The Nine Courts were nine service agencies in

Imperial China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

that existed from the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) to 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 ...

(1644–1912). Headed by the Nine Chamberlains, the offices were subordinate to the

Three Departments and Six Ministries The Three Departments and Six Ministries () system was the primary administrative structure in imperial China from the Sui dynasty (581–618) to the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). It was also used by Balhae (698–926) and Goryeo (918–1392) and ...

. They were mostly ceremonial in nature and held a fair amount of power. During the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, the heads of the nine court transitioned away from referring to the nine courts, but to the Six Ministries, the Censorate, the Office of Transmission, and the Grand Court of Revision. The number of courts was not always nine throughout history. The nine courts throughout most of history were:

References

* Government of Imperial China Government of the Song dynasty Government of the Tang dynasty Government of the Yuan dynasty Government of the Sui dynasty Government of the Ming dynasty Government of the Qing dynasty Government of the Liao dynasty Government of the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) {{China-history-stub

See also

References