Iron Hat King, many people often hear this name when watching Qing Dynasty film and television works. People often say who is the Iron Hat King, etc., giving people the feeling that the Iron Hat King is very powerful. In fact, if we understand the hereditary characteristics of the Qing Dynasty's titles, we can find that the Iron Hat King is indeed more powerful. From the establishment to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, there were only 12 Iron Hat Kings, and the number was very small. However, it is also the Iron Hat King, but the ability is completely different. In total, of the 12 iron hats of the Qing Dynasty, the first 8 were full of military achievements, and the ability was stronger than one. The last 4 are basically nothing, and one is not as good as one.
Wang Ye, the origin of our country is very early. After the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang implemented a dual-track system of coexistence of the sub-feudal system and the county system, and there were many kings with different surnames in the Western Han Dynasty. These princes were very powerful, and basically had all the power in their fiefdoms. Later, although there was no king with a different surname, the power of the king with the same surname was also very large. Subsequent dynasties tried their best to weaken the power of the prince. Later, Wang Ye began to be unable to fully control his fiefdoms, and then the fiefs became smaller and smaller, then there were no fiefs, and then to hold important positions, to not hold any real power, and to the Ming Dynasty, even the place names of the princes were relatively few. It can be said that the power of the prince is getting smaller and smaller.
Although the Qing Dynasty was founded by the Manchus, the power of the prince was still not large. When Nurhaci established Houjin, there was no prince. In 1636, Emperor Taiji called the emperor to change the name of the country to Qing, and the Qing Dynasty began to have a prince. Originally, however, there was no such thing as the Iron Hat King. It was not until the Qianlong period that there was a saying of the Iron Hat King. Simply put, the Iron Hat King means that the throne can be passed on forever and will not be demoted. Because the vast majority of titles in the Qing Dynasty are not hereditary, they will be demoted when they are hereditary. For example, after the death of a prince, the son may become a county king or a baylor, a shell and the like. And the Iron Hat King doesn't. It is precisely because of this that the Iron Hat King of the Qing Dynasty is very precious. From establishment to demise there are only 12. Let's take a look at the state of the 12 Iron Hat Kings.
Prince Heshuo Li
The first Prince of Heshuoli was Daisan, the second son of Nurhaci. Dai Shan is the owner of the red flag and the red flag
It can be said that the strength is still very strong. During the Nurhaci period, Daishan followed Nurhaci on expeditions against the Jurchen tribes, against the Mongols, and against the Ming Dynasty, which can be said to have made great contributions to the establishment of the Later Jin. After Nurhaci's death, he actively supported Emperor Taiji as emperor, so Emperor Taiji succeeded him to the throne and made him the Prince of Heshuoli. However, after Emperor Taiji succeeded to the throne, Dai Shan did not hold the power and was arbitrarily arranged to deprive him of power on some charges. This is understandable, after all, his power is too great, threatening the imperial power. However, after the death of Emperor Taiji, he supported emperor Taiji's son Fu Lin to ascend the throne, and because of this, he was deeply recognized by the Shunzhi Emperor. In general, he still made a lot of merit before the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, and it was normal to be named the King of the Iron Hat.
Prince Zheng of Heshuo
The first Prince of Heshuo Zheng was Zilharang.
He is the sixth son of Nurhachi's brother Shulhazi, and it can be said that this blood relationship is still a bit distant. Although Zilharang was Nurhaci's nephew, he was raised by Nurhaci from an early age. He made great contributions to the attacks on the Mongol departments, expeditions to Korea, and battles against the Ming Dynasty. During Nurhaci's time, he was one of the Eight Great Baylors, yes
Blue Flag Lord
。 In addition, he had a very good relationship with Huang Taiji, so after Huang Taiji ascended the throne, he continued to hold military power and followed Huang Taiji in his southern expedition to the north. After Emperor Taiji's death, he supported Fu Lin's succession to the throne. After Shunzhi ascended the throne, he was the most distantly related imperial uncle. After Zilharang's death, Shunzhi was so sad that he ordered him to quit the dynasty for seven days. This is still relatively rare, and it can have such a great glory after death. It can be said that he has also made great achievements in his life.
Prince Heshuo Rui
The first Prince of Heshuorui was Dorgon
, this is more familiar to everyone. Dorgon was the son of Nurhaci and the younger brother of Emperor Taiji. After Emperor Taiji ascended the throne, Dorgon followed Emperor Taiji on many expeditions, and was awarded the title of Emperor Taiji for his many military merits
The white flag owner
。 During the Emperor Taiji's expedition to Korea, Dorgon also made many contributions. When Emperor Taiji was proclaimed emperor, he was made the Prince of Heshuorui. However, Dorgon's greatest contribution was that after the death of Emperor Taiji, when he assisted Shunzhi, he commanded the Qing army to enter the customs and eventually unify the world. Without him, it would be difficult for the Qing Dynasty to enter the Central Plains and unify the world. However, dorgon was stripped of his title shortly after his death, and even the tomb was dug up. It was not until the Qianlong period that his merits were recognized. Although controversial after his death, he is definitely the most credited of the 12 Iron Hat Kings.
Prince Heshuo Yu
The first Prince of Heshuoyu was Duoduo.
Dordor was the son of Nurhaci, and Dolgun was a mother, and he was Dolgun's younger brother. After Emperor Taiji ascended the throne, Duo Duo followed Emperor Taiji on an expedition to Mongolia and attacked Korea, and made many achievements. In 1620,
Dodo became the lord of the white flag
。 When Emperor Taiji was proclaimed emperor, he was made the Prince of Heshuoyu. Duo Duo's credit after entering the customs was very great, he defeated Li Zicheng's army. He captured Yangzhou and killed Shi Kefa; he went down to Jiangnan and captured Zhu Yousong, the Hongguang Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty. After the Qing army entered the customs, among all the princes, Duoduo's military feats were absolutely the greatest, and no one could compare with him. However, in 1649, Dodo contracted smallpox and died. It can be seen how terrible the ceiling was at that time. In any case, he is also the glory of a lifetime.
Prince Heshuo Su
The first Prince of Heshuosu was Hauge, the eldest son of Emperor Taiji
。 After Emperor Taiji ascended the throne, Hauge followed his father to fight against the Ming Dynasty and made many contributions. When Emperor Taiji was proclaimed emperor, he was made the Prince of Heshuosu. However, he is not the flag owner, which is still rare. After Shunzhi ascended the throne, Hauge was demoted to the rank of king of the county for being ostracized by Dorgon, but soon recovered. Hauge then went on an expedition to the southwest and eliminated Zhang Xianzhong's regime. However, after he returned to Beijing, he was falsely imprisoned by Dolgun and has been dead in prison. Among the princes in the early Qing Dynasty, his fate was still very tragic. In fact, the reason why Dorgon excluded Hauge was directly related to Hauge's identity. After all, he was the son of Emperor Taiji, and he held great power, and the threat to Dorgon was very great. But in any case, people also have a lot of military achievements.
The first Prince of Heshuosu was Shuosai, the fifth son of Emperor Taiji.
Shuo Sai was born in 1629, so before the Qing army entered the customs, he basically had no merit. However, after the Qing army entered the customs, the credit of Shuo Sai was still relatively large. He followed Duo Duo in pursuit of Li Zicheng, pacified the north, then occupied Nanjing and captured Zhu Yousong, expeditioned to Mongolia, and quelled The Rebellion of Jiang Ou. Although he was not the commander-in-chief of these wars, the credit was still relatively large. In 1649, Shosai was made prince. But he died very early, at the age of 27, he died of illness, and he died at an early age. Although he died early, there were not many military achievements, which is still worthy of recognition. However, it is simply not comparable to the previous few.
King of Dorokqin
The first king of Dorokqin was Yueto, the eldest son of Daishan, the Prince of Heshuoli.
Yue Tuo followed Nurhaci on the Ming army and expeditions through Mongolia. For this grandson, Nurhaci still likes it. After Emperor Taiji ascended the throne, he followed Emperor Taiji on an expedition to Korea and attacked the Ming Dynasty, making many military achievements. When Emperor Taiji was proclaimed emperor, he was named Prince Heshuocheng, and he was therefore one of only four princes in the Emperor Taiji period. It can be seen that Huang Taiji attaches great importance to him. However, later, because of the dissatisfaction of the Emperor Taiji, the title was continuously reduced until Baylor. In 1639, Yue Tuode died of smallpox. Later, Emperor Taiji remembered his merits and posthumously honored him as the King of Dorokqin County. He is also one of only two of the 12 Iron Hat Kings. Although the end is not particularly good, there are still military achievements.
King of Doro Shuncheng County
The first King of Doro Shuncheng Waslek Dehun, who was the grandson of Daishan and the son of Daishan's third son.
The merits of Lek Dehun were all established after the Qing army entered the customs, and before the Qing army entered the customs, he was almost executed because he was involved in the dispute for the throne. In 1645, Lek dehun was appointed as the General of Pingnan and fought against the Southern Ming army in the south. In the fight against Nanming, he made many achievements. He was then transferred elsewhere to fight against Li Zicheng's Dashun army, dealing a devastating blow to the Dashun army. In 1648, Lek dehun was made the King of Shuncheng County for his military merits. In the process of the Qing Dynasty's pacification of the Southern Ming and Dashun, The credit of Leke Dehun was still relatively large. However, in 1652, at the age of 24, Lek de Hun died. He also died young. He is also one of only two of the Iron Hat Kings. It can be seen from here that DaiShansuan was deposed as the heir by Nurhaci, but his family was still very powerful in the early Qing Dynasty, and the family produced three iron hat kings.
The above 8 iron hat kings were sealed at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. Judging from the experience of these people, most of them were crowned kings by military merit. It can be said that the Aisin Kyora family originally had many capable people. However, the Iron Hat King in the middle and late Qing Dynasty and the early period are completely incomparable, and they are really inferior to one. Let's take a look at the four iron hat kings in the middle and late Qing Dynasty.
Prince Heshuoyi
The first Prince of Heshuoyi was Yin Xiang, the thirteenth son of Kangxi.
The reason why Yin Xiang was named the Iron Hat King was directly related to his support for Yongzheng as emperor. If it weren't for this level of relationship, he would definitely not have this honor. Yin Xiang not only supported Yongzheng's ascension to the throne, but also actively supported Yongzheng's various policies after Yongzheng ascended the throne, so he won Yongzheng's trust. He was not just the Iron Hat King, Yongzheng changed the "Yun" character in his name to "Yin" after his death, that is, there was no need to avoid it. This is also the only one in the history of the Qing Dynasty. Although he did not have military merit, he also had a certain merit in internal affairs.
Prince Heshuo Gong
The first Prince of Heshuo Gong was YiXuan, the son of Daoguang and the younger brother of Xianfeng.
After Xianfeng ascended the throne, he was made Prince Gong according to the will of the Daoguang Emperor. However, during the Xianfeng period, he was not reused, after all, he was a very great threat to Xianfeng. After Xianfeng's death, Yi Xian joined forces with the empress dowagers of the two palaces to launch the Xin You coup and henceforth took control of the imperial government. During Yi Chen's reign, the Western Affairs Movement was basically led by him, making a significant contribution to the modernization of the Qing Dynasty. However, in the later stages of his reign, he began to slack off the government. During the Sino-French War, Cixi took the opportunity to depose him and has since been idle. During the Sino-Japanese War, although YiXuan was reactivated, it did not change the status quo. In the first half of his life, he still had some achievements in domestic affairs, and did not make any contributions in the second half of his life. Don't say that it can't be compared with the eight iron hat kings in the early days, even compared with Yin Xiang, there is also a certain gap.
Prince of Heshuo
The first Prince of Heshuo was YiZhen (奕譞), the seventh son of the Daoguang Emperor and the younger brother of the Xianfeng Emperor.
If Prince Gong still had a certain contribution in the first half of the period, Prince Gong basically did not contribute anything. His greatest contribution was to have a son of an emperor. The Tongzhi Emperor died childless. Because the empress dowager of the two palaces wanted to continue to hold great power, she did not look for an emperor candidate from the next generation of tongzhi, and from her peers, so she found Yi Zhen's son Zai Xiang as emperor. In 1872, Yi Zhen was made a prince and allowed to be hereditary, and he became the Iron Hat King. I have to say that the Prince of Alcohol, the Iron Hat King, is really too casual and has no contribution.
Prince HeshuoQing
The first Prince of Heshuoqing was Yi Li, who was the great-grandson of the Qianlong Emperor, the grandson of Prince Ai Xinjueluo Yongxuan, and the eldest son of The Eighth Auxiliary Duke Ai Xinjue Luo Mian.
Seriously, by the late Qing Dynasty, he was basically a partial branch. If the above two Iron Hat Kings contribute too little, it is not enough to become the Iron Hat King. Then this one is not only a matter of the size of the contribution, he not only did not contribute, but also made a negative contribution, which accelerated the demise of the Qing Dynasty. The reason why Yi Li became the King of the Iron Hat was entirely due to one thing, that is, unconditional support for Cixi. Without Cixi, he would have been just an ordinary Manchu nobleman. When he came to power, there was only one thing, that is, corruption, and nothing else serious was done. Puyi even believed that the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, and Yi Li was the culprit. I don't know how the other Iron Hat Kings would feel when they saw Yi Li, this person suddenly lowered the standard of the Iron Hat King.
This is the general situation of the 12 iron hat kings of the Qing Dynasty. It can be said that the first 8 contributions are still very large. And the last 4 are indeed not as good as one. Especially the last two, one is completely unproductive, one is negative contribution, such a person can become the iron hat king, it is really unreasonable.
In fact, although the Iron Hat King can be hereditary, he does not necessarily wear it in this family. It's just that the title of this king has been passed down, and it can continue to be passed on in any family, as long as it is passed on. For example, the eight iron hat kings in the early Qing Dynasty, many of which were passed down to other people's homes, after all, some people have no descendants, and they cannot pass on to others. And sometimes if the emperor is unhappy, he will deprive you of your title, and even lower your title. Anyway, the Iron Hat King is not safe.
Of course, the benefits of the iron hat are still relatively many, not just hereditary replacement. There is also a relatively large number of Feng Lu. But the most important thing is that you can enter the Temple after death and enjoy the offerings of the hereafter. For wang ye, it is a great honor to become the king of the iron hat.
Resources:
Draft History of the Qing Dynasty