Amin (

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

: ; , 1585- Dec. 28, 1640) was a

noble and an important military and political leader in the early years of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. He was the second son of

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin dynasty. As the leader of the House of Aisin-Gi ...

's younger brother

Šurhaci Šurhaci (; ; 1564 – 25 September 1611), was a Jurchen leader, a member of the Aisin Gioro clan, he was a younger brother of Nurhaci, the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, the predecessor of the Qing dynasty. Under the Ming dynasty governme ...

of the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro is a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as chie ...

clan.

Biography

Nurhaci's reign

In 1608, and again in 1613, he played an important part in

's campaign against the tribes of the Hūlun alliance, namely against

Bujantai Bujantai (Manchu language, Manchu: ; ) (1575 – 1618) was a Jurchen people, Jurchen ''beile'' (chieftain) of the Nara (clan), Ula tribal confederation. Life Bujantai was descended from Nacibulu (納奇卜祿), the ancestor of the Nara lineage ...

and the Ula tribe. At first he held the rank of a taiji (Mongol rank of a minor prince). In 1616 when Nurhaci assumed the title of Khan, Amin was named as one of the Four Senior Beile to assist in the administration. In terms of seniority he held the rank of Second Beile, and was given command of the

Bordered Blue Banner The Bordered Blue Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was one of the lower five banners. According to the general annals of the Eight Banners, the Bordered Blue ...

. He took part in 1619 in the Battle of Sarhū against the expeditionary force sent by the Ming Court under Yang Hao. In 1621 he fought bravely during the taking of

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

and

Liaoyang Liaoyang ( zh, s=辽阳 , t=遼陽 , p=Liáoyáng) is a prefecture-level city of east-central Liaoning province, China, situated on the Taizi River. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang, the provincial capital, by car. Liaoyang is hom ...

and was of the commanders of the expedition which drove

Mao Wenlong Mao Wenlong (; 10 February 1576 – 24 July 1629), courtesy name Zhennan, was a Chinese military general of the Ming dynasty, best known for commanding an independent detachment based in Dongjiang, a strategically important island in the Yellow ...

from

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. In 1626, after the death of Nurhaci and the succession of the Fourth Beile,

Hong Taiji Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin ...

as khan, Amin and the other two Senior Beile, Daišan and Manggūltai, ruled jointly with Hong Taiji.

Hong Taiji's reign

In 1627 Amin was in command of the expedition to Korea and was successful in forcing the king of Korea to sue for peace. His aim in subjugating Korea was probably to make himself ruler of that country, but he was opposed by the other princes who had been sent as his assistants, including his own brother,

Jirgalang Jirgalang or Jirhalang (Manchu: ; 19 November 1599 – June 11, 1655) was a Manchu noble, regent, and political and military leader of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the Aisin Gioro clan, he was the sixth son of Šurhaci, a younger brother o ...

, and his nephews, Dudu and Yoto. When these princes signed separately a treaty with the Korean king, Amin was so angry that he set his troops in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

free for three days of pillaging. In 1629, when Hong Taiji invaded China, Amin was left at

Mukden Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. It is the province's most populous city with a p ...

as regent. After Hong Taiji returned to Mukden in April 1630 Amin was sent to Yongping to guard the four cities that had been recently conquered. Amin arrived at Yongping on May 6, but soon the Ming troops counter-attacked and defeated the Manchus in several battles. On June 22, when the Ming troops were approaching Yongping, before fleeing the city with his troops, Amin disobeyed the orders of Hong Taiji by plundering and massacring the population of Yongping. Upon his arrival at Mukden in July 1630, Amin was arrested and tried for fleeing from his post, disobeying orders, for not having confronted the enemy in a single engagement, for losing many of his troops, and for other misdemeanors. A council of princes and high officials condemned him to death on sixteen counts, but Hong Taiji intervened and commuted his sentence to incarceration. Amin died in prison in 1640.

Legacy

The fall of Amin cleared the way for Hong Taiji to consolidate his power over the other Manchu princes (the Four Senior Beile). The Bordered Blue Banner which was under Amin's control was given to his younger brother,

, a devoted follower of Hong Taiji. From this it is clear that Hong Taiji was still fearful of radically altering the Banner arrangements which his father had designated. However the elimination of Amin as one of the Four Senior Beile made it easier for Hong Taiji to reduce the power of Manggūltai in 1631 and to appropriate for himself the latter's Plain Blue Banner.

Family

Consorts and issue: * Primary Consort, of the Hoifa Nara clan (娶福晉輝發那拉氏), daughter of beile Taishi (台诗) **Hongketai (宏科泰), 1st son **Ai'erli, Defender Duke by Grace (镇国公爱尔礼), 2nd son **Gu'ermahun, Prince Wenjian of the Fourth Rank (温简贝子固尔玛浑), 3rd son * Second primary Consort, of the Hoifa Nara clan(娶福晉輝發那拉氏), daughter of beile Baindari * Third Primary Consort, of the

Nara clan The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

(娶福晉那拉氏), daughter of Ezhu (额诸) * Fourth Primary Consort, of the Jarud

Borjigin A Borjigin is a member of the Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and Inner Mongolia u ...

clan (扎鲁特博尔济吉特氏), daughter of beile Heshuoqi (和硕齐) **Gong'a, Defender Duke by Grace (镇国公恭阿), 4th son **Guogai, Defender Duke by Grace Duanchun (端纯镇国公果盖), 5th son **Guolai, Defender Duke by Grace (镇国公果赖), 6th son * Fifth Primary Consort, of the Barin Borjigin clan (娶福晉巴林博尔济吉特氏), daughter of beile Seteli (塞特里) * Unknown ** Third Daughter ***Married Sodnom Dügüreng (索諾木杜棱; d. 1644) of the Aohan Borjigin after 1636

References

Literature

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amin 1585 births 1640 deaths Deliberative Princes and Ministers Manchu Bordered Blue Bannermen Imperial Clan of Qing dynasty