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Dorgon | |
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Prince Rui of the First Rank (和碩睿親王) |
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Portrait of Dorgon | |
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1643–1650 (7 years) |
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Predecessor | (None. Titled created.) |
Successor | (None. Title abolished.) |
Spouse | Primary spouses: Lady Borjigit Lady Tunggiya Lady Borjigit Lady Borjigit Lady Borjigit Yi Ae-suk Secondary spouses: Lady Gongqite Lady Borjigit Lady Ji'ermote Lady Yi |
Issue | |
Dong'e (daughter) Duo'erbo (adopted son) |
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Full name | |
Aisin-Gioro Dorgon (愛新覺羅·多爾袞) |
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Posthumous name | |
1. Emperor Yi (Chinese: 義皇帝) (revoked in 1651) 2. Prince Ruizhong of the First Rank (和碩睿忠親王) (granted in 1778) |
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Temple name | |
Emperor Chengzong of Qing (清成宗) (revoked in 1651) |
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House | House of Aisin-Gioro |
Father | Nurhaci |
Mother | Lady Abahai |
Born | Yenden (present-day Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun, Liaoning) |
17 November 1612
Died | 31 December 1650 Kharahotun (present-day Chengde, Hebei) |
(aged 38)
Dorgon | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 多爾袞 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 多尔衮 | ||||||
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Dorgon (Manchu: ; literally "badger" in Manchu; 17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650) was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing Dynasty.
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Dorgon was born of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the 14th son of Nurhaci, khan of the Later Jin Dynasty (later renamed to Qing Dynasty by Nurhaci's successor Hong Taiji). His mother was Nurhaci's primary consort Lady Abahai. Ajige and Dodo were his full brothers, and Hong Taiji was his half-brother. Dorgon was one of the most influential of Nurhaci's sons, and his role was instrumental to the occupation of Ming Dynasty's capital Beijing by Qing forces in 1644. During Hong Taiji's reign, Dorgon participated in many military campaigns, including the conquests of Mongolia and Korea.
After Hong Taiji died in 1643, Dorgon became involved in a power struggle with Hong Taiji's eldest son Hooge over the succession to the throne. The conflict was resolved with a compromise between the two contending parties - both of them backed out, and Hong Taiji's ninth son Fulin ascended to the throne as the Shunzhi Emperor. Since the Shunzhi Emperor was only six years old at that time, Dorgon was appointed regent and became a de facto ruler. Dorgon was conferred the title of "Emperor's Uncle and Prince Regent" (皇叔父攝政王), which later became "Emperor's Father and Prince Regent" (皇父攝政王). It was rumoured that Dorgon had a romantic affair with the Shunzhi Emperor's mother Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and even secretly married her, but this claim has been disputed.
Dorgon died in 1650 during a hunting trip in Kharahotun (present-day Chengde, Hebei). He was posthumously granted the title of Emperor Yi (Chinese: 義皇帝) and the temple name "Chengzong" (成宗), even though he was never emperor throughout his life. The Shunzhi Emperor even bowed thrice in front of Dorgon's coffin during the funeral.
In 1651 Dorgon's rivals, led by former co-regent Jirgalang, submitted to the Shunzhi Emperor a long memorial listing a series of crimes committed by Dorgon, which included: possession of yellow robes, which were strictly for use only by the emperor; plotting to seize the throne from the Shunzhi Emperor by calling himself "Emperor's Father"; killing Hooge and taking Hooge's concubines for himself. The Shunzhi Emperor posthumously stripped Dorgon off his titles and even had Dorgon's corpse exhumed and flogged in public. It is believed that the Shunzhi Emperor hated Dorgon and saw him as a threat to the throne. Dorgon was posthumously rehabilitated during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor. In 1778 the Qianlong Emperor granted Dorgon a posthumous name zhong (忠; "loyal"), so Dorgon's full posthumous title became "Prince Ruizhong of the First Rank" (和碩睿忠親王).
Dorgon was survived by only a daughter. However he had adopted his nephew Duo'erbo (fifth son of Dorgon's brother Dodo), so Duo'erbo inherited Dorgon's princely title.
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