Mianyu (綿愉; 8 March 1814 – 9 January 1866) was

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 ...

imperial prince as the fifth son of the

Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, personal name Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He was ...

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

in the Chengde Mountain Resort, Mianyu was granted a title of Prince Hui of the Second Rank (惠郡王) by Empress Dowager Gongci as the successor to the imperial throne has not been appointed. In 1830, he performed Grand Sacrifices together with Yiwei, while in 1835 he made sacrifices together with Yishao, Prince Ding of the First Rank. In 1839, Mianyu was promoted to the prince of the first rank. 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 The Bordered Yellow Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu people, Manchu military and society during the Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. The Bordered Yellow Banner was one of three "upper" banner armies u ...

and was entrusted with managing the affairs of the Gioro family school. In 1856, when

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

broke out, Mianyu was in charge of administration of Beijing and was vested with powers of Generalissimus Possessing a Mandate, which meant that he would be one of the commanders of Eight Banner Forces. When

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin () was a Mongols, Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang Emperor, Daoguang, Xianfeng Emperor, Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperor, Tongzhi emper ...

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. 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.

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 (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, whi ...

, the Tongzhi Emperor.

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...

and

Empress Dowager Ci'an Empress Xiaozhenxian (12 August 1837 – 8 April 1881), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and empress consort of Yizhu, the Xianfeng Emperor. She was empress consort of Qing from ...

had him in high regard, mostly due to his moral character considered the most upright in his generation. Mianyu died on 9 January 1866 and was succeeded by his eldest son Yixiang.

Family

Mianyu was initially married to Lady 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) 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. ---- Primary Consort * First primary consort, of the

Gūwalgiya Gūwalgiya was one of the most powerful Manchu clans. It is often listed by historians as the first of the eight prominent Manchu clans of the Qing dynasty. After the demise of the dynasty, some of its descendants sinicized their clan name to th ...

clan (嫡福晋瓜尔佳氏, d. 1835) ** ''First son'' (15 March 1835 – 17 March 1835) * Second primary consort, of the

clan (继福晋瓜尔佳氏, d. 1852) ** Yixiang (奕详, 15 March 1849 – 13 February 1886), fifth son Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, of the Hešeri clan (侧福晋赫舍里氏, d. 13 April 1860) * Secondary consort, of the Yang clan (侧福晋杨氏) ** Prince of the Fourth Rank Yimo (奕谟, 22 May 1850 – 17 August 1905), sixth son * Secondary consort, of the Ligiya clan (侧福晋李佳氏)
管女子-->惠亲王侧福晋 ** ''Second son'' (22 December 1838) * Secondary consort, of the Xiegiya clan (侧福晋谢佳氏) ** ''Yicheng'' (奕诚, 7 April 1845 – 15 April 1847), third son ** Grace Defender Duke Yixun (奕询, 6 March 1849 – 16 August 1871), fourth son

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mianyu Qing dynasty imperial princes Prince Hui (first rank) Jiaqing Emperor's sons 1814 births 1866 deaths Qing dynasty generals Manchu Bordered Blue Bannermen