The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

Emperor Renzong of Qing, personal name Yongyan, was the sixth

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

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 ...

and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over

China proper China proper, also called Inner China, are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dyn ...

. He was the 15th son of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

. During his reign, he prosecuted

Heshen Heshen (; ; 1 July 1750 – 22 February 1799) of the Manchu Niohuru clan, was an official of the Qing dynasty. Favored by the Qianlong Emperor, he was described as the most corrupt official in Chinese history, having acquired an estimated 1.1 ...

, the corrupt

favorite A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler. It was es ...

of his father and attempted to restore order within the empire while curbing the smuggling of

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

into China. Assessments of his reign are mixed, either seen as the "beginning of the end" of the Qing dynasty, or as a period of moderate reform that presaged the intellectual movements of the 1860s.

Early years

Yongyan was born in the

Old Summer Palace The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan () or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens (), and sometimes called the Winter Palace, was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District, Beijing, China. I ...

, 8 km (5 mi) northwest of the walls of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. His personal name, "Yongyan" (永琰), was later changed to "Yongyan" (顒琰) when he became the emperor. The

Chinese character Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only on ...

for ''yong'' in his name was changed from the more common 永 to the less common 顒. This novelty was introduced by the Qianlong Emperor, who believed that it was not proper to have a commonly used Chinese character in an emperor's personal name due to the longstanding practice of

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly ...

in the imperial family during ancient China period. Yongyan was the 15th son of the Qianlong Emperor. His mother was Noble Consort Ling, the daughter of Wei Qingtai (魏清泰), an ethnic

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

official whose family had been long integrated into the Manchu

Eight Banners The Eight Banners (in Manchu language, Manchu: ''jakūn gūsa'', , ) were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu people, Manchu househol ...

as part of a Han Banner. The Qianlong Emperor originally had two other sons in mind for succeeding him, but both of them died early from diseases, hence in December 1773 he secretly chose Yongyan as his successor. In 1789, the Qianlong Emperor instated Yongyan as "Prince Jia of the First Rank" (嘉親王; or simply "Prince Jia").

Accession to the throne

In October 1795, the 60th year of his reign, the Qianlong Emperor announced his intention to abdicate in favour of Prince Jia. He made this decision because he felt that it was disrespectful for him to rule longer than his grandfather, the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

, who was on the throne for 61 years. Prince Jia ascended the throne and adopted the

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

"Jiaqing" in February 1796, hence he is historically known as the Jiaqing Emperor. For the next three years, however, the Jiaqing Emperor was emperor in name and rite only because decisions were still made by his father, who became a ''

Taishang Huang In Chinese history, a Taishang Huang or Taishang Huangdi is an honorific and institution of a retired emperor. The former emperor had, at least in name, abdicated in favor of someone else. Although no longer the reigning sovereign, there are ins ...

'' (emperor emeritus) after his abdication. After the death of the Qianlong Emperor in the beginning of February 1799, the Jiaqing Emperor took control of the government and prosecuted

, a

favourite A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In Post-classical Europe, post-classical and Early modern Europe, early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated signifi ...

official of his father. Heshen was charged with corruption and abuse of power, stripped of his titles, had his property confiscated, and ordered to commit suicide. Heshen's daughter-in-law,

Princess Hexiao Princess Hexiao of the First Rank (2 February 1775 – 13 October 1823) was a Manchu princess of the Qing dynasty. She was the tenth and youngest daughter of the Qianlong Emperor. Her mother was Consort Dun. Birth and childhood The future ...

, a half-sister of the Jiaqing Emperor, was spared from punishment and given a few properties from Heshen's estates. The Jiaqing Emperor commuted the death sentence of the scholar

Hong Liangji Hong Liangji (, 1746–1809), courtesy names Junzhi () and Zhicun (), was a Chinese scholar, politician, statesman, political theorist, and philosopher. He was most famous for his critical essay to the Qianlong Emperor, which resulted in his ban ...

who had criticised the policies of the Qianlong Emperor and Heshen, instead exiling him to a remote part of northern China and pardoning him altogether in 1800. Heshen was described as the 'primary evil' effecting the Empire, and after his removal the Emperor pursued a series of reforms of the court, civil service and treasury. He was a traditionalist in terms of his role as an ethnic Manchu leader, taking parts in imperial hunts, inspection tours, and upholding strict court protocol. As part of this traditionalist approach, the Jiaqing Emperor promoted ministers on the basis of their commitment to a 'purist' approach to Confucian rule. The impact of the Jiaqing Emperor's reforms are questionable, with the Emperor described by

Jonathan Spence Jonathan Dermot Spence (11 August 1936 – 25 December 2021) was a British-American historian, Sinology, sinologist, and author specialised in History of China, Chinese history. He was Sterling Professor of History at Yale University from 199 ...

as having 'relied on rhetoric more than specific policies to cleanse his empire', with Heshen's clique soon replaced by other bureaucratic factions. At the time, the Qing Empire faced internal disorder, most importantly the large-scale White Lotus (1796–1804) and

Miao Miao may refer to: * Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China * Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages * Miao (Unicode ...

(1795–1806) rebellions, as well as an empty imperial treasury. The Jiaqing Emperor engaged in the pacification of the empire and the quelling of rebellions, although this came at a steep fiscal cost. He endeavored to bring China back to its 18th-century prosperity and power. In 1813, the Jiaqing Emperor also faced the threat of the Eight Trigrams uprising, led by a millenarian Buddhist sect that launched a failed attack on the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

, with the intention of assassinating the Emperor upon his return from a hunting trip. The Jiaqing Emperor was intrigued by the leader of the rising, Lin Qing, and summoned him to a private interrogation. Lin was later executed by slicing.

Foreign relations

In 1816,

William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst (14 January 177313 March 1857) was a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William from 1823 to 1828. Background and education Born at B ...

was sent as ambassador extraordinary to the court, intending to establish more satisfactory commercial relations between China and Great Britain. The Amherst Embassy proved a failure as a result of Amherst's refusal to perform a kowtow to the Emperor, but would prove to have a significant impact on British views of China and the Qing dynasty. The Jiaqing Emperor refused the Vietnamese ruler

Gia Long Gia Long (Chữ Hán, Chữ hán: 嘉隆) ( (''Hanoi, North''), (''Ho Chi Minh City, South''); 8 February 1762 – 3 February 1820), born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) or Nguyễn Ánh (阮暎), was the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynas ...

's request to change his country's name to Nam Việt, but agreed that it could be changed to

Việt Nam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

instead. Gia Long's ''

Đại Nam thực lục ''Đại Nam thực lục'' ( vi-hantu, 大南寔錄, lit. "Veritable Records of the Great South", "Annals of Đại Nam", "Chronicle of Greater Vietnam") was the official history of Nguyễn dynasty, Vietnam. It contained the royal records of t ...

'' contains the diplomatic correspondence over the naming.

Opposition to Christianity

The

Great Qing Legal Code The Great Qing Legal Code (or Great Ching Legal Code), also known as the Qing Code (Ching Code) or, in Hong Kong law, as the ''Ta Tsing Leu Lee'' (), was the legal code of the Qing empire (1644–1912). The code was based on the Ming legal code, ...

includes one statute titled "Prohibitions Concerning Sorcerers and Sorceresses" (禁止師巫邪術). In 1811, a clause was added to it with reference to Christianity. It was modified in 1815 and 1817, settled in its final form in 1839 under the

Daoguang Emperor The Daoguang Emperor (16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanzong of Qing, personal name Mianning, was the seventh List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing e ...

, and repealed in 1870 under the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), also known by his temple name Emperor Muzong of Qing, personal name Zaichun, was the ninth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, w ...

. It sentenced Europeans to death for spreading

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

among Han Chinese and Manchus. Christians who would not repent their conversion were sent to

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

cities in

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

, to be given as slaves to Muslim leaders and

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

Chinese nobility

The Jiaqing Emperor granted the title '' Wujing Boshi'' () to the descendants of Tang essayist

Han Yu Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was an essayist, Confucian scholar, poet, and government official during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced t ...

Personal life and interests

The Jiaqing Emperor commissioned printed compendia of courtly collections, which are an important source for our present understanding of Qing court art. He was a keen scholar of the Confucian classics (to which he devoted much of his time in the early years of his reign when the Qianlong Emperor remained ''de facto'' ruler), with 15,267 poems attributed to him.

Death and burial

On 2 September 1820, the Jiaqing Emperor died at the Rehe (Jehol) Traveling Palace (熱河行宫), 230 km (140 mi) northeast of

, where the imperial court was in summer quarters. The ''

Draft History of Qing The ''Draft History of Qing'' () is a draft of the official history of the Qing dynasty compiled and written by a team of over 100 historians led by Zhao Erxun who were hired by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China. The draft was publ ...

'' did not record a cause of death. Some have alleged that he died after being struck by lightning, but others prefer the theory that he died of a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

, as the emperor was quite obese. He was succeeded by his second son, Mianning, who became known as the

. The Jiaqing Emperor was interred amidst the Western Qing Tombs, 120 km (75 mi) southwest of

, in the Chang (昌; lit. "splendid") mausoleum complex.

Family

Empress *

Empress Xiaoshurui Empress Xiaoshurui (孝淑睿皇后), of the Manchu Plain White Banner Hitara clan (喜塔臘氏) was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and first empress consort of Yongyan, the Jiaqing Emperor. She was empress consort of Qing from 1796 ...

(孝淑睿皇后) of the Hitara clan (喜塔臘氏; 2 October 1760 – 5 March 1797) ** ''Second daughter'' (2 June 1780 – 6 September 1783) ** Minning (旻寧), the

(道光帝; 16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), second son ** Princess Zhuangjing of the First Rank (莊靜固倫公主; 20 October 1784 – 27 June 1811), fourth daughter *** Married Manibadala (瑪尼巴達喇; ? – 1832) of the Mongol

Tumed The Tümed (; ; "The many or ten thousands" derived from Tumen) are a Mongol subgroup. They live in Tumed Left Banner, district of Hohhot and Tumed Right Banner, district of Baotou in China. Most engage in sedentary agriculture, living in mixed ...

Borjigin clan in November/December 1802 ** ''Miscarriage at three months'' (18 August 1785) *

Empress Xiaoherui Empress Xiaoherui (20 November 1776 – 23 January 1850), of the Manchu people, Manchu Eight Banners, Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and second empress consort of Jiaqing Emperor, Yongyan, the Ji ...

(孝和睿皇后) of the Niohuru clan (鈕祜祿氏; 20 November 1776 – 23 January 1850) ** ''Seventh daughter'' (2 August 1793 – 16 July 1795) **

Miankai Aisin Gioro Miankai (瑞懷親王綿愷; 6 August 1795 – 18 January 1838), was a prince of the Qing Dynasty. He was the third son of the Jiaqing Emperor and was made the first holder of Prince Dun of the First Rank peerage. He was the elder ...

(綿愷), Prince Dunke of the First Rank (惇恪親王; 6 August 1795 – 18 January 1838), third son **

Mianxin Mianxin (綿忻; 9 March 1805 – 27 September 1828) was Qing dynasty imperial prince as the fourth son of the Jiaqing Emperor. Mianxin was made the first holder of the Prince Rui of the First Rank title in 1819. In contrary to existing iron-ca ...

(綿忻), Prince Ruihuai of the First Rank (瑞懷親王; 9 March 1805 – 27 September 1828), fourth son Imperial Noble Consort * Imperial Noble Consort Heyu (和裕皇貴妃) of the Liugiya clan (劉佳氏; 9 January 1761 – 27 April 1834) ** Prince Mu of the Second Rank (穆郡王; 4 February 1780 – 10 June 1780), first son ** Princess Zhuangjing of the Second Rank (莊敬和碩公主; 30 January 1782 – 4 April 1811), third daughter *** Married Sodnamdorji (索特納木多布濟; ? – 1825) of the Mongol

Khorchin The Khorchin (, ''Horchin''; ''Qorčin''; ) are a subgroup of the Mongols that speak the Khorchin dialect of Mongolian and predominantly live in northeastern Inner Mongolia of China. History The Ming dynasty gave Borjigin princes (descended ...

Borjigin clan on 24 December 1801 and had issue (one daughter) *

Imperial Noble Consort Gongshun Imperial Noble Consort Gongshun (恭順皇貴妃) of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan (鈕祜祿氏) was a consort of the Jiaqing Emperor. She was 27 years his junior. Life Family background Imperial Noble Consort Gongshun's pers ...

(恭順皇貴妃) of the Niohuru clan (鈕祜祿氏; 28 May 1787 – 23 April 1860) ** ''Eighth daughter'' (8 March 1805 – 14 January 1806) ** Princess Huimin of the First Rank (慧愍固倫公主; 18 February 1811 – 28 June 1815), ninth daughter **

Mianyu 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 iro ...

(綿愉), Prince Huiduan of the First Rank (惠端親王; 8 March 1814 – 9 January 1865), fifth son Consort * Consort Shu (恕妃) of the Wanyan clan (完顏氏; ? – 1792) * Consort Hua (華妃) of the Hougiya clan (侯佳氏; ? – 3 August 1808), personal name Liuniu (六妞) ** ''Sixth daughter'' (2 August 1789 – June/July 1790) * Consort Zhuang (莊妃) of the Wanggiya clan (王佳氏; ? – 9 March 1811) * Consort Xin (信妃) of the Liugiya clan (劉佳氏; 26 April 1783 – 26 November 1822) Concubine * Concubine Jian (簡嬪) of the Guangiya clan (關佳氏; ? – 14 May 1780) ** ''First daughter'' (14 May 1780 – 24 November 1783) * Concubine Xun (遜嬪) of the Shen clan (沈氏; ? – 31 December 1786) ** Princess Hui'an of the Second Rank (慧安和碩公主; 31 December 1786 – June/July 1795), fifth daughter * Concubine Chun (淳嬪) of the Donggiya clan (董佳氏; ? – 30 November 1819) * Concubine En (恩嬪) of the Uya clan (烏雅氏) * Concubine Rong (榮嬪) of the Liang clan (梁氏) * Concubine An (安嬪) of the Gūwalgiya clan (瓜爾佳氏; 1 March 1785 – 29 July 1837) Noble Lady * Noble Lady Yun (芸贵人) * Noble Lady Yu (玉贵人) First Class Attendant * First Class Attendant Hui (慧常在)

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Yu Yang in ''

War and Beauty ''War and Beauty'' () is a Hong Kong television period drama serial that originally aired on TVB Jade from 23 August to 2 October 2004, consisting of 30 episodes. It stars TVB Best Actress winners Sheren Tang (2009/2010), Maggie Cheung (2003) ...

'' (2004) * Portrayed by Xin Baiqing ''Legend of Jiaqing'' (2005) * Portrayed by Shaun Tam in '' Succession War'' (2018) * Portrayed by Tang Jiatong in ''

Story of Yanxi Palace ''Story of Yanxi Palace'' () is a 2018 Chinese television series recounting the struggles of a palace maid in the court of the Qianlong Emperor. It was created by Yu Zheng, with original screenplay written by Zhou Mo, and later developed into a ...

'' (2018) * Portrayed in ''

Throne of Jade ''Throne of Jade'' is the second novel in the '' Temeraire'' alternate history/fantasy series written by American author Naomi Novik. It was published by Del Rey first in the United States on April 25, 2006, and was published in the United King ...

'' (2006), a historical fantasy novel by

Naomi Novik Naomi Novik (born 1973) is an American author of speculative fiction. She is known for the Temeraire (series), ''Temeraire'' series (2006–2016), an alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars involving dragons, and her The Scholomance Trilogy, ''S ...

. * ''Lord Jiaqing's Journey to Taiwan'' ( zh, 嘉慶君遊臺灣), a Taiwanese folklore ** Portrayed in ''Lord Jiaqing's Journey to Taiwan'' (1980) ** Portrayed by (Tân A-lân) in ' (2022)

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jiaqing Emperor 1760 births 1820 deaths Emperors of the Qing dynasty 18th-century Chinese monarchs 19th-century Chinese monarchs Persecution of Christians Chinese critics of Christianity Anti-Christian sentiment in China 1790s in China 1800s in China 1810s in China Qianlong Emperor's sons