, Prince Gong of the First Rank
Secondary consort Yicong, Prince Dunqin1. Prince Zailian
2. Zaiyi, Prince Duan
4. Prince Zaiying

Modern Era