Mianyu Explained

Mianyu
Prince Hui of the First Rank
Chinese: 和碩惠親王
Succession:Head of the House of Prince Hui peerage
Reign:1820–1865
Reign-Type:Tenure
Predecessor:peerage created
Successor:Yixiang
Posthumous Name:Prince Huiduan of the First Rank
(惠端親王)
Birth Date:8 March 1814
Spouse:Lady Gūwalgiya
Lady Gūwalgiya
Issue:Yicheng,
Yixun,
Yixiang,
Yimo
Father:Jiaqing Emperor
Mother:Imperial Noble Consort Gongshun

Mianyu (綿愉; 8 March 1814 – 9 January 1866) was Qing dynasty imperial prince as the fifth son of the Jiaqing Emperor and the first holder of the Prince Hui of the first rank title. As Prince Hui of the First Rank peerage was not granted iron-cap status, each successive bearer of the title would hold diminished rank vis-a-vis his predecessor.

Life

Mianyu was born on 8 March 1814 to Consort Ru in the Palace of Eternal Longevity. In 1820, shortly after the death of Jiaqing Emperor in the Chengde Mountain Resort, Mianyu was granted a title of Prince Hui of the Second Rank (惠郡王)[1] by Empress Dowager Gongci as the successor to the imperial throne has not been appointed.[2] In 1830, he performed Grand Sacrifices together with Yiwei, while in 1835 he made sacrifices together with Yishao, Prince Ding of the First Rank.[3] In 1839, Mianyu was promoted to the prince of the first rank.[4] In 1840, he performed Grand Sacrificial Rites twice.

Military career

In 1851, Mianyu was appointed as a commander of Manchu forces of the Bordered Yellow Banner and was entrusted with managing the affairs of the Gioro family school.[5] In 1856, when Second Opium War broke out, Mianyu was in charge of administration of Beijing[6] and was vested with powers of Generalissimus Possessing a Mandate, which meant that he would be one of the commanders of Eight Banner Forces.[7] When Sengge Rinchen suffered several defeats in Tongzhou, Mianyu sent emergency so as to protect Five Capitals (places where Qing dynasty emperors used to reside during the imperial tours). In 1853, when Taiping rebellion started, Xianfeng Emperor did not issue any decrees ordering Mianyu and Sengge Rinchen to take action using armed forces despite the fact that losses of Qing forces could be less.[8] The main reason of this decision could be belief that Europeans were regarded as inferior nation in comparison to Manchurians and Chinese. However, when the rebels organised Northern Expedition (Taiping Rebellion), Sengge Rinchen's cavalry was sent to defeat the rebels.[9]

Death and succession

Apart from military successes, Mianyu is credited with literary work named "Series of the Airi Study" (《爱日寨集》). He was one of the teachers of the young Zaichun, the Tongzhi Emperor. Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an had him in high regard, mostly due to his moral character considered the most upright in his generation.[10] Mianyu died on 9 January 1866 and was succeeded by his eldest son Yixiang.[11]

Family

Mianyu was initially married to Ldy Guwalgiya, daughter of fifth rank literary official Bolin'e (博林额) since 1828. In 1837, he married another Lady Guwalgiya, daughter of Guiliang (桂良)[12] and elder sister of Princess Consort Gongzhong of the First Rank (Yixin's wife). Through the marriage with Lady Guwalgiya and Lady Hesheri, Mianyu was correlated with the most prominent Manchu clans.

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Primary Consort

Secondary Consort

Notes and References

  1. Book: Zhang, Zhongxing. "Zhang Zhongxing's works". 中国社会科学出版社. 1995. 5. 68.
  2. Book: Hua, Yanshi. "Completed history of the Qing dynasty". Hainan press. 2002. 107, 248.
  3. Book: Rawski, Evelyn S.. The Last Emperors: A Social History of Qing Imperial Institutions. University of California Press. 2001. 220.
  4. Book: 《星源吉慶》.
  5. Book: "Complete genealogy of the Aisin Gioro clan". Jilin Public Press. 1997. 380.
  6. Book: Cha, Dongfan. "Six histories. Qing". Beijing Book Co. Inc. 2019.
  7. Book: Meng. Sen. "History of Ming and Qing". Yang. Guozhen. 五南圖書出版股份有限公司. 2006. 991.
  8. Book: 50 prefectures of Guanghe. 湘军崛起. Beijing Book Co. Inc. 2018.
  9. Book: Michael, Franz H.. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents. 1966. 94.
  10. Book: Zhao, Erxun. "Draft History of Qing". 中华书局. 1977. China.
  11. Book: "Four Genealogies of Imperial Princes".
  12. a negotiator of the treaty of Tianjin [7]
  13. Book: 《為呈報惠親王之側福晉赫舍里氏出身及病故日期事》.
  14. Book: 《为惠亲王之官女子李氏等应封侧福晋事》.
  15. Web site: 详细资料介绍_爱新觉罗宗谱网. 2021-01-10. www.axjlzp.com.